Let’s talk about counting our mob: The identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in official statistics.

We need to talk about data. More specifically, we, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, need to talk about our data.

When population level data is collected for the purposes of official statistics reporting, the identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people requires discussion. For clarity, population-level data in official statistics includes data compiled for state/territory and national reporting. I am talking about the data collected through the census, through registrations of birth and deaths, administration and services and through population-level surveys.