| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| ACE | Adult and Community Education |
| ACER | Australian Council for Educational Research |
| AIHW | Australian Institute of Health and Welfare |
| ALP | Australian Labor Party |
| ANZSIC | Australian and New Zealand Standard Industry Classification |
| ASCCSS | Australian Standard Classification of Countries for Social Statistics |
| ASCED | Australian Standard Classification of Education |
| ASCO | Australian Standard Classification of Occupations |
| ASGC | Australian Standard Geographical Classification |
| ATO | Australian Taxation Office |
| ATSIC | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission |
| AST | Australian Social Trends |
| CDEP | Community Development Employment Projects scheme |
| CPI | Consumer Price Index |
| COAG | Council of Australian Governments |
| COTA | Council of the Ageing |
| CRA | Commonwealth Rent Assistance |
| CSTDA | Commonwealth State/ Territory Disability Agreement |
| DDA | Disability Discrimination Act 1992 |
| EEBTUM | Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey |
| EEH | Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours |
| ERP | Estimated resident population |
| FACS | Department of Family and Community Services |
| FTE | Full-time equivalent |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product |
| GFS | Government Finance Statistics |
| GL | Gigalitre |
| GSS | General Social Survey |
| GST | Goods and Service Tax |
| HECS | Higher Education Contribution Scheme |
| HES | Household Expenditure Survey |
| ICD–10 | International Classification of Diseases – 10th revision |
| ICD–9 | International Classification of Diseases – 9th revision |
| ICF | International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health |
| ISCED | International Standard Classification of Education |
| kL | Kilolitre |
| LFS | Labour Force Survey |
| MAP | Measures of Australia’s Progress |
| MCEETYA | Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs |
| ML | Megalitre |
| MODL | Migration Occupations in Demand List |
| NATSIS | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey 1995 |
| NATSISS | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2002 |
| NHS | National Health Survey |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PISA | Programme for International Student Assessment |
| PPP | Purchasing Power Parities |
| SACC | Standard Australian Classification of Countries |
| SAR | Special Administrative Region of China |
| SBS | Special Broadcasting Service |
| SD | Statistical Division |
| SDAC | Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers |
| SEIFA | Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas |
| SIH | Survey of Income and Housing |
| SLA | Statistical Local Area |
| SSD | Statistical Subdivision |
| TAFE | Technical and Further Education |
| TIMSS | Trends in Mathematics and Science Study |
| TFR | Total fertility rate |
| UK | United Kingdom |
| UNICEF | United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund |
| USA | United States of America |
| USSR | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| VET | Vocational Education and Training |
| WHO | World Health Organisation |