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Public Administration and Safety: ABS business counts by industry class

ANZSIC division O.

Actively trading businesses in Public Administration and Safety (ANZSIC division O) across Australia, June 2025
7,780 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8, June 2025.
Actively trading non-employing businesses in Public Administration and Safety (ANZSIC division O) across Australia, June 2025
4,238 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8, June 2025.
Actively trading businesses in Public Administration and Safety (ANZSIC division O) with 1 to 4 employees across Australia, June 2025
2,056 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8, June 2025.

About these figures

  • These ABS figures count actively trading businesses, not workers, sites or venues, each in its main state or territory.
  • Each state's figure adds up the ABS counts for the small areas in it. The ABS adjusts those counts slightly to protect confidentiality, so the sums are approximate.

Summary of the ABS division definition

The Public Administration and Safety Division includes businesses mainly engaged in Central, State or Local Government legislative, executive and judicial activities; in providing physical, social, economic and general public safety and security services; and in enforcing regulations.

The ABS page for division O gives the full definition.

By employment size

Public Administration and Safety businesses across Australia by employment size
BusinessesCount
All businesses7,780 businesses
Non-employing4,238 businesses
1 to 4 employees2,056 businesses
5 to 19 employees895 businesses
20 to 199 employees536 businesses
200 or more employees55 businesses

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

By main state or territory

Public Administration and Safety businesses by main state or territory
BusinessesCount
New South Wales2,865 businesses
Victoria2,215 businesses
Queensland1,271 businesses
Western Australia664 businesses
South Australia388 businesses
Tasmania117 businesses
Australian Capital Territory146 businesses
Northern Territory76 businesses

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8, June 2025. Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Public Order, Safety and Regulatory Services

Sources

  1. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx). Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 16 December 2025, checked 15 October 2026.

  2. Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv). Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.

  3. Greater Capital City Statistical Areas digital boundary file, 2026 (GCCSA_2026_AUST_SHP_GDA2020.zip). Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 22 July 2026, checked 15 October 2026.

  4. Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0): the detailed classification. Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Released 26 June 2013, checked 16 October 2026.

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