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.

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.

Data available at the local level

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 31 boundaries defined by the Australian Government Department of Health.
  • 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).
Primary topic Report1 or resource Geography reported
Aged care

GEN Aged Care Data: Admissions into aged care 
28 Jun 2023

PHN,SA3
Aged care

GEN Aged Care Data: People leaving aged care 
28 Jun 2023

PHN,SA3
Aged care

GEN Aged Care Data: People's care needs in aged care 
28 Jun 2023

PHN,SA3
Alcohol

Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia 
13 Dec 2023

PHN
Alcohol & other drug treatment services

Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report 
21 Jun 2023

PHN
Alcohol & other drug treatment services

National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection 
20 Apr 2023

SA2
Burden of disease

Burden of avoidable deaths among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2018 
13 Sep 2023

IREG
Cancer

Health system expenditure on cancer and other neoplasms in Australia, 2015–16 
24 Mar 2021

SA4
Cancer

Cancer statistics for small geographic areas 
18 Oct 2019

PHN,SA3
Cancer

Incidence of selected cancers in 2009–2013 
19 Apr 2018

PHN,SA3,SA4
Cancer

Cancer Incidence and Mortality Across Regions (CIMAR) books 
14 Dec 2016

PHN,SA3,SA4,GCCSA,PHA
Cancer screening

Access to BreastScreen Australia screening services 
16 Feb 2024

PHN,SA2,SA3,SA4,LGA,IREG
Cancer screening

Cancer screening programs: quarterly data 
14 Jul 2023

PHN,SA2,SA3
Child protection

Child protection Australia 2020–21 
15 Jun 2022

SA2,Postcode
Chronic disease

Use of chronic disease management and allied health Medicare services 
15 Dec 2022

PHN,SA3
Chronic disease

Use of Medicare chronic disease management items by patients with long-term health conditions 
28 Apr 2022

PHN,SA3
Chronic disease

Geographical variation in disease: diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease 
3 Aug 2021

PHN,PHA
Chronic respiratory conditions

National asthma indicators 
14 Dec 2023

PHN
Chronic respiratory conditions

Sleep–related breathing disorders with a focus on obstructive sleep apnoea 
3 Aug 2021

SA3
Dementia

Dementia in Australia 
21 Sep 2023

PHN,SA2
Dementia

Dementia in Australia Summary report 2022 
23 Feb 2023

PHN,SA2
Dementia

Dementia deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia 
22 Apr 2021

GCCSA
Dental & oral health

Oral health and dental care in Australia 
21 Nov 2023

SA2
Diabetes

Incidence of insulin-treated diabetes in Australia 
8 Feb 2022

PHN
Environment & health

Geography and time-specific health data for environmental analysis 
7 Mar 2024

SA4
Environment & health

Data update: Short-term health impacts of the 2019–20 Australian bushfires 
12 Nov 2021

SA4
First Nations people

Eye health measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2023: interactive data 
5 Dec 2023

PHN,SA3
First Nations people

Health checks and follow-ups for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 
27 Oct 2023

PHN,SA4,GCCSA,IREG
First Nations people

Indigenous-‍specific health checks during the COVID-19 pandemic 
30 May 2023

GCCSA
First Nations people

Indigenous eye health measures 2021: in brief 
1 Sep 2021

PHN,SA3
First Nations people

Spatial variation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's access to 4 types of maternal health services 
20 Nov 2017

PHN
First Nations people

Spatial distribution of the supply of the clinical health workforce 2014: relationship to the distribution of the Indigenous population 
28 Nov 2016

PHN,SA3
Health & welfare expenditure

Patients' out-of-pocket spending on Medicare services 2016–17 
16 Aug 2018

PHN,SA3
Health & welfare expenditure

Medicare Benefits Schedule GP and specialist attendances and expenditure in 2016–17 
7 Jun 2018

PHN,SA3
Health care quality & performance

Impacts of COVID-19 on Medicare Benefits Scheme and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme: quarterly data 
18 Feb 2022

PHN,SA3,GCCSA
Health care quality & performance

Coordination of health care for patients aged 45 and over by Primary Health Networks 
1 Apr 2021

PHN
Health care quality & performance

Impacts of COVID-19 on Medicare Benefits Scheme and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme service use 
17 Dec 2020

GCCSA
Heart, stroke & vascular diseases

Atrial fibrillation in Australia 
18 Nov 2020

PHN
Homelessness services

Specialist homelessness services annual report 2022–23 
13 Feb 2024

SA4
Homelessness services

Specialist Homelessness Services Collection data cubes 2011–12 to 2022–23 
13 Feb 2024

PHN,SA2,SA3,SA4,GCCSA,LGA
Hospitals

Use of emergency department and GP services, 2013–14 to 2015–16 
17 Aug 2017

PHN,SA3
Housing assistance

Housing assistance in Australia 
14 Jul 2023

SA2,SA3,SA4,GCCSA
Illicit use of drugs

National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023 
29 Feb 2024

PHN,SA4
Illicit use of drugs

Australia’s attitudes and perceptions towards drugs by region, 2019 
15 Jul 2022

SA4
Immunisation

National Partnership on Essential Vaccines: performance report 2020–21 
20 Apr 2022

SA3
Immunisation

HPV immunisation rates in 2015–16 
22 Mar 2018

PHN,SA4
Immunisation

Immunisation rates for children in 2016–17 
22 Mar 2018

PHN,SA3,SA4,Postcode
Injury

Geographical analysis of hospitalised injury and injury deaths data, 2017–18 
31 Aug 2021

PHN
Life expectancy & deaths

Mortality Over Regions and Time (MORT) books 
11 Jul 2023

PHN,SA3,SA4,GCCSA,LGA
Life expectancy & deaths

Life expectancy and potentially avoidable deaths in 2015–2017 
2 Aug 2019

PHN,SA3
Medicare

Medicare Benefits Scheme funded services: monthly data 
27 Feb 2024

LGA
Mothers & babies

Australia's mothers and babies 
13 Dec 2023

PHN,SA3
Mothers & babies

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies  
31 Oct 2023

PHN,SA3,IREG
Mothers & babies

Maternity models of care 
11 Oct 2023

PHN
Mothers & babies

National Core Maternity Indicators 
13 Jul 2023

PHN,SA3
Mothers & babies

Older mothers in Australia 2019 
5 Aug 2021

PHN,SA3
Mothers & babies

Stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Australia 2017–2018 
10 Jun 2021

PHN
Mothers & babies

Australia’s mothers and babies 2018—in brief 
29 May 2020

PHN
Mothers & babies

Child and maternal health in 2014–2016 
25 Oct 2018

PHN,SA3,SA4
Mothers & babies

Teenage mothers in Australia 2015 
2 May 2018

PHN,SA3
Overweight & obesity

Overweight and obesity 
19 May 2023

PHN
Overweight & obesity

Overweight and obesity rates across Australia 2014–15 
7 Jun 2018

PHN
Primary health care

Medicare-subsidised GP, allied health and specialist health care across local areas: 2022-23 
7 Mar 2024

PHN,SA3
Primary health care

Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Measures: annual data update 2022-23 
18 Oct 2023

PHN
Primary health care

Use of emergency departments for lower urgency care: 2015–16 to 2018–19 
2 Jul 2020

PHN,SA3
Primary health care

Patient experiences in Australia by small geographic areas in 2017–18 
25 Feb 2020

PHN
Primary health care

Potentially preventable hospitalisations in Australia by age groups and small geographic areas, 2017–18 
14 Nov 2019

PHN,SA3
Primary health care

Coordination of health care – experiences with GP care among patients aged 45 and over 2016 
26 Jul 2018

PHN
Risk factors

Health risk factors in 2014–15 
30 Nov 2017

PHN

Note

1.Where the report is part of a series or has updated a previous release, only the latest edition is listed.