Indigenous Structure
The ABS is committed to improving the quality and comprehensiveness of data available about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. The Indigenous Structure is a geographical standard for the publication and analysis of statistics about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia below the state and territory level.
Changes to the Indigenous Structure are determined through consultation with the ABS Centre of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (CoATSIS) and incorporate statistical and community requirements where possible.
The structure has 3 hierarchical levels from smallest to largest:
- Indigenous Locations (ILOC) represent small Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities both urban and rural, with a minimum population of around 90 people.
- Indigenous Areas (IARE) are medium-sized areas designed to facilitate analysis of more detailed statistics about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
- Indigenous Regions (IREG) are large geographical areas originally based on the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) boundaries, which are no longer maintained. The larger population of Indigenous Regions enables highly detailed analysis.
Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1) aggregate to Indigenous Locations which aggregate to Indigenous Areas, and they in turn aggregate to Indigenous Regions. At each hierarchical level, all of Geographic Australia is covered without gaps or overlaps.
To maintain privacy and confidentiality, some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities that have populations which are too small for the release of statistics, have been grouped with nearby and associated communities.
Indigenous Structure boundaries are built from whole SA1s and have been designed with reference to language groups, local community knowledge, and transport networks, but may not directly match Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural boundaries. The ABS is able to customise certain geographies to fit the specific analytical needs of communities. Please contact the ABS to learn more.
| Geography | NSW | Vic | Qld | SA | WA | Tas | NT | ACT | OT(a) | Aust. | Total(b) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IREG | 9 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 58 | 59 |
| IARE | 109 | 41 | 87 | 34 | 71 | 13 | 64 | 5 | 6 | 430 | 431 |
| ILOC | 294 | 91 | 206 | 89 | 218 | 36 | 189 | 8 | 7 | 1,138 | 1,139 |
(a) Other Territories (OT) includes the territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, Jervis Bay, and Norfolk Island.
(b) Totals vary from the Australia count by 1 as they include a special purpose code for Outside Australia. Migratory - Offshore - Shipping, and No usual address special purpose codes are included in State and Territory counts.
For information on how the Indigenous Structure relates to other ASGS structures, refer to the ASGS diagram.