The AIHW releases data at a range of geographies, including by areas smaller than states and territories. Reporting at these smaller, more ‘local’ areas can show results that may be masked by results for the whole of Australia, or for states and territories—allowing a better understanding for the local community, clinicians, policymakers and researchers.
The AIHW most commonly reports smaller areas by:
- Primary Health Network (PHN) areas—PHNs are organisations that connect health services across a specific geographic area (a PHN area), with the boundaries defined by the Australian Government Department of Health. There are 31 PHN areas that cover the whole of Australia.
- Statistical Areas—Statistical Areas are a geographical classification defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. They encompass four levels, with increasing size and population: Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s); Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2s); Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3s); and Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4s).
Due to the smaller number of results in these smaller areas, and the strict privacy and confidentiality controls applied to data, results are sometimes unable to be reported for all areas in Australia.