FAQs

The AIHW coordinates data collected from various agencies and departments and creates a range of datasets from the information that is collected. The information is held at the AIHW in the National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse (NACDC), a central and independent repository of national aged care data.

GEN is listed in the Macquarie and Australian Oxford dictionaries as meaning general or necessary information on a topic. It’s believed to be a shortened form of ‘general information’ and originally used in World War II.

The website is called GEN because it provides general and necessary information to help people understand Australia’s aged care system.

All of the data visualisations on the GEN aged care data website have been created using a program called Tableau. You can interact with filters on these visualisations to see the specific data you are interested in.

To view and download the underlying data from the visualisations:

1. Click in the graph area or around the map. If you only want to download data for a specific filter in a graph or an area in a map, click only on that item.
2. Select the ‘Download’ option at the bottom right
3. Select ‘Data’. If the ‘Data’ option is greyed out, make sure that you have clicked in the area of the graph or map, not just on a filter at the side.

A new window will open which shows the data represented in that view of the visualisation. The ‘summary’ tab and the ‘full data’ tab at the top left offer you different levels of detail.

To download the data from the new window, click on ‘Download all rows as a text file’ on the top left. Once the download is complete, open that file. The excel document will be in CSV format, and from there you can save as other formats such as Excel format (XLS and XLSX).

The graphs, maps and figures used on the website have been developed in a program called Tableau. You can interact with these to see the specific data you are interested in. Hover your mouse over the graph, map or figure to display the Tooltip—your curser will change to a hand selector. The Tooltip displays the underlying data.

You can also download the underlying data from the Tableau visualisations into an excel file. Click on the graph you are interested in, select the 'Download' option at the bottom right of the graph, then select 'Data'. This data will open in a new window.

Some Tableau visualisations have a legend where one element can be selected to highlight. To do this, hover your mouse over the legend and a small selector icon will appear (it looks like a highlighter). Click on this icon and then click on the specific element you are interested in.

Some graphs, maps or figures allow the data to be filtered. Filters are displayed either as a button or a drop down list. In either option, select the data you’re interested in to see it displayed.

If you want to clear your selections and return the graph, map or figure to its original appearance, click on the 'revert' button at the bottom.

When you position your cursor over a Tableau map, a toolbar will appear on the left. The + and – buttons provide zoom in and out. Clicking on the arrow pointing to the right allows you to choose to zoom, pan, or select areas of the map. Click on the home button to return to the map’s default view.

Please note that Tableau is not compatible with versions of Internet Explorer below version 11.

For more information or to submit a customised data request, please use the custom data request link.

Please contact us if you need information from the website presented in an alternative format for accessibility reasons.

Data files on GEN are available in several formats, for example Excel and comma separated value (CSV) datasets. These are available in the Access Data section of GEN.

To download a data set from a Tableau graph, click on the graph you are interested in, select the 'Download' option at the bottom right of the graph, then select 'Data'. This data will open in a new window.

To open datasets in Tableau please download Tableau Public from their website.

Many recent versions of operating systems including Windows, Mac OS, and Android come pre-installed with software to extract .zip files.

Older operating systems may require software which you can download for free online.

Tableau is a data visualisation tool that allows users to visually explore data. A free version—Tableau Desktop Public Edition—can be downloaded from the Tableau Public website.

If you need help using our interactive visualisations (maps, graphs and figures), or help downloading data, you can contact the AIHW National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse.

The National Aged Care Data Clearinghouse (NACDC), maintained by the AIHW, brings together client, assessment and service information from different sources:

1. The Department of Health provides information on services, providers, places and people, as well as details on the aged care system
2. The Aged Care Assessment Program (ACAP) Minimum Data Set captures assessments conducted by Aged Care Assessment Teams at the time people begin using the services
3. The Department of Human Services provides information on payments and related details
4. The Commonwealth Home and Community Care Program Minimum Data Set collects data about people using the program and the help they receive 
5. The Australian Bureau of Statistics supplies statistical and reference data relating to population and locations.

The information on GEN is free to download, but must be used in accordance with our data use policy. Most information released by AIHW is made available under a Creative Commons BY 3.0 licence.

For more information, see: www.aihw.gov.au/copyright/

Customised data requests are generally free. However in rare situations, such as exceptionally large or complex requests, charges may apply. If this is the case, we will let you know before proceeding.

No, it’s not. The AIHW operates under a strict privacy regime which has its basis in section 29 of The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987. Our record of protecting the security of the data we hold on the health and welfare of Australians is exemplary. The Institute's Board closely monitors performance regarding maintenance of the privacy of its data.

We operate in an environment of increasing expectations about the protection of personal information and other data. Safeguarding the privacy of all individuals and groups about whom we collect data, or who provide data to us, is a core value of the AIHW and its staff.

For more information, see Privacy of data at the AIHW.

Tableau allows you the freedom to view and manipulate a selection of data; however, if you would like to do your own analysis there is a range of extra data available through GEN in the Access Data section.

If you require data not currently available through GEN, please submit a data request and we will contact you.

Generally, yes, because most information released by AIHW is made available under a Creative Commons BY 3.0 licence.

For more information, see: www.aihw.gov.au/copyright/

In some cases, you may be advised that the information will be released under a more restrictive licence, with conditions such as not being permitted to:

• share, copy, distribute, publish or transmit the material unless the AIHW has expressly agreed that you can do this
• commercialise or use the material for commercial purposes unless the AIHW has agreed that you can do this
• infringe the AIHW’s moral rights and intellectual property in the material.

For sensitive data, usually the subject of a customised data request, you may also be required to submit an application to the AIHW Ethics Committee, and/or sign a confidentiality undertaking. We will discuss this with you if appropriate.

The datasets created by GEN are confidentialised unit record files (CURFs). A CURF is a dataset that includes information about people and aged care services in Australia at an individual level, but with identifying information removed.

This allows users of data to access individual level data without being able to identify the individuals involved. In some cases, data may be suppressed or masked to protect the privacy of the people or service providers, ensuring that confidentiality is preserved. If you have further questions about how such data is kept confidential, please contact us here.

If you’re referencing it in text: AIHW 2021.

If you’re providing the full reference: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2021. GEN. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed [day/month/year], <http://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au>.

All AIHW publications are available as free PDF downloads. Most AIHW publications can also be ordered through a print on demand service (available on each report's web page). Report pages can be accessed through the AIHW's aged care publications and older people publications. Charges apply to this service.

You can print pages on GEN by pressing Ctrl and P on your keyboard, at the same time, or by heading to File at the top of your browser and selecting print. Please be aware that the visualisations in Tableau do not print correctly with this method.

To print a Tableau visualisation, select ‘Download’ on the menu below the visualisation and choose to download as an image or PDF. The visualisation prints in the same way that it is presented on the screen, with your selected filters.