Pre-Release Report

Disclaimer

Geoscape Australia believes this publication to be correct at the time of printing and does not accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of the information herein. Readers should rely on their own skill and judgement to apply information to particular issues.

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission of Geoscape Australia.

Overview

Release Date

The August 2026 release of Geoscape datasets is scheduled to be published on:

Monday, 17 August 2026

Summary of Product Changes

Data Model Changes	Changes to the structure of the dataset – such as new tables, changed fields, different dependencies etc.
Domain Values/Field Definition Changes	Changes to the domain or field definitions within the dataset.
Significant Production Changes	Processing changes or issues that will impact on the use or release of the dataset.

	Data Model Changes	Domain Values/Field Definition Changes	Significant Production Changes
Cadastre	-	Yes	-
Property	-	-	-
G-NAF	-	-	-
ABS Boundaries	Yes	-	Yes
Postcode Boundaries	-	-	-
Localities	-	-	-
Local Government Areas	-	-	-
Wards	-	-	-
State Boundaries	-	-	-
Electoral Boundaries	-	-	-

Product Change Details

Note

The information below is current at the time this report was published. There is a possibility the final release may contain additional changes. These will be described in the associated release report.

Queensland Cadastre Enhancements

This release includes a significant refresh of Queensland cadastre data through the adoption of the Queensland Spatial Cadastral Fabric (QSCF), following updates to the source dataset provided by the Queensland Government. These enhancements improve the representation of strata developments and parcel attribution, delivering greater alignment across the National Cadastre product.

Key improvements include:

• Addition of strata_type information, along with vertical and horizontal strata counts where available, providing richer insight into complex property developments.

• Improved parcel attribution through the inclusion of contributor identifiers supplied by the source authority. We are utilising the contributor-provided ‘UNIQUEID’ field for the contributor_id in Cadastre for QLD where previously a null value was assigned.

• Expanded lot and plan information for road parcels where this information is available from the source data.

• Updated property-to-parcel relationships to align with the revised source cadastre structure.

Other changes include:

• Common property parcels now have ‘CP’ lot values. In the old QLD cadastre representation, these common property parcels had lot values of ‘0’.

• QLD has introduced new base Lot parcels at Strata sites with ‘BUP’ plans. These parcels cover the extent of the plan and have ‘0’ lot values. This means that Geoscape no longer needs to create source = ‘Geoscape Australia’ parcels at these sites to act as the base Lot parcel.

• ~5,000 parcels that were previously defined as parcel_type = ‘Lot’ parcels are now defined as ‘Strata’ parcels by Queensland Government. These parcels are associated with a Community Management Statement (CMS). Geoscape has confirmed this change is valid with Queensland Government.

These changes provide customers with a more accurate and complete view of Queensland cadastral information while increasing consistency within the product.

ABS Boundaries 2026

For the August 2026 release cycle, we’re pleased to introduce a new version of ABS Boundaries - Geoscape ABS Boundaries 2026.

The release aligns with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ new ASGS Edition 4 (July 2026 to June 2031), which has been designed to support the publication and analysis of the 2026 Census data and other official statistics over the next five years. ASGS Edition 4 reflects changes in Australia’s population, economy and infrastructure, ensuring statistical boundaries remain relevant and fit for purpose.

The release will include key ASGS structures, including:

• Mesh Blocks (MB)

• Statistical Areas Level 1 (SA1)

• Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2)

• Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3)

• Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4)

• Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA)

Data Models

File Structure

The ABS Boundaries 2026 data will follow updated file structure and versioning.

The updated version numbering format: MAJOR-MINOR-EXTRACT (e.g. 002-000-001). This approach provides a clear and consistent structure, making it easier for users to identify product versions and understand update levels. The change is intended to improve transparency, reduce ambiguity, and support more efficient integration and usage of our data products.

The updated folder structure of product packages will no longer contain a contents.txt file nor any internal folders. The .ZIP file packages now only contain data files. We have applied this change to simplify accessing the data.

Available Formats

The ABS Boundaries 2026 data will be available in:

• File Geodatabase (GDB)

• GeoJSON

• ESRI Shapefile (SHP)

• MapInfo TAB (TAB)

• Geopackage (GPKG)

Updates

Product updates will be released as subsequent layers, such as Indigenous, Urban Centre and Localities/Section of State, Significant Urban Area and Remoteness Area structures when they become available.

Mesh Block 2026 inclusion in G-NAF

The August 2026 release of G-NAF will include additional Mesh Block tables in line with the release of the new ASGS data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The new tables will be:

• mb_2026

• address_mesh_block_2026

Data Models

QLD Cadastre and Property updates in G-NAF

Due to supplier-side changes to the delivery and processing of source datasets, updated Queensland Cadastre and Property data were not available for inclusion in the August G-NAF release. As a result, the Cadastre and Property data used in this release remains unchanged from the previous release for QLD.

Geoscape is working closely with the supplier to resolve these issues and to restore the normal update cycle. We will provide further information in future release communications as updates become available.