Data standards for Western Australian government

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Given names are often assigned by parents or acquired by a person in accordance with a state or territory Act.  The given name should be written as indicated by the person or as shown on an identification card. ​

​All of the person's given names should be recorded as separate data items (e.g. given_name_1, given_name_2, …)​

AIHW METeOR 613340 - Person—given name, text X[X(39)], 2016 (external link)

More information
Refer to the AIHW standard for additional information, including how to:​

• phrase questions asking a person for their given name(s),​

• detailed guidance on handling special characters, and​

• names not for continued use due to cultural reasons

2022.03
First version published

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There are no universal verification rules for a person's preferred name.

Family names are often handed down through generations in a family, and are distinguished from a person's given name(s). Examples include the hereditary or tribal surname of a person’s family.​

In some cultures it is traditional to state the family name first. To overcome discrepancies in recording/reporting that may arise as a result of this practice, agencies should always ask the person to specify at least their first given name and their family name separately. These should then be recorded as 'Given name' and 'Family name' as appropriate, regardless of the order in which they may be traditionally given.​

​Family name should be recorded in the format preferred by the person. ​The format should be the same as that written by the person on a (pre) registration form or in the same format as that printed on an identification card, such as a Medicare card, to ensure consistent collection of name data. ​​

​​​More information:
Refer to the AIHW standard below for information, including how to:​

• ​how to store family names that contain more than one word, ​

• handling people who only have one name, and​

• detailed guidance on handling special characters

AIHW METeOR 613331 - Person—family name, text X[X(39)], 2016​

2022.03
First version published

Text - Maximum length 80

There are no universal verification rules for a person's preferred name.

A person’s preferred name may be different from their given or legal name.  It is the name that the person prefers to use in personal dealings (e.g. in conversation and/or for the purposes of written communication).  If the preferred name does not differ from a person's given name, this field can be left blank. ​

​The preferred name should be written as indicated by the person. 

​AIHW METeOR 613340 - Person—given name, text X[X(39)], 2016​

Note: Preferred name is not a separate standard maintained by the AIHW. It is included as part of their ‘Given name’ standard. For the purpose of Western Australian Government data collection, it is a separate data field.

2022.03
First version published

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Aliases are any other name that a person is also known by, or has been known by in the past. This includes misspelled names or name variations that are to be retained as they have been used to identify this person. More than one alias name may be recorded for a person.​

​Where required by agencies, aliases may be recorded with a ‘name usage type’ that describes the nature of/reason for the alias. (e.g. Previous name, Stage name). Refer to the data collection standards below.​

​For example, when a person informs an agency of a change of family name (e.g. following marriage or divorce), the former name should be recorded as an alias name. A full history of names should be retained. e.g. 'Mary Georgina Smith' informs the hospital that she has been married and changed her family name to 'Jones'. Record 'Jones' as her Family Name and record 'Smith' as an alias name.​

​Where a person has more than one alias, each of them should be recorded as separate data items (e.g. alias_name_1, alias_name_2, …).

Note: Alias is not a separate standard maintained by the AIHW. It is included as part of their person naming standards. For the purpose of Western Australian Government data collection, we are treating it as a standalone standard and a separate data field.​

AIHW METeOR 286953 - Person (name)—family name, text X[X(39)], 2005​

​AIHW METeOR 521079 - Person—name usage type, code X, 2016

2022.03
First version published

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Pseudonyms may be required in order to mask the identity of an individual—for example, in the case of HIV testing—where the subject of care has the right of anonymity in many jurisdictions. In this case a pseudonym can be entered in lieu of the person’s actual name. It is recommended that the subject be asked to record both the pseudonym (other name) as well as a legal name.​

​Registering a pseudonym requires agency systems to be able to identify which name is to be used or displayed as the Preferred name. This might require a means to temporarily change the pseudonym name to preferred name, which is then changed back to the normal preferred name after the pseudonym use is over.​

​Where a person has more than one pseudonym, each of them should be recorded as separate data items (e.g. pseudonym_1, pseudonym_2, …).

​AIHW METeOR 613331 - Person—family name, text X[X(39)], 2016

Note: Pseudonym is not a separate standard maintained by the AIHW. It is included as part of their person naming standards. For the purpose of Western Australian Government data collection, we are treating it as a standalone standard and a separate data field.​

2022.03
First version published

Integer (with coding map - preferred) – maximum length 1

Preferred code

Alternative code

Label

Definition

1

M

Male

Persons whose sex was recorded as male.

2

F

Female

Persons whose sex was recorded as female.

3

X

Another term

Persons whose sex was recorded as other than male or female.

9

NS

Not stated or inadequately described.

Used to code a non-response or inadequately described response for sex.

A person's sex is based upon their sex characteristics, such as their chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs.  Data collections should be clear as to whether the field collects data on sex recorded at time of birth, sex recorded at time of data collection. ​

​The ‘Another term’ (please specify) option should provide a write-in field and be stored as a separate data field.

ABS 1200.0.55.012 - Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020

More information
Refer to the ABS standard below for information, including how to:​

• phrase questions asking a person to report their sex and​

• guidance on how to collect both sex and gender

2022.03
First version published

Integer (with coding map) – maximum length 1

Preferred code

Alternative code

Label

Definition

1

M

Man or male

Persons who described their gender as man or male.

2

F

Woman or female

Persons who described their gender as woman or female.

3

X

Non-binary

Persons who described their gender as non-binary.

4

T

Different term

Persons who described their gender as a term other than man/male, woman/female or non-binary.

5

Z

Prefer not to answer

Persons who preferred not to respond on how they describe their gender.

9

NS

Not stated or inadequately described.

A person's gender may differ from their sex and may also differ from what is indicated on their legal documents.  A person's gender may stay the same or can change over the course of their lifetime. ​

​Some people may not identify with a specific gender or with the concept of gender at all. The ‘Different term’ (please specify) option should provide a write-in field and be stored as a separate data field.​

​Responses to a gender question may reflect a combination of gender identity, expression and/or experience. In statistical collections, gender may be reported in terms of a person's felt or lived gender, as well as how that person is perceived by others, depending on whether information on gender is based on self-reported data or done by proxy.

ABS 1200.0.55.012 - Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020

​More information
Refer to the ABS standard below for information, including how to:​

• phrase questions asking a person to report their gender,​

• guidance on the output categories to use when sharing data (e.g. ‘Different term’ responses may be coded as ‘Non-binary’)​

• guidance on conceptual issues (e.g. the different concepts within gender - gender identity vs gender expression)

2022.03
First version published

Number NNNN (with coding map)- Maximum length 4

Country of birth is built on the ABS’s Standard Australian Classification of Countries 2016 (SACC).​

​The SACC is a hierarchical structure specifying major groups, minor groups, and countries.​ This allows for easy aggregation of countries into common groupings.

​It uses a four-digit numbering scheme for countries. For example, Australia’s code is ‘1101’ and New Zealand’s is ‘1201’:​

​1 OCEANIA AND ANTARCTICA​

     11 Australia (includes External Territories)​

          1101 Australia​

          1102 Norfolk Island​

​Visit our GitHub page for a full list of permitted values

The Country of Birth standard codifies the concept, definitions, and methods recommended by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for collecting, processing and presenting country of birth data. ​

​Country of Birth may be used with a range of other variables to understand the cultural and ethnic composition of the population. 

ABS 1200.0.55.004 - Country of Birth Standard, 2016​

​ABS 1269.0 - Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016

More information
Refer to the ABS standard for additional information, including how to:​

• handling of countries that no longer exist (e.g. the USSR),​

• phrase questions asking a person for their, or their parents, country of birth, and​

• the order in which countries should be listed for form-based data collection (e.g. weighted by statistical frequency in Australia)

2022.03
First version published

Integer (with coding map) – maximum length 1

Preferred code

Definition

1

Aboriginal but not Torres Strait Islander Origin 

4

Neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander Origin

9

Not stated/Inadequately defined 

There are three components to the Commonwealth definition of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander: descent, self-identification, and community acceptance. In practice, it is not feasible to collect information on community acceptance in general purpose data collections. Therefore, standard questions on Aboriginal status relate to descent and self-identification only.​

​Terminology​
The term Aboriginal people is used in preference to "Indigenous" or "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander" people, in recognition that Aboriginal peoples are the original inhabitants of Western Australia.​

​The accepted term for this variable is Aboriginal Status. Abbreviated forms of 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander' and ‘Torres Strait Islander’ (e.g. ATSI) should not be used.

AIHW METeOR 291036 - Person - Indigenous status, code N, 2014​

​ABS 1200.0.55.008 - Indigenous Status Standard, 2014, Version 1.5

2022.03
First version published

Number NNNN (with coding map)- Maximum length 4

Language-based data fields should use the Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL) 2016.

​The ASCL is a hierarchical structure of languages organised into broad groupings. This allows for easy aggregation of languages into commonly understood groupings. ​

​It uses a four-digit numbering scheme for languages. For example, the code for ‘Gaelic (Scotland)’ is ‘1101’​

​1 Northern European Languages​
     11 Celtic​
          1101 Gaelic (Scotland)

Visit our GitHub page for a full list of permitted values

Languages may be collected for a variety of reasons, including:​

• ​Preferred language: To indicate the language most preferred by the person for communication for translation/interpretation.​

• Main language other than English spoken at home: As one indicator of diversity

​All world languages are in scope of the classification and languages with significant numbers of speakers in Australia are separately identified within the classification structure.​

​Special attention has been given to separately identifying Australian Aboriginal languages. Languages which are not separately identified are included in the most appropriate residual category of the classification.

This standard is intended as a guide for collecting and sharing data on languages. In some cases, more detailed information not captured in the standard may need to be collected - for example, information about dialects for providing interpreters.

The ASCL standard has coding indexes available to help with linking dialects to the relevant language in the ASCL when sharing or reporting on more detailed data.

AIHW METeOR 659407 - Person—preferred language, code (ASCL 2016) N[NNN], 2018​

​ABS 1267.0 - Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 2016

2022.03
First version published

Number NNNN (with coding map)- Maximum length 4

Ancestry data should be collected according to the Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) has a three level hierarchical structure that consists of broad groups, narrow groups, and cultural and ethnic groups ​

​Example:​

​Broad group, 1 Oceanian
     Narrow group, 1 Australian Peoples ​
          Cultural and ethnic group, 1101 Australian 

​Visit our GitHub page for a full list of permitted values

The ancestry variable can be used in conjunction with other key cultural and language-related variables to understand ethnicity or culture.  Ancestry in the Australian context is complex as there are many Australians with a heritage that does not, in practice, relate to their current ethnic identity.​

​Ancestry data alone, therefore, is not considered a good measure of service needs or advantage or disadvantage. When ancestry data is used alone, it should only be done to represent a broad measure of cultural diversity.

The ASCL standard linked below has coding indexes available to help with mapping responses not included in the standard.

ABS 1200.0.55.009 - Ancestry Standard, 2014, Version 2.1​

​ABS 1249.0 - Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG), 2019

More information
Refer to the ABS standard for additional information, including how to:​

• a list of other key cultural and language-related variables to use alongside ancestry data and​

• discussion of conceptual issues.

2022.03
First version published

Date YYYY-MM-DD​
Dates should be stored using the native ‘date’ data type of the data store.​

​Date and time with time zone
Dates with times should be stored using the native ‘datetime’ data type of the data store. Time zone information should always be included.​

​If a field is capturing uncertain dates and times​
A text data field should be used to store estimated date and/or time. Further guidance regarding the standards for storing dates with uncertainty can be found in the Estimating dates and dates of birth guidance section.

Format

Value ranges

Year 

YYYY, four-digit, may be abbreviated to two-digit

Month

MM, 01 to 12

Day 

D, day of the week, 1 to 7

Hour 

hh, 00 to 23, 24:00:00 as the end time

Minute 

mm, 00 to 59

Second 

ss, 00 to 59

Time zone

Dates and times may be recorded for a wide range of events. For example, someone staying in hospital would have an event date and time recorded both for when they are admitted to hospital, and when they are discharged.​

This standard focuses on ensuring there is consistent storage of date and time data. How they are represented by systems using the data depends on the business requirements of individual systems. e.g. A system may need to only display a date as“13 January, 2022 3:00PM” based on a date stored using the ISO standard.

​For guidance on recording the uncertainty or accuracy of dates, refer to the Estimating dates and dates of birth Guidance (above).

ISO 8601 – Effectively Communicate Dates and Times Internationally

2022.03
First version published

Date e.g. DDMMYYYY

Dates should be stored using the native ‘Date’ data type of databases.​

​If a field is collecting estimated dates of birth
A text data field with a maximum length of 8 should be used to store estimated date. In this case, dates should be stored as text in the format ‘DDMMYYYY’. 

The date of birth should be used rather than age because the date of birth allows a more precise calculation of age.

AIHW METeOR 287007 - Person—date of birth, DDMMYYYY, 2005

More information
Refer to the AIHW standard for additional information, including how to:​

• phrase questions asking people for their date of birth,​

• handle collection of estimated dates of birth, and​

• the collection and coding of data for children under 2 years​

2022.03
First version published

Integer (with coding map) – maximum length 1

Preferred code

Label

1

Estimated

2

Not estimated

9

Not stated/inadequately described

This data element may be reported in conjunction with a date when any component of the date represents an estimate rather than the actual or known date.​

​For example​

• Estimated dates of birth may only be accurate to a given year.​

• The date an event or incident occurred may only be accurate to a period covering several days.​

AIHW METeOR 742390 - Date—estimate indicator, code N, 2021

2022.03
First version published

Text - Maximum length 16

Australian telephone numbers are usually 6 to 10 digits in length.​

​The format and length of a telephone number is dependent on the attribute(s) of the device and how the device connects to the telephone network.

Telephone numbers should be stored as text, but rules can be set up to display the number in a different format, e.g. 0400 000 000​

​For simplicity the standard has not separately recorded the fact that an attribute of a device may imply that it needs to use a mobile phone network, landline or other type of telephone network.​

​Use of country codes
When a telephone number is used in conjunction with a country code the leading 0 at the start of the telephone is to be removed e.g. 0453176731 becomes 61 453176731 or 08 999 66 999 becomes 61 8 999 66 999.

Use of alphabetical characters in place of numbers
The standard allows for letters of the alphabet to replace numbers (e.g. ABC = 2, DEF = 3). Where systems need to accommodate this form, systems should translate the letters to numbers at the time of input.​

AIHW METeOR 452682 - Address—telephone number, text X[X(15)], 2012

2022.03
First version published

Text - Maximum length 1

Preferred code

Label

B

Business or work

N

Contact number (not own)

T

Temporary

Where more than one telephone number has been recorded, each telephone number should have a telephone number type code recorded alongside it.​

AIHW METeOR 270299 - Person (telephone)—telephone number type, code A

2022.03
First version published

String – maximum length 20

Individual agencies may use their own alphabetic, numeric or alphanumeric coding systems to create unique identifiers,​

​Person identifiers should follow these guiding principles:​

• ​unique to that person (for example – once assigned, they cannot be retired and re-used for another person or entity)​

• remain stable over time (for example – a person id assigned as a child remains with that person over their lifetime regardless of changes to their names, gender, relationship status, etc.)​

• used consistently to identify the person throughout an agency’s data assets​

​This is not a technical standard and does not cover the complexities necessary for implementation of identifiers. Further guidance should be sought on a case-by-case basis.

AIHW METeOR 290046 - Person—person identifier, XXXXXX[X(14)], 2005

2022.03
First version published