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GLOSSARY


Age-specific fertility rates

The age-specific fertility rate (ASFR) is the number of live births (registered) during the calendar year, according to the age of the mother, per 1,000 of the female estimated resident population of the same age at 30 June. For calculating these rates, births to mothers under 15 years are included in the 15-19 years age group, and births to mothers aged 50 years and over are included in the 45-49 years age group. Pro rata adjustment is made for births for which the age of the mother is not given.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander birth

The birth of a live-born child where at least one parent reports as being an Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian on the birth registration form.

Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)

The ASGS defines all the regions for which the ABS publishes statistics within the one framework and is used by the ABS for the collection and dissemination of geographically classified statistics from 1 July 2016. It is the current framework for understanding and interpreting the geographical context of statistics released by the ABS.

For more information, please refer to Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.001).

Baby boom

Baby boom refers to the generation born between the end of World War II and the mid-1960s. Baby boomers are usually taken to be those born in the years 1946 to 1965 inclusive.

Birth

The delivery of a child, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, who, after being born, breathes or shows any evidence of life such as a heartbeat.

Childbearing ages

See Reproductive lifetime.

Completed fertility

Completed fertility represents the average number of births a cohort of females have borne over their reproductive lifetimes.

Confinement

The labour period which results in at least one live birth.

Country of birth

The classification of countries used in the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC).

For more information, please refer to Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) (cat. no. 1269.0).

Crude birth rate

The crude birth rate is the number of live births registered during the calendar year per 1,000 estimated resident persons at 30 June of that year.

Estimated resident population (ERP)

The official measure of the population of Australia is based on the concept of usual residence. It refers to all people, regardless of nationality, citizenship or legal status, who usually live in Australia, with the exception of foreign diplomatic personnel and their families. It includes usual residents who are overseas for less than 12 months over a 16 month period. It excludes overseas visitors who are in Australia for less than 12 months over a 16 month period.

Ex-nuptial birth

An ex-nuptial birth is the birth of a child whose parents are not registered as married to each other at the time of the child's birth.

Live birth

See Birth.

Local Government Area (LGA)

An ABS approximation of the officially gazetted LGA as defined by each state and territory local government department. LGAs cover incorporated areas of Australia, which are legally designated areas which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility. The major areas of Australia not administered by incorporated bodies are the northern parts of South Australia and all of the Australian Capital Territory and the Other Territories. These regions are identified as 'Unincorporated' in the ABS LGA structure.

For more information, please refer to Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 3 - Non ABS Structures, July, 2016 (cat. no. 1270.0.55.003).

Marital status

Two separate concepts of marital status are measured by the ABS. These are registered marital status and social marital status.

Registered marital status refers to formally registered marriages and divorces. Registered marital status is a person's relationship status in terms of whether he or she has, or has had, a registered marriage with another person. Accordingly, people are classified as either 'never married', 'married', 'widowed' or 'divorced'. Statistics included in this release are based on registered marital status.

Median age of mother at confinement

The median age of mother at the time of birth measures the median age of females who gave birth in a particular year. This release reports on median age of mother at the time of birth.

Median value

For any distribution, the median value (age, duration, interval) is that value which divides the relevant population into two equal parts, half falling below the value, and half exceeding it. Where the value for a particular record has not been stated, that record is excluded from the calculation.

Mortality

Death.

Multiple birth

A multiple birth is a confinement which results in two or more children, at least one of which is live-born.

Net reproduction rate

The net reproduction rate represents the average number of daughters that would be born to a group of females if they are subject to the fertility and mortality rates of a given year during their future life. It indicates the extent to which the population would reproduce itself. The net reproduction rate is obtained by multiplying the age-specific birth rates (for female births only) by the proportion of survivors at corresponding ages in a life table and adding the products.

Nuptial birth

A nuptial birth is the birth of a child born to parents who are registered as married at the time of the child's birth.

Nuptiality

Nuptiality relates to the registered marital status of persons and the events such as marriages, divorces and widowhood. Confinements and births are identified as being nuptial where the registered father was registered as married to the mother at the time of birth, or where the husband died during pregnancy. Confinements and births to Indigenous mothers considered to be tribally married are classified as nuptial. Other confinements, and births resulting from them, are classified as ex-nuptial whether or not both parents were living together at the time of birth.

Other Territories

Following the 1992 amendments to the Acts Interpretation Act 1901-1973 (Cwlth) to include the Indian Ocean Territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as part of geographic Australia, another category at the state and territory level has been created, known as Other Territories. From 1 July 2016, the Australian Government assumed responsibility for Norfolk Island. Other Territories include Jervis Bay Territory, previously included with the Australian Capital Territory, as well as Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Norfolk Island.

Parity

Parity refers to the number of live births a woman has had previous to the most recent birth. Parity is also an attribute of any live birth, being the order of that birth (e.g. first birth, second birth, and so on) of a woman.

Paternity acknowledged birth

A paternity acknowledged birth refers to an ex-nuptial birth where paternity was acknowledged (on the birth registration form).

Paternity not acknowledged birth

A paternity not acknowledged birth refers to an ex-nuptial birth where paternity was not acknowledged (on the birth registration form).

Previous births

Previous births refer to children born alive (who may or may not be living) to a mother prior to the registration of the current birth in the processing period. In some states, legitimised and legally adopted children may also be included.

Due to variation in data collection and processing methods across states and territories, different definitions of the concept of previous births have been applied.

Changes in ABS processing of data collected by state/territory Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages for 2007 have resulted in the availability of improved information on previous births to mothers. Prior to 2007, the ABS published information on previous births of the mother from the current relationship only, for all states and territories. From 2007, data on previous births for all relationships (both current and previous, if any) of the mother are collected for all states and territories, excluding Victoria and Queensland.

Previous children

See Previous births.

Remoteness Area (RA)

Within the Australian Standard Geography Standard (ASGS), the remoteness classification comprises seven categories called Remoteness Areas (RAs). Each RA is created from the grouping of Mesh Blocks identifying a (non-contiguous) region in Australia having a particular degree of remoteness.

The RA categories for Australia disseminated in this release are: Major Cities, Inner Regional, Outer Regional, Remote, and Very Remote.

Replacement fertility

Replacement level fertility is the number of babies a female would need to have over her reproductive life span to replace herself and her partner. Given the current mortality of females up to age 49 years, replacement fertility is estimated at around 2.1 babies per female.

Reproductive lifetime

Women's childbearing years, usually assumed as the ages from 15 to 49 years for the purpose of analysis. In this release, births to women less than 15 years are included in the 15-19 years age group and those 50 years and older are included in the 45-49 years age group.

Sex ratio

The number of males per 100 females.

State or territory of registration

The state or territory in which the event was registered.

State or territory of usual residence

The state or territory of usual residence of:

• the population (estimated resident population);
• the mother (birth collection); and
• the deceased (death collection).