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How to access tools in .id's Local Government Suite

Find data for your local area in the .id Local Government suite

The .id (Informed Decisions) Local Government suite is a set of free, public-facing tools that provide demographic, economic, social and forecasting data for local areas across Australia. Councils and similar organisations subscribe to .id products, making these tools available as a shared evidence base – supporting decision-making for councils, community organisations, businesses, researchers and members of the public.

This article explains how to find .id tools for your local area, and what's available in the suite.

Common ways to find your area's tools

You can reach .id tools through several paths:

  • Search on .id Places. Visit .id's website to search for your area by council, suburb or postcode.
  • From your council's website. Many councils link to their .id tools directly from their own websites.
  • From a Google search. Searching Google for your area name with terms like 'population', 'demographics' or 'forecast' often lands you on the relevant .id page.
  • Via a bookmark or shared link. If you've used the tools before, or someone's sent you a link, that's a direct way in.

What's in the suite

Each .id tool covers a different topic. Depending on which products your council subscribes to, you may have access to one or more of these tools for your area:

  • Community Profile – deep demographic insights.
  • Social Atlas – maps of social and demographic indicators.
  • Population Forecast – forecast of population and housing.
  • Economic Profile – local economic profile and impact modelling tools.
  • Housing Monitor – housing trends, affordability and market data.
  • Community Views – local values, experiences and priorities.

When you interact with the tools, you'll be asked to sign up for an .id account – or log in if you already have one. Sign-up is free. To learn how, see 'How to sign up for an account to access the Local Government suite'. Community Views uses its own sign-in approach.

Not every LGA is covered by every tool

Councils decide which tools are relevant to their needs and that of their communities. As such, not every tool is availalbe for every LGA.

Some sites are not public

The default approach is to make every site open to the public. However, sometimes a council will deem it necessary to make one or more of their .id sites only accessible to internal staff. In these cases, the sites are can still be seen online, but viewing their content requires authorisation.

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