| Special purpose code | Definition |
|---|---|
| Capital city nfd | Used to code place of usual residence one and five years ago. Used where a respondent has given incomplete address information on the Census form but has given enough information to allow coding to a capital city. There is a category for each capital city: Capital city (Greater Sydney) nfd Capital city (Greater Melbourne) nfd Capital city (Greater Brisbane) nfd Capital city (Greater Adelaide) nfd Capital city (Greater Perth) nfd Capital city (Greater Hobart) nfd Capital city (Greater Darwin) nfd Capital city (ACT) nfd |
| State/Territory nfd | Used to code place of usual residence one and five years ago. Used where a respondent has given incomplete address information on the Census form but has given enough information to allow coding to a state/territory. There is a category for each state/territory: State/Territory nfd (NSW) State/Territory nfd (Vic.) State/Territory nfd (Qld) State/Territory nfd (SA) State/Territory nfd (WA) State/Territory nfd (Tas.) State/Territory nfd (NT) State/Territory nfd (OT) |
| Migratory | Used to code people who are in transit on long distance trains, buses, aircraft, and long-haul road transport vehicles on Census night. |
| Offshore | Used to code people who are on oil rigs and drilling platforms etc. on Census night. Also used for expeditioners in the Australian Antarctic Territory. |
| Shipping | Used to code people who are on board vessels in Australian waters, in or between Australian ports on Census night. |
| No usual address | Used to code people who have no fixed address, including travellers who move across Australia and people sleeping rough. |
| Not applicable | Used to code a person’s place of usual residence one and five years ago, for children who had not been born one or five years ago. |
| Overseas | Used to code a person’s place of usual residence one and five years ago, for people who lived overseas one and five years ago. |
Place of usual residence one year ago (PUR1P)
Definition
This variable records where a person usually lived one year before the Census. The data is reported at Statistical Area Level 2 and can be grouped into larger Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) areas, including:
- Statistical Area Level 3
- Statistical Area Level 4
- Significant Urban Area
- Greater Capital City Statistical Area
- State/Territory
For more information, see the ASGS.
Scope
Persons aged one year and over
Categories
In addition to the ASGS geographic areas outlined above, the following categories are also included.
| Code | Category |
|---|---|
| 9099 | Capital city nfd |
| 9299 | Overseas |
| 9499 | No usual address |
| 9799 | Migratory, offshore and shipping |
| 9899 | State/Territory nfd |
| &&&& | Not stated |
| @@@@ | Not applicable |
| VVVV | Overseas visitors |
Number of categories: Total number of categories will depend on the geographic level chosen
Not applicable (@@@@) category comprises:
- persons aged under one year
See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.
Special purpose code definitions
Question(s) from the Census form
Where does the person usually live?
Where did the person usually live one year ago (at 11 August 2025)?
How this variable is created
Place of usual residence one year ago (PUR1P), is coded to Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2) using the following rules:
- For respondents whose usual residence one year ago was the same as the address on Census night, a response is derived from place of usual residence (PURP). The response is then coded using automatic or clerical processes.
- For respondents who lived elsewhere in Australia one year ago, a response is coded using automatic or clerical processes.
- For respondents who lived overseas one year ago, a response is coded to ‘Overseas’.
- If there was no response to the question, respondents are coded as ‘Not stated’.
- If location cannot be coded to SA2 a response is assigned to either the ‘Capital city nfd’ or ‘State/territory nfd’ category.
History and changes
The question where did the person usually live one year ago? was first asked in the 1976 Census and has been included in every Census since.
There have been no changes for the 2026 Census.