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Retrieve data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Data API

Source: R/get_abs_data.R
get_abs_data.Rd

Downloads data from the ABS Data API (SDMX RESTful web service) for specified dataflows at SA1 or CED geographic levels. This provides access to SEIFA indices, Census data, and other ABS datasets without downloading large DataPack files.

Usage

get_abs_data(
  dataflow,
  filter = NULL,
  start_period = NULL,
  end_period = NULL,
  cache = TRUE
)

Arguments

dataflow

Character. The dataflow identifier to query. Common options include:

  • "ABS_SEIFA2021_SA1": SEIFA 2021 indices at SA1 level

  • "ABS_SEIFA2016_SA1": SEIFA 2016 indices at SA1 level

  • "C21_G01_CED": Census 2021 G01 (Selected person characteristics) at CED level

  • "C21_G02_CED": Census 2021 G02 (Medians and averages) at CED level

  • "ABS_CENSUS2011_B01_SA1_SA": Census 2011 B01 at SA1 level (SA only)

Use list_abs_dataflows to see all available dataflows.

filter

Character or NULL. Optional SDMX filter expression to subset the data. Use "all" or NULL for all data. Filter format depends on the dataflow structure - see ABS Data API documentation for details.

start_period

Character or NULL. Start period for time series data (e.g., "2021").

end_period

Character or NULL. End period for time series data (e.g., "2021").

cache

Logical. If TRUE (default), caches the downloaded data for the session, making subsequent identical requests instant. Set to FALSE to always download fresh data.

Value

A data frame containing the requested data with columns for each dimension and the observation values.

Details

This function queries the ABS Data API at https://data.api.abs.gov.au/rest/. The API uses the SDMX (Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange) standard, and data is parsed using the readsdmx package.

Key points:

  • SA1 and CED level data is available for select datasets (SEIFA, some Census tables)

  • Not all Census tables are available via API - for full Census coverage at SA1 level, use get_census_data which downloads from DataPacks

  • Large queries (e.g., SEIFA at SA1 level) may take time on first request; caching makes subsequent requests instant

Use clear_cache to remove cached data when needed.

Available SA1 Dataflows

  • SEIFA 2021 and 2016 indices

  • Census 2011 Basic Community Profile tables (SA only)

Available CED Dataflows

  • Census 2021 General Community Profile tables (G01-G62)

See also

list_abs_dataflows to discover available dataflows, get_census_data for full Census DataPack access, get_boundary_data for boundary correspondence files, clear_cache to remove cached data

Examples

if (FALSE) { # \dontrun{
# Get SEIFA 2021 data for all SA1s
seifa <- get_abs_data("ABS_SEIFA2021_SA1")

# Get Census 2021 G01 data for all CEDs
g01_ced <- get_abs_data("C21_G01_CED")

# Get data with time period filter
seifa_2021 <- get_abs_data("ABS_SEIFA2021_SA1",
                           start_period = "2021",
                           end_period = "2021")

# Second call uses cache - instant!
seifa_2021_again <- get_abs_data("ABS_SEIFA2021_SA1",
                                  start_period = "2021",
                                  end_period = "2021")
} # }