A discrete Indigenous community refers to a geographic location, bounded by physical or cadastral (legal) boundaries, and inhabited or intended to be inhabited by predominantly Indigenous people, with housing or infrastructure that is either owned or managed on a community basis.

Discrete communities include:

• communities in urban areas where the title to a parcel of land has been transferred to an Indigenous organisation, for example, communities on former mission or reserve land in New South Wales and Queensland;
• well established communities and outstations in remote areas;
• Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) communities and their outstations in Queensland as well as the two shires of Aurukun and Mornington Island; and
• communities on Indigenous pastoral properties/leases.

Locations should not be included as communities if they currently have no usual population and are not expected to be reoccupied within the next 12 months.