Change in the ASGS Remoteness Classification

The   ASGS Edition 3 (2021) Remoteness Structure   was released on the 21 March 2023.

The Remoteness Structure defines Remoteness Areas. These areas are designed to provide geospatial definitions of remoteness for the publication of statistics. They are updated every 5 years to reflect growth in cities and towns, and changes in relative service accessibility across Australia. Remoteness Areas are derived from the  Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia Plus (ARIA+)  produced by the University of Adelaide.

Remoteness Areas divide Australia into the following five classes of remoteness;

• Major Cities of Australia
• Inner Regional Australia
• Outer Regional Australia
• Remote Australia
• Very Remote Australia

For details on the changes that have occurred between the current and the previous edition of Remoteness Areas, please see the   Remoteness Area Change   section of the   Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3, July 2021 - June 2026   publication.

The following map allows users to visualise the change between  ASGS Edition 2 (2016)   Remoteness Areas (shown on the left), and  ASGS Edition 3 (2021)   Remoteness Areas (shown on the right).

To navigate the map use the + and - buttons in the bottom right corner to zoom in and out.

To access the map legend click on the icon in the bottom left corner of the map.