1828 Census: Alphabetical return
This is the first census ever to be taken in Australia and the most complete one extant. It records both convicts and free persons but does not include serving military personnel and their families. (1)

The 1828 Census was compiled in six volumes [SZ978-983]. In all but the first volume the title is given as ‘New South Wales Census, taken in the Month of November 1828’.

It is a list in alphabetical order by surname compiled from the census returns for individual householders and government establishments. Each individual has been allocated a running number within his or her letter of the alphabet. Family groups living at the same household are listed together.

Beside running number and name the list records age, free or bond, ship, year, sentence, religion, employment, residence, district, total number of acres, acres cleared, acres cultivated, horses, horned cattle, sheep, remarks.

Inside the cover of the first volume [SZ978] there is a typescript note dated 13 July 1932 and signed by F.M. O’Donohue, Acting Registrar General:

‘These books were handed to Mr Hayce-Williams [sic] by Mr Fosbery, when the latter was retiring from the position of Inspector General of Police. Mr Hayes-Williams told me that they were given over to him on his promise to use the utmost care to see that their contents were not divulged.

‘It will be noticed that entries 1 to 91 are missing. Mr H.J. Rumsey a few weeks ago gave me the loose sheets herein and stated that he had obtained them from the Home Office in London where a copy of the 1828 Census is filed.’

Herbert John Rumsey was the first President of the Society of Australian Genealogists, founded in 1932. (2) He had obtained copies from London from the copy despatched to the Home Office of the 1828 Census now held at The National Archives of the United Kingdom as HO 10/21 to 10/27. (3)

Abbreviations and later inclusions
Abbreviations used in the column ‘Free or Bond’ were specified in the printed ‘Instructions for filling up the Returns for the Census of the Year 1828’ dated 1 September 1828:

B.C. for Born in the Colony.
C.F. for Came Free.
F.S. for Free by Servitude.
A.P. for Holding an Absolute Pardon.
C.P. for Holding a Ticket of Leave.
C. for Convict.
C.S. for Colonial Sentence.
G.S. for Government (or Assigned) Servant. (4)

A list of abbreviations dated 16 April 1931 is also included inside the cover of the first volume.

At the end of the first volume [SZ978] a ‘Report on European Archives, by Mr F.M. Bladen, Barrister-at-Law, printed 26 August 1903 for the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia is included. A newscutting from the Sydney Morning Herald, 16 July 1932 relating to Thomas Kendall is pasted into the third volume [SZ980] near his entry.

Background
On 30 June 1828 the New South Wales Legislative Council passed ‘An Act for ascertaining the Number Names and Condition of the Inhabitants of the Colony of New South Wales and also the Number of Cattle and the Quantity of located cleared and cultivated Land within the said Colony’, known as the Census Act of 1828 (9 Geo. IV No.5). Magistrates were to affix notices in conspicuous places in their districts ‘requiring every householder employer of servants owner or possessor of cattle proprietor or occupier of land’ to answer questions relating to the population and land and stock of the Colony. (5)

The Act also provided that in the case of refusal or neglect to answer these questions or the giving of false or untrue answers the Magistrates were able to impose a fine not exceeding Ten Pounds. (6)

Printed ‘Instructions for filling up the Returns for the Census of the Year 1828’ dated 1 September 1828 were issued by the Colonial Secretary, Alexander McLeay, to the Magistrates together with a circular dated 18 September 1828 specifying the use of printed forms in the taking of the ‘General Census of the Colony’. (7)

Previously Government and General Orders had required convicts to attend a muster to be counted at a specified place on a specific day. (8) For the taking of the census the approach was for constables or other suitable census takers to visit the householders’ properties with the printed forms provided. No date was specified in the Act for the taking of the census but the Magistrates and others were urged to complete their districts as soon as practicable.

The earliest returns were received by the Colonial Secretary on 8 November 1828 from Wallis Plains, followed on 20 November by those for Newcastle. (9) In most areas the returns were completed in November 1828, though some areas took longer to submit them to the Colonial Secretary. Amended returns were received as late as November 1829. (10) A circular to Magistrates dated 29 September 1829 required the Magistrates to confirm the correctness of the Census for their area with the last confirmation received on 17 December 1829. (11)

The householders’ forms (NRS 1273) were returned by the Magistrates to the Colonial Secretary. The clerks in the Colonial Secretary’s Office then compiled a district abstract (NRS 1274) for each district and statistics for government establishments. Summary statistics were compiled of population and land and stock for each district. An Abstract of the population of the Colony of New South Wales, and of the Land and Livestock held therein was also prepared. These statistics were first published in the Sydney Gazette on 26 September 1829. (12)

It is not known when the compilation of the six volumes was completed. In October 1828 the Colonial Secretary Alexander McLeay wrote that ‘it is hoped that when the Returns are abstracted, and the names classed alphabetically, the danger of double entries and omisions will be equally obviated’. (13)

Subsequent history
The volumes of the 1828 Census passed into the possession of the Inspector General of Police. In 1901 the Inspector General made a submission to the Chief Secretary that these records should be placed in the care of the Registrar General. The matter was considered by a committee appointed by the Premier and Chief Secretary. This committee consisted of the Principal Under Secretary of the Premier’s Department (Mr R.C. Critchet Walker), the Inspector General of Police (Mr Edmund Fosbery) and the Registrar General (Mr William Gordon Hayes Williams). It recommended that the records of the 1828 Census be placed in the care of the Registrar General to be kept under lock and key, the Registrar General himself retaining the key. (14) The volumes, along with the case which housed them and its key, were transferred as State archives on 25 March 1965. (15)

UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register
The records of the 1828 Census were inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register on 27 February 2019.

Endnotes
1. Census of New South Wales – November 1828, Edited by Malcolm R Sainty & Keith A Johnson. Sydney: Library of Australian History, 1980 and subsequently published, with additional information, on CD-ROM 2001 and Revised Edition 2008, Introduction (PDF) ‘Census of New South Wales November 1828, available from Biographical Database of Australia website, https://www.bda-online.org.au/sources/musters-census/ (accessed 22 February 2019), p.13; NRS 905, Main series of letters received [Colonial Secretary], 1828 [4/2007.2].
2. K. A. Johnson, 'Rumsey, Herbert John (1866–1956)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/rumsey-herbert-john-8297/text14543, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 22 February 2019. This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, (MUP), 1988.
3. TNA (UK): HO Home Office: Settlers and Convicts, New South Wales and Tasmania: Records., HO 10/21 to HO 10/27, http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C1905858 (accessed 22 February 2019). The Home Office volumes, while including most of the same details, are not identical to the 1828 Census: Alphabetical registers.
4. Instructions of 1 September 1828 in NRS 906, Special bundles [Colonial Secretary], 1826: Census of 1828 – instructions, circulars, and samples of forms to be used [4/1097].
5. Census of 1828 (9 Geo. IV No.5).
6. Ibid.
7. Instructions of 1 September 1828 and Circular, 18 September 1828 in NRS 906, Special bundles [Colonial Secretary], 1826: Census of 1828 – instructions, circulars, and samples of forms to be used [4/1097].
8. For example see Historical Records of Australia Series I, Vol. I, p.678.
9. Colonial Secretary; NRS 922, Registers of letters received, 1828 [5/2342] Reel 2929, q.v. Nos. 28/8991 and 28/9341.
10. Ibid., q.v. Nos. 29/6673 and 29/8653.
11. Ibid., q.v. Nos. 29/8147; NRS 905, Main series of letters received, 1828 Letter No.29/9898 in [4/2056].
12. Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, 26 September 1829, p.1, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2193488 (accessed 21 February 2019).
13. NRS 989, Copies of letters to Magistrates, Police etc, 17 October 1828, Out Letter 38/741 [4/3826] pp.493-494, Reel 2807.
14. Archives Authority of New South Wales, Disposal Recommendation (DR631).
15. AO File 65/0120 and

ABS Census data extract - G01 SELECTED PERSON CHARACTERISTICS BY SEX providing a breakdown of population at Suburb level and by:age groupsaboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons (a)birthplace (b) and (c)language used at home (d)age of persons attending an education institution (e)highest year of school completed (f)count of persons in occupied private dwellings (g)Count of persons in other dwellings (g) (h)This data is based on place of usual residence unless otherwise stated.(a) Applicable to persons who are of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.(b) Includes 'Australia', 'Australia (includes External Territories), nfd', 'Norfolk Island' and 'Australian External Territories, nec'.(c) Includes 'Inadequately described', and 'At sea'. Excludes not stated.(d) Includes 'Inadequately described' and 'Non-verbal, so described'. Excludes not stated.(e) Comprises 'Preschool', 'Primary' (including Government, Catholic, Other non-Government, Primary not further defined), 'Secondary' (including Government, Catholic, Other non-Government, Secondary not further defined) and 'Tertiary' (including vocational education (including TAFE and private training providers), university or other higher education, Tertiary not further defined). Excludes persons who did not state which type of education institution they were attending.(f) Applicable to persons aged 15 years and over.(g) Data is based on place of enumeration. Excludes overseas visitors.(h) Includes 'Visitors only' and 'Other non-classifiable' households, 'Non-private dwellings' and 'Migratory, off-shore and shipping' SA1s.Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

Householders’ Returns (NRS 1273)
The individual householder's form records the district, householder's name, residence, names of family and of servants and then for each individual person – age, class, ship and year of arrival, sentence, employment, residence, religion.

On the other side of the form there is a land and stock return which records district where situated, name of farm, name of proprietor or tenant, total number of acres, acres cleared, acres cultivated, and livestock (horses, horned cattle, sheep).

Householders’ returns are not extant for every district. The returns in [4/1238.1-1241] include the following districts: Kissing Point, Concord, Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Prospect, Field of Mars, Botany Bay, Holdsworthy, Cabramatta, Liverpool, Cook, Evan, Melville, Bathurst the less, Bathurst, Wellington Valley, Parramatta and Sydney (1 return only).

District Abstracts (NRS 1274) and Working Papers (NRS 1275)
The clerks in the Colonial Secretary’s Office compiled a district abstract for each district which was folded around the householders’ returns for that district. Where these were voluminous there may be several bundles for a district. Within each district’s bundle the forms are roughly arranged by a running number though it appears the small-sized returns have been placed together with the larger returns placed at the end of the district bundle, usually followed by the land and stock return statistics. The clerks also allocated a number to each district which may be noted on the outside of the bundle (such as ‘N2’ for Kissing Point or ‘N37’ for Bathurst), though the number is not included on each householder’s return.

A numbered list for districts 34 to 52 is given on the draft General Abstract for the Colony in [4/1238.2] (filed after Castle Hill) but there is no complete contemporary list of district numbers. The General Abstract for the Colony of New South Wales often combined two or more districts. The district number appears to have been applied by the clerks to faciliate the compilation of the statistics for the General Abstract.

The returns from Government Establishments, such as Iron Gangs and Hospitals, were extracted from their respective districts by the clerks and were filed together (in [4/1238.1]). There are two lists, one of nineteen Government Establishments and the other a ‘General Abstract of the Gangs, &ca to whom Slop Clothing was issued on the 1^st November 1828, to 4033 different Convicts, and others’. These two lists comprise the 1828 Census: Working papers (NRS 1275). Accompanying the second list is a ‘List of Convicts in Government employ and to whom Slop Clothing was issued on the 1^st November 1828’ which lists up to 3933 convicts in 66 pages giving their name and ship in sections indicating their government employment (such as No.1 Iron Gang; Bathurst Road; Parramatta Hospital).

Background
On 30 June 1828 the New South Wales Legislative Council passed ‘An Act for ascertaining the Number Names and Condition of the Inhabitants of the Colony of New South Wales and also the Number of Cattle and the Quantity of located cleared and cultivated Land within the said Colony’, known as the Census Act of 1828 (9 Geo. IV No.5). (1) Magistrates were to affix notices in conspicuous places in their districts ‘requiring every householder employer of servants owner or possessor of cattle proprietor or occupier of land’ to answer the following questions:

What are the respective names ages and conditions of the persons residing with you in your dwelling-house?
What are the respective names ages conditions and residences of all such other persons as may be in your service or employment?
Specify the respective years and ships in and by which all of such aforesaid persons as originally came to the Colony prisoners of the Crown arrived.
What are the respective number of horses horned cattle and sheep of which you are the owner and in whose possession and in what district are the same respectively?
What is the number of acres of land of which you are the proprietor in what district is the same how much thereof is cleared and how much cultivates and in whose possession is the same? (2)

The Act also provided that in the case of refusal or neglect to answer these questions or the giving of false or untrue answers the Magistrates were able to impose a fine not exceeding Ten Pounds. (3)

Printed ‘Instructions for filling up the Returns for the Census of the Year 1828’ dated 1 September 1828 were issued by the Colonial Secretary, Alexander McLeay, together with a circular dated 18 September 1828 specifying the use of printed forms in the taking of the ‘General Census of the Colony’. (4)

UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register
The records of the 1828 Census were inscribed on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register on 27 February 2019.

Endnotes
1. Census of 1828 (9 Geo. IV No.5).
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Instructions of 1 September 1828 and Circular, 18 September 1828 in NRS 906, Special bundles [Colonial Secretary], 1826: Census of 1828 – instructions, circulars, and samples of forms to be used [4/1097].

Reference
Census of New South Wales – November 1828. Edited by Malcolm R Sainty & Keith A Johnson. Sydney: Library of Australian History, 1980 and subsequently published, with additional information, on CD-ROM 2001 and Revised Edition 2008, Introduction (PDF) ‘Census of New South Wales November 1828, available from Biographical Database of Australia website, https://www.bda-online.org.au/sources/musters-census/ (accessed 22 February 2019).

Dataset

This dataset was created by Sepehr Moghani

Released under MIT

Contents

Custom dataset compiled using Australian Bureau of Statistics TableBuilder to extract 2021 Australian Census data: SEXP Sex by POA (UR) by AGE5P Age in Five Year Groups and YARRP Year of Arrival in Australia (ranges). Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data. Analysis and compilation by Phillip Keen, The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney.

Secondary data are not available from ABS Agricultural and Population censuses for economic indicators and measures at a scale matching the NSW water sharing plan (WSP) regions. NSW DPE – Water purchased customised data for all WSP regions from 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021 ABS censuses.

The dataset contains following anonymised census data for each of the WSP regions:

• Agricultural commodity data for 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021
• Water use data for 2011, 2016 and 2021
• Gross value of irrigated agricultural production data for 2016 and 2021
• Employment by industry and occupation for 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021
• Population by age distribution for 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021
• Aboriginal population, families, dwellings for 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021
• Average weekly earnings, full time, part time for 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021
• Interstate and regional migration (where possible) for 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021
• Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) including its component scores (subject to high standard errors depending on the size of the custom region) for 2006, 2011 and 2016

Note: File Notes on ABS data by NSW water sharing plan regions.docx provides a comprehensive overview of the data's limitations that must be taken into consideration when using it..

The Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) brings together a 5% sample from the 2006 Census with records from the 2011 Census to create a research tool for exploring how Australian society is changing over time. In taking a longitudinal view of Australians, the ACLD may uncover new insights into the dynamics and transitions that drive social and economic change over time, conveying how these vary for diverse population groups and geographies. It is envisaged that the 2016 and successive Censuses will be added in the future, as well as administrative data sets. The ACLD is released in ABS TableBuilder and as a microdata product in the ABS Data Laboratory. \r \r The Census of Population and Housing is conducted every five years and aims to measure accurately the number of people and dwellings in Australia on Census Night. \r \r Microdata products are the most detailed information available from a Census or survey and are generally the responses to individual questions on the questionnaire. They also include derived data from answers to two or more questions and are released with the approval of the Australian Statistician.\r The following microdata products are available for this longitudinal dataset: \r •ACLD in TableBuilder - an online tool for creating tables and graphs. \r •ACLD in ABS Data Laboratory (ABSDL) - for in-depth analysis using a range of statistical software packages.\r \r

Census Data by Local Government Area for Sydney, NSW, Australia (Sydney TimeMap)

ABS Census data extract - G09 COUNTRY OF BIRTH OF PERSON BY AGE providing a breakdown of population at Suburb level and by:age groupscountry of birth of person(a)Australia(b)China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)Born elsewhere(d)This data is based on place of usual residence.(a) This list consists of the most common 50 Country of Birth responses reported in the 2016 Census and 2011 Census.(b) Includes 'Australia', 'Australia (includes External Territories), nfd', 'Norfolk Island' and 'Australian External Territories, nec'.(c) Special Administrative Regions (SARs) comprise 'Hong Kong (SAR of China)' and 'Macau (SAR of China)'. (d) Includes countries not identified individually, 'Inadequately described', and 'At sea'. Excludes not stated.Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

The Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) is Australia's largest longitudinal dataset bringing together a 5% random sample of around one million records from the 2006 Census with corresponding records from the 2011 Census. It provides a unique opportunity for researchers and policy makers to examine pathways and transitions of population groups, such as unemployed individuals transition into the labour force. Over time, the ACLD will continue to grow as records from each new Census are linked which will further enhance its longitudinal view. The ACLD will also be augmented in the future to take account of migration and births that occur between Censuses.

Abstract This dataset and its metadata statement were supplied to the Bioregional Assessment Programme by a third party and are presented here as originally supplied. ABS 2011 census data presented spatially in an ESRI files geodatabase. Derived from Tabular ABS 2011 Census data for NSW joined with Meshblocks for NSW downloaded from the ABS website. As well as published "Persons" and "Dwellings" data an additional field "Persons_km2" was derived from the persons count and spatial area of the associated Mesh Block (see Lineage). ## Dataset History 2011 base level Census data for NSW was downloaded from the ABS website along with the spatial boundaries pertaining to the tabular data (NSW Mesh block shpaefiles). Census data was joined to the Mesh block polygons based on the Mesh block ID and the combined attributes exported to a file geodatabase feature class. A field was added "Persons_km2) and a popultaion density for each mesh block polygon area was derived by dividing the "persons" in that mesh block by the polygon area (based on Aust Albers projection) factored to calculate persons per square km. ## Dataset Citation Australian Bureau of Statistics (2014) NSW 2011 Census Population Counts and Density (Spatial). Bioregional Assessment Source Dataset. Viewed 14 June 2018, http://data.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/dataset/90662127-a559-493b-9d65-df44270aeb0a.

This series consists of microfiche and printouts showing hospital separations data for inpatients to New South Wales hospitals between 1976 and 1989. The data was collected and collated by the Demand and Performance Evaluation Reporting Unit which formed part of the Demand and Performance Evaluation Branch of the NSW Department of Health. The collated statistics were printed and transferred on to microfiche by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The statistics are displayed in tables and in some cases in graph format. The statistics relate to individual hospitals, to particular regions within NSW and in some cases the data sets relate to all hospitals in New South Wales. The data was collected in order to gauge demand for hospitals in New South Wales and for the purpose of future planning.

Some of the statistics provided include separations by diagnosis, separations by principal operation, average length of stay by principal diagnosis, morbidity statistics by operation and admissions by disease. Within these categories information regarding the age, sex, principal diagnosis, number of bed days, average length of stay, procedure, class or type of disease and usual residence of the patient can be provided.

The microfiche are grouped into 13 bundles and arranged in chronological and item number order.

Australian Census data from 2021, available from: https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/datapacks

ABS Census data extract - G08 ANCESTRY BY COUNTRY OF BIRTH OF PARENTS providing a breakdown of population at Suburb level and by:ancestry(a)birthplace not stated(b)total responses(c) andother(d)This data is based on place of usual residence.(a) This list of ancestries consists of the most common 30 Ancestry responses reported in the 2016 and 2011 Census. (b) Includes birthplace for either or both parents not stated.(c) This table is a multi-response table and therefore the total responses count will not equal the total persons count.(d) If two responses from one person are categorised in the 'Other' category only one response is counted. Includes ancestries not identified individually and 'Inadequately described'.Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.

The Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) is Australia's largest longitudinal dataset bringing together a 5% random sample of around one million records from the 2006 Census with corresponding records from the 2011 Census. It provides a unique opportunity for researchers and policy makers to examine pathways and transitions of population groups, such as unemployed individuals transition into the labour force. Over time, the ACLD will continue to grow as records from each new Census are linked which will further enhance its longitudinal view. The ACLD will also be augmented in the future to take account of migration and births that occur between Censuses.

This web map contains layers that contain some of the more commonly used variables from the General Community Profile information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 census. Data is available for Country, Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), Local Government Area (LGA), Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) and 2 (SA2), and Suburb and Localities (SAL) boundaries.The General Community Profile contains a series of tables showing the characteristics of persons, families and dwellings in a selected geographic area. The data is based on place of usual residence (that is, where people usually live, rather than where they were counted on Census night). Community Profiles are excellent tools for researching, planning and analysing geographic areas for a number of social, economic and demographic characteristics.Download the data here.Data and Geography notes:View the Readme files located in the DataPacks and GeoPackages zip files.To access the 2021 DataPacks, visit https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/datapacksGlossary terms and definitions of classifications can be found in the 2021 Census DictionaryMore information about Census data products is available at https://www.abs.gov.au/census/guide-census-data/about-census-tools/datapacksDetailed geography information: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/standards/australian-statistical-geography-standard-asgs-edition-3/jul2021-jun2026/main-structure-and-greater-capital-city-statistical-areas: 2021 Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1), 2021 Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), 2021 Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA), 2021 Australia (AUS)https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/standards/australian-statistical-geography-standard-asgs-edition-3/jul2021-jun2026/non-abs-structures: 2021 Suburbs and Localities (SAL), 2021 Local Government Areas (LGA)Please note that there are data assumptions that should be considered when analysing the ABS Census data. These are detailed within the Census documents referenced above. These include:Registered Marital StatusIn December 2017, amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 came into effect enabling marriage equality for all couples. For 2021, registered marriages include all couples.Core Activity Need for AssistanceMeasures the number of people with a profound or severe core activity limitation. People with a profound or severe core activity limitation are those needing assistance in their day to day lives in one or more of the three core activity areas of self-care, mobility and communication because of a long-term health condition (lasting six months or more), a disability (lasting six months or more), or old age. Number of Motor VehiclesExcludes motorbikes, motor scooters and heavy vehicles.Please note that there are small random adjustments made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from table totals.Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

This dataset provides a list of all ABS Census Topics. It also includes a request form for additional ABS datasets to be added to your data portal.

The Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) is Australia's largest longitudinal dataset bringing together a 5% random sample of around one million records from the 2006 Census with corresponding records from the 2011 Census. It provides a unique opportunity for researchers and policy makers to examine pathways and transitions of population groups, such as unemployed individuals transition into the labour force. Over time, the ACLD will continue to grow as records from each new Census are linked which will further enhance its longitudinal view. The ACLD will also be augmented in the future to take account of migration and births that occur between Censuses.

Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1)

Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s) are designed to maximise the geographic detail available for Census of Population and Housing data while maintaining confidentiality.

SA1s are built from whole Mesh Blocks and have a population between 200 and 800 people. In remote and regional areas they generally have smaller populations than those in urban areas. SA1s are designed to represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as accurately as possible, particularly in remote areas.

Using SA1s with Census data

Use SA1s to see how Census characteristics vary at a neighbourhood scale within larger areas such as Suburbs or Local Government Areas.

​

Australian Bureau of Statistics (Jul2021-Jun2026), Data services and APIs, ABS Website, accessed 25 July 2023.

https://www.abs.gov.au/website-privacy-copyright-and-disclaimer#copyright-and-creative-commons

Transport for NSW provides projections of population and dwellings at the small area (Travel Zone or TZ) level for NSW. The latest version is Travel Zone Projections 2024 (TZP24), released in January 2025. TZP24 replaces the previously published TZP22. The projections are developed to support a strategic view of NSW and are aligned with the NSW Government Common Planning Assumptions. The TZP24 Population & Dwellings Projections dataset covers the following variables: Estimated Resident Population Structural Private Dwellings (Regional NSW only) Population in Occupied Private Dwellings, by 5-year Age categories & by Sex Population in Non-Private Dwellings The projections in this release, TZP24, are presented annually from 2021 to 2031 and 5-yearly from 2031 to 2066, and are in TZ21 geography. Please note, TZP24 is based on best available data as at early 2024, and the projections incorporate results of the National Census conducted by the ABS in August 2021. Key Data Inputs used in TZP24: 2024 NSW Population Projections – NSW Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure 2021 Census data - Australian Bureau of Statistics (including dwellings by occupancy, total dwellings by Mesh Block, household sizes, private dwellings by occupancy, population age and gender, persons by place of usual residence) For a summary of the TZP24 projection method please refer to the TZP24 Factsheet. For more detail on the projection process please refer to the TZP24 Technical Guide. Additional land use information for workforce and employment as well as Travel Zone 2021 boundaries for NSW (TZ21) and concordance files are also available for download on the Open Data Hub. Visualisations of the population projections are available on the Transport for NSW Website under Data and research/Reference Information. Cautions The TZP24 dataset represents one view of the future aligned with the NSW Government Common Planning Assumptions and population and employment projections. The projections are not based on specific assumptions about future new transport infrastructure but do take into account known land-use developments underway or planned, and strategic plans. TZP24 is a strategic state-wide dataset and caution should be exercised when considering results at detailed breakdowns. The TZP24 outputs represent a point in time set of projections (as at early 2024). The projections are not government targets. Travel Zone (TZ) level outputs are projections only and should be used as a guide. As with all small area data, aggregating of travel zone projections to higher geographies leads to more robust results. As a general rule, TZ-level projections are illustrative of a possible future only. More specific advice about data reliability for the specific variables projected is provided in the “Read Me” page of the Excel format summary spreadsheets on the TfNSW Open Data Hub. Caution is advised when comparing TZP24 with the previous set of projections (TZP22) due to addition of new data sources for the most recent years, and adjustments to methodology. Further cautions and notes can be found in the TZP24 Technical Guide Important note: The Department of Planning, Housing & Infrastructure (DPHI) published the 2024 NSW Population Projections in November 2024. As per DPHI’s published projections, the following variables are excluded from the published TZP24 Population and Dwellings Projections: Structural Private Dwellings for Travel Zones in 43 councils across Greater Sydney, Illawarra-Shoalhaven, Central Coast, Lower Hunter and Greater Newcastle Occupied Private Dwellings for Travel Zones in NSW. Furthermore, in TZP24, the Structural Private Dwellings variable aligns with the 2024 Implied Dwelling projections while the Occupied Private Dwellings variable aligns with the 2024 Households projections at SA2 level prepared by DPHI. The above variables are available upon request by contacting model.selection@transport.nsw.gov.au - Attention Place Forecasting.