Life Course Dataset and developments

The Life Course Dataset is a world-leading dataset that will help researchers better understand disadvantage and wellbeing. The data is being built by safely linking the existing Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) to a selection of data sources, including data from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and South Australia (SA). This linkage is possible through the partnerships the ABS has with ACT Government, SA Government and University of Adelaide’s BetterStart. 

The Life Course Dataset includes data from PLIDA, ACT datasets, parts of the BetterStart's Better Evidence Better Outcomes Linked Data (BEBOLD), state and territory births registry data, Commonwealth childcare data, and homelessness data from the 2021 Census. Researchers for Life Course Data Initiative (LCDI) approved projects can request access to different parts of the Life Course Dataset, in accordance with PLIDA approval processes and jurisdictional governance arrangements. For more information refer to ‘Access to the Life Course Dataset’ below.

The Life Course Dataset will be improved by new ways of understanding household and family connections. The dataset will also help inform an experimental indicator of child disadvantage which incorporates measures relevant to children’s social, economic, and educational wellbeing. For more information, refer to ‘New methodologies and data developments’ below. 

The Life Course Dataset is created and protected by strict legal, governance and privacy conditions to ensure the safe and appropriate use of data (refer to Life Course Dataset protections below).  

• The Life Course Dataset is created and protected under the Census and Statistics Act 1905. The pilot LCDI complies with the Privacy Act 1988, and its use is in line with PLIDA and relevant jurisdictional data custodian and ethics approval processes.
• The Life Course Dataset and its components are governed by the same ABS Privacy and Security protections that govern PLIDA, in addition to jurisdictional governance arrangements. More information is available on Access to Integrated Data, Keeping integrated data safe, Privacy in PLIDA and Privacy Impact Assessments.
• Research undertaken with the Life Course Dataset will occur within the Five Safes Framework.
• All unit record level data will be held within the secure DataLab environment only and is under strict protections and conditions.
• Privacy considerations for the LCDI were explored in the 2024-25 PLIDA Privacy Impact Assessment Update which is published on the ABS website. PLIDA/MADIP Privacy Impact Assessments are an important part of the governance and accountability framework and helps identify and manage privacy impacts.

Access to the pilot Life Course Dataset is through the secure and monitored ABS DataLab environment. Access is limited to LCDI researchers who have their access approved by relevant PLIDA and jurisdictional data custodians and meet the conditions for safe and secure data access in the ABS DataLab. 

The DataLab user guide outlines the requirements users, including the ABS, must meet before access is allowed. These requirements include undertaking ABS safe researcher training and signing relevant commitments prior to accessing any de-identified data for research purposes.  

For more information about the Life Course Dataset, contact life.course@abs.gov.au.  

The ABS will enhance use of the Life Course Dataset through new ways of compiling and understanding data to enable better analysis of experiences over the life course. This will include development of:  

• ways to understand household and family connections, particularly for children
• an experimental indicator of child disadvantage which incorporates measures relevant to children’s social, economic, and educational wellbeing
• Core Relationships and Core Locations modules as part of the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) Modular Product
• new location-based indicators on distance and travel-time to selected key services

Information papers are available in Methodological insights.

For more information about data developments for the LCDI, contact life.course@abs.gov.au.

The ABS will enhance the Life Course Dataset to understand household and family connections and how these change over time. This will allow for more detailed analysis of life course outcomes and experiences, particularly for children.  

The ABS will develop both household structures and family structures to improve the way the data can be used for analysis: 

• Household structures are intended to represent people who share a common address. Household structures will be provided as annual snapshots, for people who are alive and physically present in Australia and who share an address on the snapshot date. Where it is reasonable, relationship information may be used to infer a household for people who do not have sufficient location information available.
• Family structures are intended to represent family connections for people, regardless of whether they share a common address. Family structures will be child-centred, initially focusing on identifying relationships for children born in the 2006-07 financial year. Unlike household structures, family structures will be episodic in nature, with relationship episodes having a start date and (sometimes) an end date. When information about relationships is missing or not provided explicitly in the data sources, the ABS will explore the potential to impute relationships based on the available data.  

This approach offers the potential for more current and dynamic information on household and family units than what is available through the five-yearly Census. By constructing household and family structures, researchers and policy makers using the Life Course Dataset can more easily explore questions that have a household or family dimension, including those about economic resources, social mobility, labour force participation, and intergenerational dynamics. 

The development of household and family structures will be informed by consultation with researchers and policy makers, including through a Technical Working Group and engagement with communities and community organisations through the Community program.    

• Household and Family structures are now available for request by researchers for LCDI approved projects. These are de-identified datasets that can be used within DataLab. Prior to being made available, a safe data assessment was conducted to assess disclosure risks. 

The ABS is exploring options to also make the data more widely available for request by PLIDA researchers. Access is subject to approval by relevant data custodians. 

More information is available in: Methodological insights and Methodological News, December Quarter 2024.

The ABS will produce an experimental indicator of child disadvantage which incorporates measures relevant to children’s social, economic, and educational wellbeing to illustrate the potential of the Life Course Dataset to inform on issues relating to disadvantage.  

The Life Course Dataset offers a unique opportunity to develop an experimental indicator – specifically, most data within the dataset is updated frequently, covers many domains and is longitudinal in nature. It will include domains relevant to a child’s experiences, like economic resources, living standards, and participation in educational opportunities.  

This work complements other composite indices developed by the ABS, such as the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) and the Index of Household Advantage and Disadvantage (IHAD) that are based on the five-yearly Census. 

The development of the experimental indicator of child disadvantage will be informed by consultation with researchers and policy makers, including through a Technical Working Group and engagement with communities and community organisations through the Community program.     

LCDI researchers can request access to the experimental indicator of child disadvantage from mid-2026. The ABS will also publish statistics based on this indicator as part of the Analytical insights.

The PLIDA Modular Product is a detailed microdata product available to approved researchers in the ABS DataLab. The development of the Core Relationships and Core Locations modules, which form part of the PLIDA Modular Product, was developed through the LCDI to enable better analysis of life course experiences. 

The Core Locations module contains geocoded location information about people in the PLIDA spine (where possible). It is a useful resource for researchers who wish to have readily accessible geocoded location information to perform analyses that relate to topics like internal migration, social mobility, or geographic distribution.  

The Core Relationships module contains relationship (parent-child, spouse) information for persons in PLIDA (where possible). It is a useful resource for researchers who wish to have readily accessible relationship information to perform analyses involving or relying on family structures or relationships information. 

Researchers can request access to the PLIDA Modular Product, including the Core modules, by completing the ABS DataLab project proposal for detailed and integrated microdata. Access is subject to approval by PLIDA data custodians.   

New location-based indicators have been developed using data from the Centre for Australian Research into Access. These indicators measure distance and travel-time to selected services, including childcare, schools, hospitals, and General Practitioners in 2021. They are available in the Life Course Dataset for request by researchers of LCDI approved projects.