Allocation files

Allocation files listing the geographic hierarchies for each of the following regions, are available for download in .xlsx format: 

• Mesh Blocks (MB)
• Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1)
• Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2)
• Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3)
• Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4)
• Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA)
• State and Territory (STE)
• Australia (AUS)

The hierarchy is listed from the lowest level of the ASGS up.

File contents:

For example MB_2021_AUST contains all Mesh Blocks within Australia and includes the following fields:

• MB_CODE_2021
• MB_CATEGORY_2021
• CHANGE_FLAG_2021
• CHANGE_LABEL_2021
• SA1_CODE_2021
• SA2_CODE_2021
• SA2_NAME_2021
• SA3_CODE_2021
• SA3_NAME_2021
• SA4_CODE_2021
• SA4_NAME_2021
• GCCSA_CODE_2021
• GCCSA_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

This lists the Mesh Blocks that make up the SA1s, SA2s, SA3s, SA4s, GCCSAs, State and Territory and Australia. It also gives the area in square kilometres of the Mesh Block, based on Albers Equal Area Conic projection.

There are .xlsx files listing the geographical hierarchies for each of the following regions:

• Local Government Areas (LGA)
• State Electoral Divisions (SED)
• Commonwealth Electoral Divisions (CED)
• Postal Areas (POA)
• Tourism Regions (TR)
• Australian Drainage Divisions (ADD)
• Suburbs and Localities (SAL)
• Destination Zones (DZN)

Most Non ABS Structures list Mesh Blocks as the smallest unit used for aggregation. Tourism Regions are constructed from Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2).

File contents:

The .xlsx files generally contain the following fields:

• <BASE_REGION>_CODE_2021 where BASE_REGION equals either Mesh Block or Statistical Area Level 2
• <REGION>_CODE_<YEAR> where REGION equals LGA, SED, CED, POA, TR, ADD, SAL or DZN and YEAR equals the reference year of the boundaries
• <REGION>_NAME_<YEAR>
• STATE_CODE_2021 (excluded from POA and ADD as these boundaries cross state and territory borders)
• STATE_NAME_2021 (excluded form POA and ADD as these boundaries cross state and territory borders)
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021 (Please note this field refers to the BASE_REGION rather than the named REGION of each file)

There are two allocation files provided for Destination Zones. MB_DZN_2021_AUST contains:

• MB_CODE_2021
• DZN_CODE_2021
• SA2_CODE_2021
• SA2_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

DZN_SA2_2021_AUST contains:

• DZN_CODE_2021
• SA2_CODE_2021
• SA2_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

All files give the area in square kilometres of each base region, based on Albers Equal Area Conic projection.

There is one allocation table in .xlsx file format that relates Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) to the Indigenous Structure hierarchy: 

• Indigenous Structure Allocation Table

There are three .xlsx files listing the geographical hierarchies for each of the following geographies:

• Indigenous Locations (ILOC)
• Indigenous Areas (IARE)
• Indigenous Regions (IREG)

The Indigenous Structure is built from aggregations of SA1s. The hierarchy is listed from the lowest level of the ASGS up and all files cover the whole of Australia.

File contents:

Indigenous_Structure_Allocation_2021 includes the following fields:

• SA1_CODE_2021
• ILOC_CODE_2021
• ILOC_NAME_2021
• IARE_CODE_2021
• IARE_NAME_2021
• IREG_CODE_2021
• IREG_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

ILOC_2021_AUST includes the following fields:

• ILOC_CODE_2021
• ILOC_NAME_2021
• IARE_CODE_2021
• IARE_NAME_2021
• IREG_CODE_2021
• IREG_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

IARE_2021_AUST and IREG_2021_AUST include the same fields for all geographies above them in the hierarchy. All files give the area in square kilometres of each region, based on Albers Equal Area Conic projection.

Allocation files listing the geographic hierarchies for each of the following regions, are available for download in .xlsx format: 

• Significant Urban Areas (SUA)
• Urban Centres and Localities (UCL), Section of State (SOS) and Section of State Range (SOSR)

File contents:

SUA_2021_AUST contains all Statistical Areas Level 2 within Australia and includes the following fields:

• SA2_CODE_2021
• SA2_NAME_2021
• SUA_CODE_2021
• SUA_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

This lists the SA2s that make up Significant Urban Areas. It also gives the area in square kilometres of the SA2, based on Albers Equal Area Conic projection.

UCL_SOSR_SOS_2021_AUST contains all Statistical Areas Level 1 within Australia and includes the following fields:

• SA1_CODE_2021
• UCL_CODE_2021
• UCL_NAME_2021
• SOSR_CODE_2021
• SOSR_NAME_2021
• SOS_CODE_2021
• SOS_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

This lists the SA1s that make up Urban Centres and Localities. It also gives the area in square kilometres of the SA1, based on Albers Equal Area Conic projection.

Association files linking Edition 2 (2016) boundaries to Edition 3 (2021) boundaries are available for download in .xlsx format: 

• Significant Urban Areas (SUA)
• Urban Centres and Localities (UCL)

File contents:

For example SUA_association_2016_2021 contains all Significant Urban Areas and includes the following fields:

• SUA_CODE_2016
• SUA_NAME_2016
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM_2016
• SUA_CODE_2021
• SUA_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM_2021
• Reason for change

Areas listed are based on Albers Conic Equal Area projection.

There is one allocation table in .xlsx file format that relates Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) to the Remoteness Area classification: 

Remoteness Area Allocation Table

The Remoteness Structure is built from aggregations of SA1s. The hierarchy is listed from the lowest level of the ASGS up and all files cover the whole of Australia.

File contents:

RA_2021_AUST includes the following fields:

• SA1_CODE_2021
• RA_CODE_2021
• RA_NAME_2021
• STATE_CODE_2021
• STATE_NAME_2021
• AUS_CODE_2021
• AUS_NAME_2021
• AREA_ALBERS_SQKM_2021
• ASGS_LOCI_URI_2021

All files give the area in square kilometres of each region, based on Albers Equal Area Conic projection.