Changes from the previous edition of the ASGS
Some Indigenous Structure boundaries have been changed in consultation with the ABS Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics (CoATSIS). These changes focused on resolving known issues to ensure that boundaries meaningfully reflect community groups where possible, whilst balancing data confidentiality requirements.
Significant changes
The Indigenous Structure remained relatively stable for Edition 4.
The table below shows the number of areas that have been affected by boundary, code, and name changes.
| Type of change | ILOC | IARE | IREG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Significant boundary change | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Hierarchical code change (no boundary change) | 5 | 0 | NA |
| Name change only | 28 | 7 | 7 |
Geographic correspondence files for converting data from ASGS Edition 3 (2021) to ASGS Edition 4 (2026) are available in the access and downloads section of this publication. To view and compare boundaries use ABS Maps.
Reasons for change
Minor changes were made to address known issues. These included:
- boundary changes to better represent community groups
- name changes to fix known spelling errors and to better represent community place names
- other name updates to align with the Australian Government Style Manual. For example, changing exc. to exc, or Vic. and Tas. to ‘Vic’ and ‘Tas’ respectively
- code changes resulting from boundary revisions elsewhere in the ASGS hierarchy.
When assessing change between ASGS Edition 3 (2021) and ASGS Edition 4 (2026), it is important to consider both codes and names together. See the table below for further information.
Types of change
| Description of change | Result |
|---|---|
| Significant boundary changes where an area is split into multiple new areas, or a boundary has been significantly redesigned | New code in all cases and new name if appropriate |
| Minor boundary alignment or change due to underlying SA1 changes | Code and name do not change |
| Code change at IREG or IARE level, but no change at the ILOC level | Code change (due to hierarchical coding structure). Name does not change |
| Name changed to fix known spelling or name issue | Code does not change. Name change only |
List of changes
The following tables highlight specific changes made between ASGS Edition 3 (2021) and ASGS Edition 4 (2026) for the Indigenous Structure.
| From (2021): | To (2026): |
|---|---|
| 70900301 Anmatjere - Surrounds | 70901801 Anmatjere - Surrounds |
| 70901701 Yuendumu and Outstations | 70901901 Yuendumu and Outstations |
| From (2021): | To (2026): |
|---|---|
| 709003 Anmatjere | 709018 Anmatjere |
| 709017 Yuendumu and Outstations | 709019 Yuendumu and Outstations |
| From (2021): | To (2026): |
|---|---|
| 70900302 Anmatjere - Ti Tree | 70901802 Anmatjere - Ti Tree |
| 70900303 Laramba | 70901803 Laramba |
| 70900304 Nturiya | 70901804 Nturiya |
| 70900305 Pmara Jutunta | 70901805 Pmara Jutunta |
| 70900306 Wilora | 70901806 Wilora |
| From (2021): | To (2026): |
|---|---|
| 10401703 Richmond Valley exc. Casino | 10401703 Richmond Valley exc Casino |
| 20200704 Wellington (Vic.) | 20200704 Wellington (Vic) |
| 30400201 Carpentaria exc. Doomadgee | 30400201 Carpentaria exc Doomadgee |
| 30400402 Mount Isa exc. Camooweal | 30400402 Mount Isa exc Camooweal |
| 30600101 Balonne exc. St George and Dirranbandi | 30600101 Balonne exc St George and Dirranbandi |
| 30600801 Maranoa exc. Roma and Mitchell | 30600801 Maranoa exc Roma and Mitchell |
| 50200101 Carnarvon Town exc. Mungullah | 50200101 Carnarvon Town exc Mungullah |
| 50200201 Carnegie South exc. Mount Magnet | 50200201 Carnegie South exc Mount Magnet |
| 50200602 Meekatharra exc. Karalundi | 50200602 Meekatharra exc Karalundi |
| 50400301 Halls Creek exc.Town Camps | 50400301 Halls Creek exc Town Camps |
| 50400601 Kununurra exc. Town Camps | 50400601 Kununurra exc Town Camps |
| 50600403 Port Hedland exc. Tjalka Brooda | 50600403 Port Hedland exc Tjalka Brooda |
| 60100202 Central Highlands (Tas.) | 60100202 Central Highlands (Tas) |
| 70400501 Thamarrurr exc. Wadeye | 70400501 Thamarrurr exc Wadeye |
| 70500101 Borroloola exc. Mara - Yanyula | 70500101 Borroloola exc Mara - Yanyula |
| 70500307 Wugular (Beswick) | 70500307 Wugularr |
| 70500502 Katherine exc. Town Camps | 70500502 Katherine exc Town Camps |
| 70500901 Pigeon Hole | 70500901 Nitjpurru |
| 70600402 Marthakal Homelands exc. Galiwinku | 70600402 Marthakal Homelands exc Galiwinku |
| 70700504 Tennant Creek exc. Town Camps | 70700504 Tennant Creek exc Town Camps |
| 70900401 Apatula (Finke) | 70900401 Aputula (Finke) |
| 70900402 Apatula (Finke) Homelands - East | 70900402 Aputula (Finke) Homelands - East |
| 70900403 Apatula (Finke) Homelands - West | 70900403 Aputula (Finke) Homelands - West |
| 90200101 Jervis Bay exc. Wreck Bay | 90200101 Jervis Bay exc Wreck Bay |
| From (2021): | To (2026): |
|---|---|
| 704005 Thamarrurr inc. Wadeye | 704005 Thamarrurr inc Wadeye |
| 708001 Alice exc. Town Camps | 708001 Alice exc Town Camps |
| 709004 Apatula (Finke) and Homelands | 709004 Aputula (Finke) and Homelands |
| From (2021): | To (2026): |
|---|---|
| 202 Victoria exc. Melbourne | 202 Victoria exc Melbourne |
| 709 Apatula | 709 Aputula |
| 901 Christmas - Cocos (Keeling) Is. | 901 Christmas - Cocos (Keeling) Is |