The Australian Bureau of Statistics intends to replace the
current Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)
with the new Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS)
with effect from July 2011. The ASGC is used for the collection
and dissemination of geographically classified statistics. The
ASGC has been the foundation of the statistical geography used
by the ABS, and many other organisations, since 1984. Over the
years it has been criticised on many grounds including: lack of
stability over time, inconsistent population sizes of the
defined areas and that some of the areas were not meaningful.
Furthermore it is incompatible with mesh blocks. The ASGS has
therefore been developed to address these shortcomings. It will
be based on mesh bocks and will define more stable, consistent
and meaningful areas than the ASGC. It will be the new basis for
the publication of the complete range of ABS spatial statistics.
The ASGS will become the essential reference for understanding
and interpreting the