This article provides an overview of a survey of Indigenous Australians, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS), and describes the key measures of family and community in the survey. The authors describe and evaluate a selection of key measures of family and community used in the 2002 NATSISS, and then examine in greater depth the utility of two of these measures, namely child care use and the incidence of 'stolen generations'. They also suggests aspects of family and community life that may be valuable additions to future social surveys of the Indigenous population and provide suggestions for improvements to the NATISS.