Glossary

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations)
In most data collections, a person who identified themselves, or was identified by another household member, as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. For a few data collections, information on acceptance of a person as being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander by a First Nations community may also be required. See also Indigenous and First Nations people.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioner
An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person (see First Nations people) who has gained a Certificate IV in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice and is registered with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practice Board of Australia.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker
A First Nations person with a minimum qualification in the field of primary health-care work or clinical practice. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners are one speciality stream of health worker. Health workers liaise with patients, clients and visitors to hospitals and health clinics, and work as a team member to arrange, coordinate and provide health-care delivery in community health clinics.
Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation or Service (ACCHO, ACCHS)
An organisation operated by local First Nations community, and controlled through a locally elected board, to deliver comprehensive, holistic and culturally appropriate health care to the community. ACCHOs vary in size and composition – from large organisations with multiple medical and other practitioners who provide a range of services, through to small organisations that rely on nurses and/or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander health workers to provide most services.
clan, tribal group or language group
A group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islande (First Nations) people who share a common language and/or clan or tribal membership.
First Nations household
A household that contains one or more Indigenous Australians. Also referred to as an Indigenous household. See also Other household.
First Nations people
People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
First Nations-specific primary health care organisations
Primary health care organisations that receive funding from the Department of Health and Aged Care to provide primary health care services mainly to First Nations people. The primary health care organisations include Aboriginal Community Controlled Health organisations or services, state and territory managed organisations, Primary Health Networks and other non-government organisations.
household
A group of 2 or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling, and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living. Can also be a single person living in a dwelling who makes provision for their own food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person. See also First Nations household and other household.
Indigenous
Used interchangeably with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations people.
Indigenous Areas (IAREs)
Medium-sized geographical areas used to report data about Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous Areas are one of 3 levels of geographic units within the Indigenous Structure of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Indigenous Areas are aggregates of one or more Indigenous Locations. For the 2016 ASGS, 430 Indigenous Areas are defined to cover the whole of geographic Australia. For more information see Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Indigenous Australians' Health Programme (IAHP)
A program established by the Australian Government on 1 July 2014 that consolidated 4 existing funding streams: primary health care, child and maternal health programs, Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory (Health), and programs covered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Chronic Disease Fund. For more information see Indigenous Australians' Health Programme – Department of Health and Aged Care.
Indigenous Locations (ILOCs)
Encompass small Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (urban and rural) with a minimum population of 90 Indigenous usual residents. Indigenous Locations are one of 3 levels of geographic units within the Indigenous Structure of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Indigenous Locations are aggregates of one or more Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1s). For the 2016 ASGS, 1,115 Indigenous Locations are defined to cover the whole of geographic Australia. For more information see Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Indigenous Regions (IREGs)
Large geographical areas used to report data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous Regions are one of 3 levels of geographic units within the Indigenous Structure of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). Indigenous Regions do not cross state or territory borders and are aggregates of one or more Indigenous Areas. For the 2016 ASGS, 58 Indigenous Regions are defined to cover the whole of geographic Australia. For more information see Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Indigenous status
Whether a person identifies as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin.
Indigenous structure
Provides a geographical standard for the analysis and publication of statistics and other data about Indigenous people. It comprises 3 levels of geographic units in a single hierarchy:At each level of the structure, the components collectively cover the whole of Australia without gaps or overlaps. The Indigenous Structure is one of the structures in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). For more information see Australian Bureau of Statistics.
national Key Performance Indicators (nKPIs)
A national set of indicators reported by First Nations-specific primary health care organisations about their First Nations regular clients. It includes process-of-care and health outcome indicators in the areas of maternal and child health, preventative health and chronic disease management.
non-Indigenous
A term used to describe people who have indicated that they are not of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. See also other Australians.
Online services report
A data collection that contains information about organisations funded by the Australian Government under its Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP).
other Australians
People who indicated they are not of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin and those who did not state their Indigenous status. See also non-Indigenous.
other household
A household that does not contain one or more First Nations people. See also First Nations household.
Stolen Generations
First Nations people who were forcibly removed from their families as a result of former government policies across Australian jurisdictions.