3302.0 - Deaths, Australia, 2011 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/11/2012   
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ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER DEATHS



There were 2,558 deaths registered in Australia in 2011 where the deceased person was recorded as being an Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or both (see table 1.7). For detailed data, see data cube Table 16: Deaths, Indigenous status, Selected states and territories - 1991 to 2011.

1.7 DEATHS, Indigenous status - 2011

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Non-Indigenous
Not stated
Total
State or territory
no.
%
no.
%
no.
%
no.

NSW
726
1.4
49 642
98.0
293
0.6
50 661
Vic.
128
0.4
36 417
99.6
7
-
36 552
Qld
629
2.3
26 451
96.5
334
1.2
27 414
SA
141
1.1
12 492
98.6
32
0.3
12 665
WA
454
3.6
12 152
95.5
118
0.9
12 724
Tas.
30
0.7
4 215
99.3
-
-
4 245
NT
437
45.3
526
54.6
np
np
964
ACT
12
0.7
1 679
98.8
9
0.5
1 700
Aust.(a)
2 558
1.7
143 580
97.7
794
0.5
146 932

- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
(a) Includes Other Territories.



Deaths by Year of registration and Year of occurrence

The following table presents deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders by year of registration and year of occurrence separately for those deaths registered up to and including 31 December 2011. While the interval between the occurrence and registration of deaths is often longer among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians than among the non-Indigenous population, there is normally little difference between the number of deaths registered in a given year and the number of deaths that occurred in the same year for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. This is because for each year, the number of deaths that are not registered in the year that they occur are compensated by deaths that occurred in the previous years but were subsequently registered. The table below illustrates that if data are routinely reported on a year of occurrence basis, deaths data for the latest year (and the year prior to the latest year) will be underestimated.

1.8 ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER DEATHS(a), States and territories(b)(c) - 1995 to 2011

NSW
Vic.
Qld(d)
SA
WA(e)
Tas.
NT
ACT
Aust.(e)(f)

YEAR OF REGISTRATION

1995
224
50
np
121
384
np
387
9
1 182
1996
177
49
258
118
370
np
328
np
1 306
1997
88
93
531
132
351
5
458
4
1 662
1998
462
123
593
127
378
13
415
3
2 114
1999
435
130
529
116
350
11
399
6
1 976
2000
473
108
535
144
407
np
450
np
2 127
2001
481
93
565
125
345
np
429
np
2 072
2002
516
64
590
107
371
20
462
4
2 136
2003
485
82
569
137
338
23
435
9
2 079
2004
490
54
579
131
400
20
449
10
2 136
2005
507
71
519
142
406
28
454
11
2 141
2006
530
111
584
124
443
20
452
14
2 279
2007
601
95
594
138
449
24
461
6
2 368
2008
559
97
562
141
486
24
467
16
2 353
2009
591
106
632
160
416
30
431
10
2 377
2010
622
117
948
147
436
37
447
13
2 767
2011
726
128
629
141
454
30
437
12
2 558

YEAR OF OCCURRENCE(g)

1995
234
49
np
117
371
np
370
10
1 180
1996
166
67
350
122
351
np
383
np
1 444
1997
98
106
567
137
382
5
408
3
1 706
1998
465
108
595
129
389
13
414
3
2 116
1999
433
105
540
117
347
12
438
7
1 999
2000
480
115
619
140
384
np
428
np
2 177
2001
487
81
581
122
368
np
430
np
2 100
2002
508
64
613
108
384
22
470
5
2 176
2003
494
83
594
144
323
22
418
12
2 092
2004
481
55
631
134
391
19
437
7
2 157
2005
507
81
541
140
416
32
493
12
2 225
2006
529
117
588
123
460
16
453
12
2 299
2007
599
94
583
139
460
25
461
8
2 369
2008
559
96
553
143
471
23
486
14
2 346
2009
595
109
624
146
400
33
435
12
2 355
2010
639
131
620
149
416
35
425
12
2 428
2011
679
89
578
132
380
29
340
11
2 238

np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable, unless otherwise indicated
(a) From 2007 onwards, Indigenous status for deaths registered in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory is sourced from both the Death Registration Form and Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.
(b) State or territory of usual residence.
(c) Due to differing levels of recording Indigenous status by the states and territories and over time, care should be taken in interpreting change in numbers of deaths. As a result, data for Australia should not be analysed as a time series.  
(d) Queensland began to register Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths as such in 1996. Care should be taken when interpreting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths data for Queensland for 2010. See Technical Note: Queensland Retrospective Deaths Project, and paragraph 36 of the Explanatory Notes of Deaths, Australia, 2010 (cat. no. 3302.0).  
(e) ABS has finalised investigations into the volatility of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander deaths in Western Australia in the years 2007 to 2009. As a result relevant details for Western Australia and, as a consequence Australia, have been revised on both year of registration and year of occurrence basis.
(f) Includes Other Territories.
(g) Includes deaths registered up to and including 31 December 2011. The number of deaths presented on a year of occurrence basis are subject to change, as deaths that occurred prior to 31 December 2011 but have not yet been registered are registered in subsequent years. See paragraphs 26 and 27 of the Explanatory Notes for more information.



Median age

Median ages at death data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are only included in this publication for New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory are excluded due to small numbers of registered deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

In 2011, the median age at death of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians varied across the selected states and territories. New South Wales had the highest median age at death (58.5 years for males and 66.2 years for females) and South Australia had the lowest (50.3 years for both males and females.) For detailed data, see data cube Table 17: Median age at death, Indigenous status, Selected states and territories - 1991 to 2011.


Age-specific death rates

Age-specific death rates (ASDRs) for 2007-2011 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian males and females, in all age groups, were higher than rates for non-Indigenous males and females.

For New South Wales and Queensland the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian rates were more than twice the rates for non-Indigenous Australians in the 25 to 64 years age group. For both males and females, the largest difference was for those aged 35-44 years, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian ASDRs were three or more times higher than those recorded for non-Indigenous males and females.

For South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, ASDRs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in some age groups were five or more times higher than those for non-Indigenous Australians. The largest differences occurred among males aged 35-44 years and females aged 25 to 44 years. For detailed data, see data cube Table 19: Age-specific death rates, Indigenous status, Selected states and territories - 2007-2011.


Infant mortality rates

In 2009-2011, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory recorded a combined infant mortality rate (IMR) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians that was around twice the rate for non-Indigenous Australians (7.2 and 3.9 per 1,000 live births respectively). In the Northern Territory IMRs for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population fell, from 13.6 deaths in 2006-2008 to 13.0 deaths in 2009-2011. IMRs in the Northern Territory were the highest of all states and territories across the 2006-2008 to 2009-2011 period. Other states had lower IMRs for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, but rates fluctuated due to the small and variable number of registered infant deaths in these jurisdictions during the period. For detailed data, see data cube Table 18: Infant mortality rates, Indigenous status, Selected states and territories - 1991 to 2011.