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

Admissions into aged care 
28 Jul 2022

PHN, SA3
Aged care

People leaving aged care 
28 Jul 2022

PHN, SA3
Alcohol & other drug treatment services

Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report 
27 Jul 2022

PHN
Alcohol & other drug treatment services

National Opioid Pharmacotherapy Statistics Annual Data collection 
30 Mar 2022

SA2
Cancer, Health & welfare expenditure

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, Health care quality & performance

Incidence of selected cancers in 2009–2013 
19 Apr 2018

PHN, SA3, SA4
Cancer, Cancer, Rural & remote Australians

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

PHN, SA3, SA4, GCCSA, PHA
Cancer screening, Cancer

Cancer screening programs: quarterly data 
20 Jan 2023

PHN, SA2, SA3
Child protection, Adoptions, Children & youth

Child protection Australia 2020–21 
15 Jun 2022

SA2, Postcode
Chronic disease, Primary health care

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, Chronic kidney disease, Diabetes, Heart, stroke & vascular diseases

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

PHN, PHA
Chronic respiratory conditions, Chronic disease, Primary health care

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

SA3
Dementia, Aged care, Older people

Dementia in Australia 
23 Feb 2023

PHN, SA2
Dementia, Aged care, Older people

Dementia in Australia Summary report 2022 
23 Feb 2023

PHN, SA2
Dementia, COVID-19, Life expectancy & deaths, Older people

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

GCCSA
Dental & oral health

Oral health and dental care in Australia 
17 Mar 2023

SA2
Diabetes, Chronic disease

Incidence of insulin-treated diabetes in Australia 
8 Feb 2022

PHN
Environment & health, Hospitals, Burden of disease, Chronic respiratory conditions, Heart, stroke & vascular diseases

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

SA4
Health & welfare expenditure, Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

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

PHN, SA3
Health & welfare expenditure, Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

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

PHN, SA3
Health care quality & performance, COVID-19, Health & welfare expenditure, Primary health care

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

PHN, SA3, GCCSA
Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

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

PHN
Health care quality & performance, Health & welfare expenditure, Primary health care

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, Housing assistance

Specialist homelessness services annual report 2021–22 
8 Dec 2022

SA4
Homelessness services

Specialist Homelessness Services Collection data cubes 2011–12 to 2021-22 
8 Dec 2022

PHN, SA2, SA3, SA4, GCCSA, LGA
Hospitals, Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

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

PHN, SA3
Housing assistance, Homelessness services

Housing assistance in Australia 
29 Jun 2022

SA2, SA4, LGA
Illicit use of drugs, Alcohol

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

SA4
Illicit use of drugs, Alcohol, Smoking

National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2016: detailed findings 
28 Sep 2017

PHN, SA4
Immunisation

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

SA3
Immunisation, Children & youth, Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

HPV immunisation rates in 2015–16 
22 Mar 2018

PHN, SA4
Immunisation, Children & youth, Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

Immunisation rates for children in 2016–17 
22 Mar 2018

PHN, SA3, SA4, Postcode
Indigenous Australians, Eye health

Eye health measures for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 2022: interactive data 
16 Mar 2023

PHN, SA3
Indigenous Australians, Primary health care

Indigenous health checks and follow-ups 
19 Aug 2022

PHN, SA3, GCCSA, IREG
Indigenous Australians, Eye health

Indigenous eye health measures 2021 
1 Sep 2021

PHN, SA3, IREG
Indigenous Australians, Eye health

Indigenous eye health measures 2021: in brief 
1 Sep 2021

PHN, SA3
Indigenous Australians, Mothers & babies

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

PHN
Indigenous Australians, Rural & remote Australians, Workforce

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

PHN, SA3
Injury, Hospitals, Rural & remote Australians

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

PHN
Life expectancy & deaths, Rural & remote Australians

Mortality Over Regions and Time (MORT) books 
9 Jun 2022

PHN, SA3, SA4, GCCSA, LGA
Life expectancy & deaths, Health care quality & performance

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

PHN, SA3
Mothers & babies

Australia's mothers and babies 
14 Dec 2022

PHN, SA3
Mothers & babies

National Core Maternity Indicators 
28 Sep 2022

PHN, SA3
Mothers & babies, Men & women

Older mothers in Australia 2019 
5 Aug 2021

PHN, SA3
Mothers & babies, Men & women

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, Health care quality & performance, Primary health care

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, Children & youth, Men & women, Risk factors

Overweight and obesity: an interactive insight 
27 Nov 2020

PHN
Overweight & obesity, Health care quality & performance, Risk factors

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

PHN
Primary health care, Health care quality & performance

Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement Measures: data update 2021-22 
20 Sep 2022

PHN
Primary health care, Health & welfare expenditure, Health care quality & performance, Medical specialists

Medicare-subsidised GP, allied health and specialist health care across local areas: 2019–20 to 2020 
27 Oct 2021

PHN, SA3
Primary health care, Hospitals, Health care quality & performance

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

PHN, SA3
Primary health care, Health care quality & performance

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

PHN
Primary health care, Hospitals, Health care quality & performance

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

PHN, SA3
Primary health care, Health care quality & performance

Coordination of health care – experiences with GP care among patients 2016 
26 Jul 2018

PHN
Risk factors, Alcohol, Health care quality & performance, Physical activity, Primary health care, Risk factors, Smoking

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.