The ABS standard question on Indigenous status

What is the basis of the ABS standard question on Indigenous status?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics' Indigenous status standard is based on the definition accepted by the Commonwealth that arose out of a High Court judgement:

'An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is a person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives'. [Commonwealth v Tasmania (1983) 46 ALR 625] 

While this definition suggests three criteria for the identification of Indigenous people (being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, self-identification and acceptance by the community), in practice, it is not feasible in most statistical and administrative collections to collect information on whether the person is accepted by their community as an Indigenous person. Therefore, the Indigenous status standard is an operational question that incorporates information on descent (or origin) and self-identification only. Agencies who wish to determine the eligibility of individuals for particular benefits, services or rights will need to make their own judgements about the suitability of the standard measure for these purposes, having regard to the specific eligibility criteria for the program concerned. For example, an Aboriginal housing program may require evidence of the person's acceptance by the Aboriginal community, which is not captured by this question.

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Last reviewed by on 27 October 2006