The Australian National Diabetes Audit is a well-established, important annual, quality activity led by the National Association of Diabetes Centres (NADC) in specialist diabetes centres across Australia, in all States and Territories. It comprises an alternating audit of clinical indicators (Australian Quality Clinical Audit) and self-management indicators (Australian Quality Self-Management Audit). The primary aim of the clinical data collection is to assess a standardised set of predefined clinical parameters including demographic and biological variables, and clinical outcomes. The primary aim of the self-management data collection is to assess a standardised set of predefined patient self management parameters including lifestyle factors, education and quality of life outcomes as well as health professional utilisation. Participating specialist diabetes services (diabetes centres and endocrinologists in private practice), receive an individualised report of their diabetes practice processes and patient outcome data in comparison with their peers. In addition, the pooled national report provides an important source of cross-sectional data on the clinical status and outcomes of individuals attending specialist diabetes services across the country. Importantly, participation seeks to enable specialist diabetes services to benchmark their practice processes and clinical outcome data, to identify deficits in patient self care and understanding that will assist them in formulating education practises to improve diabetes self-management, and to explore/describe differences in patient self care and understanding between specialist diabetes centres, that assist them to develop and implement strategies to target areas of need or deficit, in order to improve diabetes care.