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Address—Australian postcode, code (Postcode datafile) NNNN

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:Help on this termData Element
Short name:Help on this termAustralian postcode
METEOR identifier:Help on this term611398
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Children and Families, Standard 20/01/2021
  • Commonwealth Department of Social Services (retired), Standard 20/06/2018
  • Disability, Standard 15/12/2017
  • Early Childhood, Standard 24/07/2018
  • Health, Standard 05/10/2016
  • Homelessness, Standard 10/08/2018
  • Indigenous, Standard 27/02/2018
  • Youth Justice, Standard 15/02/2022
Definition:Help on this term

The Australian numeric descriptor for a postal delivery area for an address.

Data Element Concept:Address—Australian postcode

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Classification scheme:Postcode datafile
Representation class:Help on this termCode
Data type:Help on this termString
Format:Help on this termNNNN
Maximum character length:Help on this term4
Supplementary values:Help on this term
ValueMeaning
0097Not applicable
0098Unknown
0099Not stated/inadequately described

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:Help on this term

CODE 0097   Not applicable

This code should be used in circumstances where it is not applicable to record an Australian postcode, for example, when there is no fixed address, or when an international (non-Australian) postcode is supplied.

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:Help on this term

Australian postal addresses should include a valid postcode. Refer to the Australia Post Address Presentation Standard for rules on presentation and positioning of postcodes on mail.

For a full list of Australian postcodes visit the Australia Post website: www.auspost.com.au

This data element may be used in the analysis of data on a geographical basis which involves coding data containing an address with a postcode to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) areas.  The ABS provides a number of coding indexes and correspondences to undertake this conversion from postcode to ASGS areas. (See the correspondences section of ABS geography portal www.abs.gov.au/geography).

A more accurate way to convert address data to ASGS geography is to use the locality to SA2 coding index, available from ABS, where the locality, postcode and state, (which are all part of an address), used in conjunction can effectively code data to the SA2 level and above in the ASGS. Note that it is not possible to code to SA1 level using these correspondences or indexes.

This data element is one of a number of items that can be used to create a primary address, as recommended by the AS 4590-2006 Interchange of client information standard. Components of the primary address are:

  • Address site (or Primary complex) name
  • Address number or number range
  • Road name (name/type/suffix)
  • Locality
  • State/Territory
  • Postcode (optional)
  • Country (if applicable).

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:Help on this term

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Origin:Help on this term

Standards Australia 2006. AS 4590—2006 Interchange of client information. Sydney: Standards Australia.

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:Help on this term
Supersedes Address—Australian postcode, Australian postcode code (Postcode datafile) {NNNN}
  • Children and Families, Standard 22/11/2016
  • Commonwealth Department of Health, Standard 14/10/2015
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 06/02/2012
  • Disability, Standard 07/10/2014
  • Early Childhood, Superseded 24/07/2018
  • Health, Superseded 05/10/2016
  • Homelessness, Superseded 10/08/2018
  • Housing assistance, Standard 01/05/2013
  • Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, Standard 31/10/2012
  • Indigenous, Superseded 27/02/2018
  • National Health Performance Authority (retired), Retired 01/07/2016
  • Tasmanian Health, Candidate 30/06/2014
  • WA Health, Standard 04/03/2014
See also Address—statistical area, level 2 (SA2) code (ASGS 2011) N(9)
  • Children and Families, Superseded 21/01/2021
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 06/12/2011
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Superseded 06/12/2016
See also Address—statistical area, level 2 (SA2) code (ASGS 2016) N(9)
  • ACT Health (retired), Candidate 08/08/2018
  • Children and Families, Standard 20/01/2021
  • Health, Superseded 20/10/2021
See also Address—statistical area, level 2 (SA2) code (ASGS Edition 3) N(9)
  • Health, Standard 20/10/2021
Implementation in Data Set Specifications:Help on this term
All attributes +

Address components clusterHealth, Standard 05/10/2016

Address details clusterACT Health (retired), Candidate 10/08/2018
Health, Superseded 18/12/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2016


Address details clusterHealth, Standard 18/12/2019

Admitted patient care NMDS 2017-18Health, Superseded 25/01/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2017

Implementation end date: 30/06/2018

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Admitted patient care NMDS 2018-19ACT Health (retired), Candidate 09/08/2018
Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Admitted patient care NMDS 2019-20Health, Superseded 18/12/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

Implementation end date: 30/06/2020

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Admitted patient care NMDS 2020–21Health, Superseded 05/02/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 30/06/2021

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Admitted patient care NMDS 2021–22Health, Superseded 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2021

Implementation end date: 30/06/2022

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Admitted patient care NMDS 2022–23Health, Standard 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2022

Implementation end date: 30/06/2023

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS 2018-19ACT Health (retired), Candidate 09/08/2018
Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019

DSS specific information:

For the purposes of the Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS, this data element relates to the usual address of the client.


Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS 2019–20Health, Superseded 20/02/2020

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

Implementation end date: 30/06/2020


Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS 2020–21Health, Superseded 05/02/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 30/06/2021


Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS 2021–22Health, Superseded 17/12/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2021

Implementation end date: 30/06/2022


Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS 2022–23Health, Standard 17/12/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2022

Implementation end date: 30/06/2023

DSS specific information:

This data element is collected relating to the client's last known home address at the start of the treatment episode.

The postcode provided must match the Address—suburb/town/locality name, text X[X(45)] or Address—statistical area, level 2 (SA2) code (ASGS Edition 3) N(9) provided.

For the purposes of the Alcohol and other drug treatment services NMDS the following Supplementary codes have been defined:

0055     Overseas 
0088     Other 
0097     No fixed address (or Not applicable) 
0098     Unknown 
0099     Not stated/inadequately described.


Allied health admitted patient care NBPDSHealth, Standard 12/12/2018

Allied health non-admitted patient emergency department NBPDSHealth, Standard 12/12/2018

Allied health non-admitted patient NBPDSHealth, Standard 12/12/2018

Cardiovascular disease (clinical) NBPDS Health, Standard 17/10/2018

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.

The postcode can also be used in association with the Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) index (Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia (CD-ROM)) to derive socio-economic disadvantage, which is associated with cardiovascular risk.

People from lower socio-economic groups are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those from higher socio-economic groups. In 1997, people aged 25 - 64 living in the most disadvantaged group of the population died from cardiovascular disease at around twice the rate of those living in the least disadvantaged group (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2001. Heart, stroke and vascular diseases- Australian facts 2001.).

This difference in death rates has existed since at least the 1970s.


Collection of locality, postcode and state/territory for SEIFA clusterEarly Childhood, Standard 24/07/2018

Disability Services NMDS 2017–18Disability, Superseded 05/07/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2017

Implementation end date: 30/06/2018

Conditional obligation:

Person—residential setting, accommodation type (NDA) code N[N]

DSS specific information:

In the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set (DS NMDS), this data element is collected twice.

The first occurrence refers to the postcode of the location of the service type outlet address and not the postal address. If the service type outlet is provided in the person’s home, the postcode of the service base from which the provider operates is to be entered, not that of the person. If recreation services are provided in various locations, the postcode of the service base from which the provider operates is to be entered.

The second occurrence refers to the postcode of a service user's usual residence ('usual' means 4 or more days per week on average). This is intended to capture the postcode of the 'geographic location' of a person, not their postal address postcode. The service user’s postcode must relate to their selected 'residential setting' (as captured in 'Person—residential setting, accommodation type (NDA) code N[N]').


Disability Services NMDS 2018–19Disability, Standard 05/07/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019

Conditional obligation:

Person—residential setting, accommodation type (NDA) code N[N]

DSS specific information:

In the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set (DS NMDS), this data element is collected twice.

The first occurrence refers to the postcode of the location of the service type outlet address and not the postal address. If the service type outlet is provided in the person’s home, the postcode of the service base from which the provider operates is to be entered, not that of the person. If recreation services are provided in various locations, the postcode of the service base from which the provider operates is to be entered.

The second occurrence refers to the postcode of a service user's usual residence ('usual' means 4 or more days per week on average). This is intended to capture the postcode of the 'geographic location' of a person, not their postal address postcode. The service user’s postcode must relate to their selected 'residential setting' (as captured in 'Person—residential setting, accommodation type (NDA) code N[N]').


Early Childhood Education and Care: Aggregate NMDS 2018Early Childhood, Standard 24/07/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

DSS specific information:

Should be reported for the physical location at which the early childhood education program is delivered. If the early childhood education program is received in a home-based setting (i.e. via distance education programs such as school of the air or e-Kindy), then the location of the service provider delivering the program should be used as the basis for the address, rather than the home-based setting.


Early Childhood Education and Care: Unit Record Level NMDS 2018Early Childhood, Superseded 02/12/2020

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

DSS specific information:

This item should be collected twice: once for the child and once for the early childhood education and care service.

Child

Should be reported for the usual residence of the child’s parent or guardian. Do not report the post office box postcode or other non-residential address of the child’s parent or guardian.

Early childhood education and care service

Should be reported for the physical location at which the early childhood education program is delivered. If the early childhood education program is received in a home-based setting (i.e. via distance education programs such as school of the air or e-Kindy), then the location of the service provider delivering the program should be used as the basis for the address, rather than the home-based setting.


Early Childhood Education and Care: Unit Record Level NMDS 2019Early Childhood, Superseded 02/12/2020

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

DSS specific information:

This item should be collected twice: once for the child and once for the early childhood education and care service.

Child

Should be reported for the usual residence of the child’s parent or guardian. Do not report the post office box postcode or other non-residential address of the child’s parent or guardian.

Early childhood education and care service

Should be reported for the physical location at which the early childhood education program is delivered. If the early childhood education program is received in a home-based setting (i.e. via distance education programs such as school of the air or e-Kindy), then the location of the service provider delivering the program should be used as the basis for the address, rather than the home-based setting.


Early Childhood Education and Care: Unit Record Level NMDS 2020Early Childhood, Standard 02/12/2020

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

DSS specific information:

This item should be collected twice: once for the child and once for the early childhood education and care service.

Child

Should be reported for the usual residence of the child’s parent or guardian. Do not report the post office box postcode or other non-residential address of the child’s parent or guardian.

Early childhood education and care service

Should be reported for the physical location at which the early childhood education program is delivered. If the early childhood education program is received in a home-based setting (i.e. via distance education programs such as school of the air or e-Kindy), then the location of the service provider delivering the program should be used as the basis for the address, rather than the home-based setting.


Early Childhood Education and Care: Unit Record Level NMDS 2021Early Childhood, Standard 25/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2021

DSS specific information:

This item should be collected twice: once for the child and once for the early childhood education and care service.

Child

Should be reported for the usual residence of the child’s parent or guardian. Do not report the post office box postcode or other non-residential address of the child’s parent or guardian.

Early childhood education and care service

Should be reported for the physical location at which the early childhood education program is delivered. If the early childhood education program is received in a home-based setting (i.e. via distance education programs such as school of the air or e-Kindy), then the location of the service provider delivering the program should be used as the basis for the address, rather than the home-based setting.


Emergency service care NBEDS 2022–23Health, Standard 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2022

Implementation end date: 30/06/2023

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Indigenous primary health care NBEDS 2017–18Health, Superseded 06/09/2018
Indigenous, Superseded 22/10/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2017

Implementation end date: 30/06/2018


Indigenous primary health care NBEDS 2018–19Health, Superseded 12/12/2018
Indigenous, Superseded 02/04/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019


Indigenous primary health care NBEDS 2019–20Health, Superseded 16/01/2020
Indigenous, Superseded 14/07/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

Implementation end date: 30/06/2020


Indigenous primary health care NBEDS 2020–21Health, Retired 13/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 30/06/2021

DSS specific information:

In the Indigenous primary health care NBEDS, this data element is reported twice, for:

  • the service's physical address
  • the service's postal address.

Indigenous-specific primary health care NBEDS December 2020Indigenous, Standard 14/07/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 31/12/2020

DSS specific information:

In the ISPHC NBEDS, this data element is reported twice, for:

  • the organisation's physical address
  • the organisation's postal address.

Living arrangements for children under care (LA) file clusterChildren and Families, Superseded 20/01/2021

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

The postcode of the child's living arrangement. Record code 9999 for 'Not stated/inadequately described'.

For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’.


Living arrangements for children under care (LA) file clusterChildren and Families, Standard 03/11/2021

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

The postcode of the child's living arrangement. Record code 9999 for 'Not stated/inadequately described'.

For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’.


Living arrangements for children under care (LA) file clusterChildren and Families, Superseded 03/11/2021

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

The postcode of the child's living arrangement. Record code 9999 for 'Not stated/inadequately described'.

For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’.


Location ClusterCommonwealth Department of Social Services (retired), Standard 20/06/2018

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

Refers to the postcode of the recipient.


National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2018–19Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019


National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2019–20Health, Superseded 16/01/2020

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

Implementation end date: 30/06/2020


National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2020–21Health, Superseded 05/02/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 30/06/2021


National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2021–22Health, Superseded 17/12/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2021

Implementation end date: 30/06/2022


National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2022–23Health, Standard 17/12/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2022

Implementation end date: 30/06/2023


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NBEDS 2017-18Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2017

Implementation end date: 30/06/2018


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NBEDS 2018-19Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NBEDS 2019–20Health, Retired 19/11/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

Implementation end date: 30/06/2020


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2017-18Health, Superseded 25/01/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2017

Implementation end date: 30/06/2018


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2018-19ACT Health (retired), Candidate 08/08/2018
Health, Superseded 12/12/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

Implementation end date: 30/06/2019


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2019–20Health, Superseded 18/12/2019

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2019

Implementation end date: 30/06/2020


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2020–21Health, Superseded 05/02/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 30/06/2021


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2021–22Health, Superseded 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2021

Implementation end date: 30/06/2022


Non-admitted patient emergency department care NMDS 2022–23Health, Standard 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2022

Implementation end date: 30/06/2023


Non-admitted patient NBEDS 2020–21Health, Superseded 05/02/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2020

Implementation end date: 30/06/2021

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Non-admitted patient NBEDS 2021–22Health, Superseded 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2021

Implementation end date: 30/06/2022

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Non-admitted patient NBEDS 2022–23Health, Standard 20/10/2021

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2022

Implementation end date: 30/06/2023

DSS specific information:

To be reported for the address of the patient.


Notifications, investigations, and substantiations (NIS) file clusterChildren and Families, Superseded 03/11/2021

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

The postcode of the child's usual place of residence at the time of notification.

For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’


Notifications, investigations, and substantiations (NIS) file clusterChildren and Families, Standard 03/11/2021

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

The postcode of the child's usual place of residence at the time of notification.

For children residing outside Australia record 9999 ‘Not stated/inadequately described’


Provider place of practice clusterHealth, Standard 05/10/2016

DSS specific attributes +

Conditional obligation:

To be used if Individual service provider—country of employment in registered profession, Australia/other country code N equals 1.


Public dental waiting times NMDS 2018-ACT Health (retired), Candidate 08/08/2018
Health, Standard 25/01/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Implementation start date: 01/07/2018

DSS specific information:

In the PDWT NMDS, this data element refers to the postcode of a person's usual residence ('usual' means 4 or more days per week on average).


Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) (2016 Census, ASGS 2016) cluster Early Childhood, Standard 24/07/2018
Health, Standard 06/09/2018

Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS 2019-Homelessness, Standard 10/08/2018

DSS specific attributes +

Conditional obligation:

In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this item is only asked of clients.

DSS specific information:

In the Specialist Homelessness Services NMDS, this data element is reported twice, for:

  • where the person lived one week before the first service contact (the Service episode—episode start date, DDMMYYYY
  • where the person lived the last time they had a permanent place to live.


Youth Justice Detention file clusterYouth Justice, Standard 15/02/2022

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

This item is collected twice: once for the young person’s last known home address before entering youth justice detention and once for the youth detention centre.

This item is collected for the young person’s last known home address before entering youth justice supervision.

Guide for Use

Use the Australian Post postcode file.

Leave the field blank if:

  • the last known home address is unknown
  • the last known home address is outside Australia
  • the young person had no fixed address.

Suburb and postcode information

From July 2020, an all-inclusive list of postcodes and suburbs will be used to check postcodes in the YJ NMDS. This list consists of unique postcodes and suburbs across all current and historical versions of postcode data purchased by the AIHW.

For the most current list of valid postcodes and suburbs, go to http://www.postconnect.com.au/postcode-data.


Youth Justice Order file clusterYouth Justice, Standard 15/02/2022

DSS specific attributes +

DSS specific information:

This item is collected for the young person’s last known home address before entering youth justice supervision.

Guide for Use

Use the Australian Post postcode file.

Leave the field blank if:

  • the last known home address is unknown
  • the last known home address is outside Australia
  • the young person had no fixed address.

Suburb and postcode information

From July 2020, an all-inclusive list of postcodes and suburbs will be used to check postcodes in the YJ NMDS. This list consists of unique postcodes and suburbs across all current and historical versions of postcode data purchased by the AIHW.

For the most current list of valid postcodes and suburbs, go to http://www.postconnect.com.au/postcode-data.


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