Microdata: Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset, 2006-2011

The Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) brings together a 5% sample from the 2006 Census with records from the 2011 Census to create a research tool for exploring how Australian society is changing over time. In taking a longitudinal view of Australians, the ACLD may uncover new insights into the dynamics and transitions that drive social and economic change over time, conveying how these vary for diverse population groups and geographies. It is envisaged that the 2016 and successive Censuses will be added in the future, as well as administrative data sets. The ACLD is released in ABS TableBuilder and as a microdata product in the ABS Data Laboratory.

The Census of Population and Housing is conducted every five years and aims to measure accurately the number of people and dwellings in Australia on Census Night.

Microdata products are the most detailed information available from a Census or survey and are generally the responses to individual questions on the questionnaire. They also include derived data from answers to two or more questions and are released with the approval of the Australian Statistician. The following microdata products are available for this longitudinal dataset: •ACLD in TableBuilder - an online tool for creating tables and graphs. •ACLD in ABS Data Laboratory (ABSDL) - for in-depth analysis using a range of statistical software packages.