ABS Structures
Greater Capital
City Statistical
Area (GCCSA)
Significant
Urban Area
(SUA)
Local
Government
Area (LGA)
Commonwealth
Electoral
Division (CED)
Postal Area
(POA)
State
Electoral
Division (SED)
Tourism
Region (TR)
State Suburb
(SSC)
Australian
Drainage
Division (ADD)
Natural
Resource
Management
Region (NRMR)
Disaggregated Census data is available for all Non ABS Regions. Additional data is
available for the following:
• Tourism Regions: Tourism data
• Postal Areas: Vehicle registration
• NRMRs: Agricultural and Environment data
• LGAs: Finance, Agriculture, Building Approvals and Estimated Residential Population.
Data Availability for Non ABS Regions
These structures are not defined by the ABS and are approximated using regions from the ABS Main Structure.
These may be updated annually.
Non ABS Structures
The Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) 2016 Structure and Summary
These structures are defined by the ABS and remain
stable between ASGS editions.
Australia
(AUS)
Statistical Area
Level 4 (SA4)
Data Availability for ABS Regions
Indigenous
Region (IREG)
State/Territory
(STE)
Section of State
(SOS)
Statistical Area
Level 2 (SA2)
Statistical Area
Level 3 (SA3)
Indigenous
Location
(ILOC)
Indigenous
Area (IARE)
Urban Centres
and
Localities
(UCL)
Section of
State Ranges
(SOSR)
Disaggregated Census data is available for all ABS Regions.
Note: data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is available
at the ILOC level.
Additional data is available for the following:
• SA2s: Business Demographics, Building Approvals and
Estimated Resident Population
• SA4s: Labour Force Survey
• GCCSA: Health, CPI and House Price Index.
Remoteness
Area (RA)
Statistical Area
Level 1 (SA1)
Mesh Block
(MB)
Main Structure and Greater
Capital City Statistical Areas
Indigenous
Structure
Non ABS Structures
Remoteness
Structure
Significant Urban Areas,
Urban Centres and
Localities, Section of
State
RA
RA_CODE_2016
SOS_CODE_2016
SOSR_CODE_2016
UCL_CODE_2016
SUA_CODE_2016
LGA_CODE_2016
POA_CODE_2016
SSC_CODE_2016
ADD_CODE_2016
NRMR_CODE_2016
CED_CODE_2016
SED_CODE_2016
TR_CODE_2016
IREG_CODE_2016
IARE_CODE_2016
ILOC_CODE_2016
MB_CODE_2016
SA1_MAINCODE_2016
SA1_7DIGITCODE_2016
SA2_MAINCODE_2016
SA2_5DIGITCODE_2016
SA3_CODE_2016
SA4_CODE_2016
GCCSA_CODE_2016
STATE_CODE_2016
AUS_CODE_2016
Database Field Name
*Special purpose units allow address data to be coded to a non-spatial value.
Remoteness Area
SOS
LGA
POA
SSC
ADD
NRMR
CED
SED
TR
Local Government Area
Postal Area
State Suburb
Australian Drainage Division
Natural Resource Management Region
Commonwealth Electoral Division
State Electoral Division
Tourism Region
Section of State
IREG
Indigenous Region
SOSR
IARE
Indigenous Area
Section of State Ranges
ILOC
Indigenous Location
UCL
SA3
SA4
GCCSA
STE
AUS
Statistical Area Level 3
Statistical Area Level 4
Greater Capital City Statistical Area
State/Territory
Australia
Urban Centres and Localities
SA2
Statistical Area Level 2
SUA
SA1
Statistical Area Level 1
Significant Urban Area
MB
Acronym
Mesh Block
Name
STE (1) + RA (1)
STE (1) + SOS (1)
STE (1) + SOS (1) + SOSR (1)
STE (1) + SOS (1) + SOSR (1) + UCL (3)
SUA (4)
STE (1) + LGA (4)
POA (4)
STE (1) + SSC (4)
"D" + ADD (2)
STE (1) + NRMR (2)
STE (1) + CED (2)
STE (1) + SED (4)
STE (1) + "R" + TR (2) + "0"
STE (1) + IREG (2)
STE (1) + IREG (2) + IARE (3)
STE (1) + IREG (2) + IARE (3) + ILOC (2)
STE (1) + MB (10)
STE (1) + SA4 (2) + SA3 (2) + SA2 (4) + SA1 (2)
STE (1) + SA2 (4) + SA1 (2)
STE (1) + SA4 (2) + SA3 (2) + SA2 (4)
STE (1) + SA2 (4)
STE (1) + SA4 (2) + SA3 (2)
STE (1) + SA4 (2)
STE (1) + TXT (4)
STE (1)
"036"
Composition of Code
20
20
201
201001
2010
21610
3806
20223
D09
208
225
26005
2R010
201
201004
20100402
20111690000
21202129427
2129427
212021294
21294
21202
212
2GMEL
2
036
Example Code
35
34
71
1,835
110
545
2,668
15,286
14
60
150
430
77
40
412
1,097
340
89
16
9
1
2,292
57,490
358,009
Count of
Geographic
Units
ASGS 2016 Code Reference and Counts
18
18
18
18
N/A
18
2
18
2
18
18
18
N/A
18
18
18
18
18
18
N/A
N/A
18
33
113
Count of Special
Purpose Units*
53
52
89
1,853
110
563
2,670
15,304
16
78
168
448
77
58
430
1,115
358
107
34
9
1
2,310
57,523
358,122
Count of Total
Units