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Remoteness classification (ASGC-RA) N

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:Help on this termValue Domain
METEOR identifier:Help on this term466873
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Superseded 21/11/2013
  • Housing assistance, Standard 01/05/2013
Definition:Help on this term

Australian Standard Geographical Classification-Remoteness Area (ASGC-RA) is a geographical classification which defines locations in terms of remoteness, i.e. the physical distance of a location from the nearest Urban Centre.

Context:Help on this term

Geographic remoteness is essentially a measure of a physical location's level of access to goods and services. Large population centres tend to have a greater range of goods and services available than small centres. Typically, a population centre is not likely to provide a full range of goods and services until its population reaches around 250,000 people.

The measures of remoteness used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are based on population estimates obtained from the Census of Population and Housing, conducted every 5 years. Remoteness measures are calculated using Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA+) scores, which are based on the distance of geographic locations from the nearest population centre in various size ranges. The lower the ARIA+ score for a location, the better its level of access to goods and services.

Information in relation to how remoteness is defined and calculated is available from the Geography portal on the ABS website.

Information in relation to how ARIA+ scores are calculated for physical locations is available from the National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GISCA) website.

Representational attributes

Representation class:Help on this termCode
Data type:Help on this termString
Format:Help on this termN
Maximum character length:Help on this term1
Permissible values:Help on this term
ValueMeaning
1Major cities of Australia
2Inner regional Australia
3Outer regional Australia
4Remote Australia
5Very remote Australia
6Migratory
Supplementary values:Help on this term
9Not stated/inadequately described

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:Help on this term

CODE 1     Major cities of Australia

'Major cities of Australia' includes Census Collection Districts (CDs) with an average Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA+) index value of 0 to 0.2.

CODE 2     Inner regional Australia

'Inner regional Australia' includes CDs with an average ARIA+ index value greater than 0.2 and less than or equal to 2.4.

CODE 3     Outer regional Australia

'Outer regional Australia' includes CDs with an average ARIA+ index value greater than 2.4 and less than or equal to 5.92.

CODE 4     Remote Australia

'Remote Australia' includes CDs with an average ARIA+ index value greater than 5.92 and less than or equal to 10.53.

CODE 5     Very remote Australia

'Very remote Australia' includes CDs with an average ARIA+ index value greater than 10.53.

CODE 6     Migratory

'Migratory' is composed of off-shore, shipping and migratory CDs.

Collection Methods:Help on this term

In this value domain, physical distance is defined in terms of ARIA+ codes, rather than a simple linear distance between points.

The list of permissible values for this value domain, i.e. codes 1 to 6, is intended to be directly mappable to the values used by the ABS to describe remoteness areas, i.e. codes 0 to 5.

Comments:Help on this term

In its initial form, as developed by GISCA and the then Department of Health and Aged Care in 1999, ARIA scores ranged from 0 to 12 and were based on proximity to 4 points of reference.

A new version, ARIA+, was introduced in 2003, with ARIA+ scores now based on proximity to 5 points of reference. Also, changes were made to allow for more accurate estimation of the cost of travelling from Tasmania to the mainland, and to increase accuracy for locations at the urban fringe.

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:Help on this termAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare
Origin:Help on this term<P>Information relating to&nbsp;remoteness&nbsp;is available from the Geography portal on the ABS website:</P> <P>Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011. ABS Geography. Viewed 14 November 2011, </P> <P><A href="http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/Geography">http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/Geography</A></P> <P>Information relating to the development of the ARIA and ARIA+ scores by the National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems (GISCA) is available from the GISCA website:</P> <P>National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems 2011. ARIA - Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia. Viewed 14 November 2011,<br /><A href="http://gisca.adelaide.edu.au/projects/aria_project.html">http://gisca.adelaide.edu.au/projects/aria_project.html</A></P>

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:Help on this term
See also Admitted patient care remoteness classification (ASGC-RA) N
  • Health, Standard 07/12/2011
Has been superseded by Remoteness classification (ASGS-RA) N
  • Health, Superseded 06/09/2018
Data elements implementing this value domain:Help on this term
Dwelling—geographic remoteness, classification (ASGC-RA) N
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 10/05/2019
Dwelling—geographic remoteness, classification (ASGC-RA) N
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 30/08/2017
Health-care incident—geographic remoteness, remoteness classification (ASGC-RA) N
  • Health, Superseded 21/11/2013
Person—geographic remoteness, classification (ASGC-RA) N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Incomplete 15/01/2014

Classification scheme attributes

Classification scheme:Australian Standard Geographical Classification 2010
Synonymous names:Help on this termASGC 2010
METEOR identifier:Help on this term417518
Definition:Help on this termThe Australian Bureau of Statistics classification for the classification of geographical locations.
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 26/10/2011
  • Health, Superseded 22/11/2011
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