The sexual health data for New South Wales, Central Sydney, and inner-eastern Sydney, reported in this issue of the NSW Public Health Bulletin, are part of a larger survey of sexual health behaviours and attitudes of Australians. This national survey involved telephone interviews with 19 307 people aged 16–59 years from all Australian states and territories. With a 73.1 per cent response rate, and statistical weighting of the data to reflect the location, age, and sex distribution of the 2001 Census, the sample is broadly representative of the Australian population.