The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

Transcription

1 The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 2008 Brian Pink Australian Statistician Australian Bureau of Statistics Penny Allbon Director Australian Institute of Health and Welfare AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND WELFARE EMBARGO: 11.30AM (CANBERRA TIME) TUE 29 APR 2008

2 ABS Catalogue No AIHW Catalogue No. IHW 21 ISSN Commonwealth of Australia 2008 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights in this publication should be addressed to The Manager, Intermediary Management, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Locked Bag 10, Belconnen ACT 2616, by telephone (02) , fax (02) , or In all cases the ABS and AIHW must be acknowledged as the source when reproducing or quoting any part of this publication. Produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. INQUIRIES For further information about ABS statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on or the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics on Canberra (02) For further information about this publication, contact the Head of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Welfare Unit, AIHW, GPO Box 570, Canberra ACT 2601, Telephone Canberra (02) or visit the Institute's web site <

3 CONTENTS List of tables and graphics Preface Acknowledgements Executive summary page vi xix xx xxi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Aim Data issues Data sources CHAPTER 2: DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT Introduction Demographic characteristics Population characteristics Summary CHAPTER 3: EDUCATION AND HEALTH Introduction School retention Summary Educational attainment Education, employment and income Links between education and health CHAPTER 4: HOUSING CIRCUMSTANCES Introduction Housing tenure Housing assistance Household types and size Housing costs Housing and health Homelessness Summary CHAPTER 5: DISABILITY AND CARERS Introduction Carers Comparison of 2006 Census and 2002 NATSISS disability measures Need for assistance Need for assistance by socioeconomic indicators ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES iii

4 CONTENTS Summary page 73 CHAPTER 6: MOTHERS AND CHILDREN Introduction Summary families and communities mothers Babies and children Healthy child development CHAPTER 7: HEALTH STATUS Introduction Self-assessed health Summary Health conditions and illness Specific causes of ill-health CHAPTER 8: HEALTH RISK FACTORS Introduction Risk factors and socioeconomic status Smoking Alcohol consumption Illicit substance use Overweight/obesity Poor nutrition Physical inactivity Exposure to violence Multiple risk factors Summary CHAPTER 9: MORTALITY Introduction Life expectancy Deaths Years of life lost (YLL) Cause of death Trends in mortality Summary Data quality and availability CHAPTER 10: HEALTH SERVICES PROVISION, ACCESS AND USE Introduction Provision of health services Access to health services Current and future health and welfare/community services workforce iv ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

5 CONTENTS Use of health services Summary page CHAPTER 11: COMMUNITY SERVICES Introduction Child care Child protection Adoption Juvenile justice Disability services Aged care Summary CHAPTER 12: TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES Introduction Health indicators Summary Demographic characteristics Socioeconomic characteristics ABBREVIATIONS 262 APPENDIX 2006 Census questions on Core activity need for assistance and Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability 265 MAIN DATA SOURCES Introduction Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) Survey Census of Population and Housing Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey (CHINS) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) National Hospital Morbidity Data Collection National Mortality Data Collection National Perinatal Data Collection (NPDC) Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) National Data Collection Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Glossary List of references ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES v

6 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT Estimated resident population, by status and state/territory, 2006 (preliminary) (table) Highest year of school completed, by remoteness, persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (table) Labour force status Census and -specific survey data (box) Labour force status, persons aged years, 2001 and 2006 (graph) Labour force status, by status and remoteness, Persons aged years, 2001 and 2006 (table) 2.10 Equivalised income (box) Households requiring an extra bedroom, by household type and Remoteness Areas, 2006 (graph) Imprisonment rates, by status and state/territory, 30 June 2007 (table) Estimated resident population, by status and age, 2006 (preliminary) (figure) Census counts (box) 2.4 Regions, 2006 (map) 2.8 Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) (box) EDUCATION AND HEALTH Apparent school retention rates, by status, Full-time students, (table) Highest year of school completed, persons aged 15 years and over, 2001 and 2006 (table) Completed school to Year 12, by status, Persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (graph) Fully engaged in education and/or work, by status and state/territory, Persons aged years, 2006 (graph) Highest year of school completed, persons aged 18 years and over in full-time employment, 2006 (graph) Labour force status by highest year of school completed and status, Persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (table) Labour force status by non-school qualification and status, Persons aged years, 2006 (table) 3.8 Explaining the links between education and health (box) vi ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

7 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page EDUCATION AND HEALTH continued Selected health characteristics by highest year of school completed, persons aged 18 years and over, (table) Selected socioeconomic indicators, persons aged years with excellent/very good self-assessed health, (table) Selected socioeconomic indicators, persons aged years with low levels of psychological distress, (table) HOUSING CIRCUMSTANCES paid by tenure type, 2006 (graph) 4.10 WAACHS Poor quality housing (box) Tenure type, households and persons in households, 2006 (figure) households and persons by tenure type, 2001 and 2006 (table) households and persons by tenure type and state/territory, 2006 (table) households by tenure type and Remoteness Areas, 2006 (graph) Major housing assistance programs and administrative data collections (box) households or income units in major housing assistance programs, by tenure type and state/territory, 30 June 2006 (table) Dwellings (with households) in major housing assistance programs, by Remoteness Areas, 2006 (table) households, by tenure type and number of persons in household, 2006 (table) households paying rent or mortgages, Weekly amount households and persons living in overcrowded conditions, by tenure type, 2001 and 2006 (table) Overcrowded households, by tenure type and state/territory, 2006 (table) Condition of permanent dwellings in discrete communities, by remoteness, 2006 (table) Types of connection to water, sewerage and electricity in discrete communities, 2006 (table) Permanent dwellings in discrete communities not connected to an organised supply of water, sewerage and/or electricity, 2001 and 2006 (table) Number of homeless persons, by state/territory, 2006 (table) 4.17 SAAP clients, by state/territory, (table) ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES vii

8 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page HOUSING CIRCUMSTANCES continued 4.18 SAAP clients, by status, age and sex, (table) Children accompanying SAAP clients, by status and age, (table) SAAP support periods, main reason for seeking assistance, by status, (table) SAAP support periods, type of tenure before and after SAAP support, by status, (table) SAAP support periods, primary income source immediately before and after SAAP support, by status, (table) Valid unmet requests for SAAP accommodation, 7 13 December, 2005 and May, 2006 (table) DISABILITY AND CARERS Needs assistance and profound/severe core activity limitation, Census Core activity need for assistance (box) Profound/severe core activity limitation, persons aged 15 years and over in private dwellings, 2002 (graph) Needs assistance with core activities, persons aged 15 years and over in private dwellings, 2006 (graph) age-specific rates, and to non- rate ratios, 2006 and 2002 (table) persons who needed assistance with core activities, by sex and age, and to non- rate ratios, 2006 (table) Need for assistance with core activities, by state/territory and remoteness, persons, 2006 (table) Persons who needed assistance with core activities, by status and living arrangements, 2006 (table) Highest year of school completed, by age and whether needs assistance with core activities, persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (table) Completed Year 12, by status and age, Persons aged 15 years and over who needed assistance with core activities, 2006 (graph) Non-school qualification, by whether needs assistance with core activities, persons aged years, 2006 (graph) Labour force status by whether needs assistance with core activities, persons aged years, 2006 (table) Median individual weekly income, by whether needs assistance with core activities, persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (graph) Marriage rates, by whether needs assistance with core activities, persons aged 15 years and over in private dwellings, 2006 (graph) persons who needed assistance with core activities, by whether living with a carer, 2006 (graph) viii ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

9 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page DISABILITY AND CARERS continued 5.15 carers, by age and sex, 2006 (graph) Census Carer status (box) 5.17 Carers, by status, age and sex, 2006 (table) Median individual weekly income by carer status, males aged 15 years and over in private dwellings, 2006 (graph) Median individual weekly income by carer status, females aged 15 years and over in private dwellings, 2006 (graph) Carers who needed assistance with core activities, by status and age, 2006 (graph) MOTHERS AND CHILDREN Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) (box) 6.2 mothers, by state/territory, (table) Age-specific fertility rates, by status of mother, 2006 (graph) Mothers, by maternal age, status and state/territory, (table) Births to females, by birth status and year, (table) Rate of low birthweight babies, by status of mother, (graph) Perinatal mortality rates, by status, WA, SA and NT combined, to (table) Currently breastfeeding, by remoteness and age of child, children aged 0 3 years, (graph) Children's usual daily intake of fruit and vegetables in non-remote areas, by status, Children aged years, (table) Vaccination coverage estimates for children at one, two and six years of age, by status, NSW, Vic., WA, SA and NT combined, 31 December 2005 (table) Whether living in a household with regular smoker(s), Children aged 0 14 years by status, (table) Living in a household with a risky/high risk drinker, by Remoteness Areas, children aged 0 14 years, (graph) Children aged 0 14 years with a long-term health condition, by indigenous status and type of condition, (table) Reasons for hospitalisations of infants, by status, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) 6.15 Reasons for hospitalisations of children aged 1 14 years, by status, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES ix

10 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page MOTHERS AND CHILDREN continued Main causes of infant deaths, by status, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Infant mortality rates Western Australia, by status, (graph) Infant mortality rates South Australia, by status, (graph) Infant mortality rates Northern Territory, by status, (graph) Main causes of death for children aged 1 14 years, by status, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Child mortality rates, by status, WA, SA and NT combined, to (table) HEALTH STATUS of patient, to (table) 7.7 Hospitalisations data (box) 7.8 NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) 7.9 Identification of persons in hospital records (box) 7.10 Persons reporting fair or poor health, by status and age, Persons aged 15 years and over, (graph) Self-assessed health status by sex, persons aged 15 years and over, 1994 and (graph) Selected socioeconomic characteristics, Proportion of persons aged 18 years and over with excellent/very good self-assessed health by sex, and age standardised to non- rate ratios, (table) Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYS), broad cause group, persons, 2003 (table) Prevalence of selected long-term health conditions by status, and age standardised to non- rate ratios, 2001 and (table) Problems managed by general practitioners, by status Hospitalisations of persons, by principal diagnosis, Positive wellbeing indicators, persons aged 18 years and over, (graph) 7.11 Hospitalisations of persons for mental and behavioural disorders, by principal diagnosis and sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) 7.12 Hospitalisation rates, circulatory diseases, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) 7.13 Hospitalisations of persons for diseases of the circulatory system, by principal diagnosis and sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) x ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

11 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page HEALTH STATUS continued New and recurrent cases of acute rheumatic fever, by age, persons in the Top End of NT and Central Australia, (table) Prevalence of diabetes/high sugar levels, by status and age, (graph) Hospitalisations of persons with diabetes as an additional diagnosis, by principal diagnosis and status, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) New patients starting end-stage renal disease treatment, by status, (table) End-stage renal disease patients, by treatment type and status, (table) Hospitalisations of persons for chronic kidney disease and its sequelae, by sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Hospitalisation rates for care involving dialysis, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Most common cancers diagnosed among persons, by status and sex, (table) Age standardised cancer incidence rates, by status and sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Hospitalisation rates for cancer, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Hospitalisations of persons for injury and poisoning, by principal diagnosis and sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Hospitalisations of persons for injury and poisoning due to external causes, by sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Hospitalisation rates, respiratory diseases, by status and age, NSW, Vic.,Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Hospitalisations of persons for respiratory diseases, by principal diagnosis and sex, NSW, Vic.,Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Notifications for selected diseases, by status, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Notification rates for HIV and AIDS, by status and sex, (table) Hospitalisation rates for infectious and parasitic diseases, by status and age, NSW, Vic.,Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Hospitalisation rates, diabetes, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xi

12 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page HEALTH STATUS continued Hospitalisations of persons for infectious and parasitic diseases, by principal diagnosis and sex, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Average number of decayed, missing or filled teeth, by status and age, (table) HEALTH RISK FACTORS Health risk factors by selected socioeconomic characteristics, persons various age groups, (table) Current daily smokers, males aged 18 years and over, by status, (graph) Current daily smokers, females aged 18 years and over, by status, (graph) Measures of alcohol consumption in ABS household surveys (box) Chronic risky/high risk alcohol consumption by sex and age, persons aged 18 years and over, (graph) Chronic alcohol consumption by sex, persons aged 18 years and over, and age standardised to non- rate ratios, (table) Acute risky/high risk alcohol consumption, by status and age, Persons aged 18 years and over, (graph) Overweight/obese males, by status and age, (graph) Overweight/obese females, by status and age, (graph) Sedentary/low levels of exercise by sex and age, persons aged 15 years and over in non-remote areas, (graph) Selected neighbourhood/community problems, by remoteness, persons aged 15 years and over, 2002 (graph) Number of risk factors reported, by status, Persons aged 18 years and over in non-remote areas, (graph) MORTALITY Proportion of deaths that were registered in the year they 9.3 Methods used to calculate life expectancy (box) deaths, implied coverage by state/territory, (table) occurred, by status, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Male deaths, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female deaths, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) xii ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

13 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page MORTALITY continued Deaths of persons by age and sex, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Main causes of infant deaths, by status, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Age-specific death rates, by status and sex, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Years of life lost for the leading disease and injury categories, persons, 2003 (table) deaths, main causes by sex, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Age-specific death rates, main causes by status and sex, Persons aged years Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Main causes of excess deaths, by sex, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Male death rates, circulatory diseases, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, circulatory diseases, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Diabetes deaths as a proportion of total deaths, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, diabetes, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, diabetes, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, chronic kidney disease, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, chronic kidney disease, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, external causes of morbidity and mortality, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, external causes of morbidity and mortality, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, intentional self-harm, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, intentional self-harm, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, assault, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, assault, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, neoplasms, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xiii

14 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page MORTALITY continued Female death rates, neoplasms, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Male death rates, respiratory diseases, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Female death rates, respiratory diseases, by status and age, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Deaths, by number of causes reported, status and sex, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Underlying causes of death, by selected associated causes, status and sex, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) deaths due to external causes, by nature of injury, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Age standardised death rates, by status and sex, WA, SA and NT, (table) Infant mortality rates, by status, WA, SA and NT, (table) Cause-specific age standardised mortality rates, by status, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) HEALTH SERVICES PROVISION, ACCESS AND USE Expenditure on health goods and services, by area of expenditure, current prices, (table) persons who did not access health services, when needed, in the last 12 months, by remoteness and sex, (table) Reason(s) for not visiting a dentist when needed, persons aged 2 years and over, (graph) Employed medical practitioners (per 100,000 persons, FTE rate), by Remoteness Areas, 2002 and 2005 (table) Employed nurses, (per 100,000 persons, FTE rate), by Remoteness Areas, 2001 and 2005 (table) Access to health facilities, Discrete communities and reported usual populations, 2006 (table) Access to selected health professionals by frequency of access, Discrete communities and reported usual populations, 2006 (table) Access to selected health professionals, Discrete communities, 2006 (graph) Households without a motor vehicle, by household type and Remoteness Areas, 2006 (graph) Employment in selected health-related occupations, persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (table) Employed registered and enrolled nurses, by status, 2005 (table) xiv ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

15 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page HEALTH SERVICES PROVISION, ACCESS AND USE continued Employment in selected welfare and community service-related occupations, persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (table) Closed treatment episodes, by status and age, (table) Hospitalisation rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, by status, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Rates for hospitalisations including dialysis, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Rates for hospitalisations excluding dialysis, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) students who completed health and welfare-related undergraduate courses, 2003 and 2005 (table) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, course Community mental health service contacts, by status, sex and age, (table) Hospitalisations excluding dialysis and ambulatory care sensitive conditions, by status and age, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Hospitalisations (excluding diagnoses for care involving dialysis), by number of procedures and status, (table) Hospitalisations with a procedure recorded, by principal diagnosis and status, (graph) completions by level of qualification and sex, 2004 (table) Healthy for life (box) COMMUNITY SERVICES Children in Australian Government-supported child care, by status and service type, May 2004 (table) Children aged 0 16 years who were the subject of a child protection substantiation, by status and state/territory, (table) Children aged 0 17 years who were the subject of a child protection substantiation, by type of abuse or neglect, status and state/territory, (table) Children on care and protection orders and in out-of-home care, by status and state/territory, 30 June 2006 (table) 11.5 The Aboriginal Child Placement Principle (box) 11.6 children in out-of-home care, by relationship to, and status of carer, and state/territory, 30 June 2006 (table) 11.7 Rates of young people aged years under juvenile justice supervision, by status, to (table) ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xv

16 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page COMMUNITY SERVICES continued Young people, average daily number in community supervision, by status and year, to (table) Young people, average daily number in detention, by status and year, to (table) Young people under juvenile justice supervision, by status and sex, (table) Young people under juvenile justice supervision, by status and age, (table) Young people under juvenile justice supervision, by status and age at first supervision, (graph) Users of CSTDA-funded services, by status and primary disability group, (graph) Users of CSTDA-funded services, by status and age, (graph) Users of CSTDA-funded services, by status and service group, (table) Home and Community Care clients, by status and age, (graph) Community Aged Care Package recipients, by status and age, 30 June 2006 (graph) Community Aged Care Package recipients and usage rates, by status and age, 30 June 2006 (table) Residential Aged Care admissions, by status and age, (graph) Residents of Residential Aged Care services and service usage rates, by status and age, 30 June 2006 (table) identification in community services collections (box) TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES Estimated resident population, by status, age and 12.3 Torres Strait Islander registered births, (table) Estimated resident population, by state/territory of usual residence, 2006 (preliminary) (table) Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, 2006 (preliminary) (table) Age of parents, Torres Strait Islander registered births, (table) status of parents, Torres Strait Islander and all registered births, (graph) and Torres Strait islander deaths by sex and median age at death, Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (table) Underlying cause of death, by status, (table) xvi ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

17 LIST OF TABLES AND GRAPHICS page TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES continued Language spoken at home and proficiency in English, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, 2006 (table) Highest year of school completed, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, Persons aged 15 years and over, 2006 (table) Highest non-school qualification, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, Persons aged years, 2006 (table) Labour force characteristics, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, Persons aged years, 2006 (table) Equivalised gross weekly household income, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, 2006 (table) Housing tenure, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, 2006 (table) Dwelling condition, permanent dwellings owned or managed by and Housing Organisations, by Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, 2006, (table) Internet access, by status and Torres Strait Region/balance of Australia, 2006 (table) Health status and selected long-term conditions, Torres Strait Islander and all persons aged 15 years and over, (table) Improved infrastructure creates positive health outcomes for Torres Strait communities (box) Selected health risk factors, Torres Strait Islander and persons various age groups, (table) Hospitalisations by sex and age, Torres Strait Islander persons, NSW, Vic., Qld, WA, SA and NT combined, (graph) Hospitalisations by principal diagnosis, Torres Strait Islander and person, (table) APPENDIX Census questions on Core activity need for assistance and Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability 265 ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xvii

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19 PREFACE This sixth edition of The Health and Welfare of Australia s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples draws on a wide range of data sources. In particular, the timing of this edition has been designed to allow inclusion of information from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The Report also draws on the most recent information from a number of administrative data collections held by the Australian Institute of Heath and Welfare. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the health and welfare of Australia s population, presenting the latest information on population demographics, housing circumstances, disability and carers, health status, and the provision, access and use of health and community services. Some of the links between education and health and between selected risk factors and health are also explored. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are culturally and linguistically diverse. Their proximity to services, and the physical and social environments in which they live, impact on their wellbeing and capacity to prevent and manage serious illness. Use of ABS -specific surveys, such as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) and 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) make it possible to explore some of the relationships between the socioeconomic circumstances of Australians and their health and wellbeing. While much of the data in this report are presented at the national level, some are presented for the states and territories, and/or by remoteness. In addition, the report presents information about various sub-populations of interest, such as Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability and carers for people with disability. Trend analyses show that there have been improvements in the areas of educational attainment, labour force participation, unemployment, home ownership and income for Australians in recent years. However, while the relative disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has lessened in some areas, this report demonstrates that the health status of the population is still poor in comparison to the rest of the Australian population. Brian Pink Australian Statistician Penny Allbon Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xix

20 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Bureau of Statistics have prepared this report jointly. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance and cooperation received from individuals and organisations that have provided us with the statistics and information which form the basis of this publication. We also thank Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for their cooperation and assistance in the collection of data, without which, this report would not have been possible. Special thanks go to the principal reviewer of the report, Ian Anderson, for his valuable comments on the draft report. The AIHW and the ABS would like to acknowledge the contribution of the following reviewers: Bob Boughton, Carol Bower, John Condon, Joan Cunningham, Ian Ring, Will Sanders, Ian Spicer and John Taylor. We would also like to thank the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health within the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing for providing valuable comments on the report. Artwork The cover artwork is Alice Downs Country (2004) by Gordon Barney, painted with ochres and natural pigments on canvas, courtesy of Warmun Art Centre. xx ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

21 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY FINDINGS This report presents the latest data on the health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as information about their socioeconomic circumstances. Wherever possible, data are provided on changes in the circumstances of people over time, as well as on the differences between and non- Australians. While most information is presented at the national level, some data are also presented for states and territories, and by remoteness. DEMOGRAPHIC CONTEXT At 30 June 2006, the estimated resident population was 517,200, representing 2.5 of the total Australian population. Most people live in capital cities and regional areas an estimated 32 of people were living in major cities, 43 in regional areas and 25 in remote areas. The population has a younger age profile, with a median age of 21 years, compared with 36 years for the non- population. EDUCATION Retention rates for students to Year 10 and beyond increased between 1998 and 2007, and the differences between and non- retention rates decreased. Between 2001 and 2006, Year 12 completion rates for people aged 15 years and over increased from 20 to 23. Compared with adults who had left school in Year 9 or below, those who had completed Year 12 were, in : more likely to report excellent or very good self-assessed health less likely to report high or very high levels of psychological distress less likely to smoke regularly. LABOUR FORCE STATUS AND INCOME Between 2001 and 2006, the unemployment rate for people aged years decreased from 20 to 16, while the labour force participation rate increased from 52 to 54. However, the unemployment rate for people in 2006 was three times the rate for non- people (16 compared with 5). The median equivalised household income for people was $362 per week, equal to 56 of the median equivalised household income for non- people ($642). HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS The rate of home ownership for households increased from 31 in 2001 to 34 in However, the proportion of households who owned or were purchasing their own homes in 2006 was half the rate of other Australian households (34 compared with 69). ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xxi

22 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS continued One in every two households were receiving some form of government housing assistance, such as living in public or community housing, or receiving rent assistance. One in seven households (14) were overcrowded in 2006 and around one-quarter of the population (27 or 102,300 people) were living in overcrowded conditions. people were over-represented in the national Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness, comprising 17 of all SAAP clients. Nearly three-quarters of clients using SAAP services were women. HEALTH STATUS In , adults were twice as likely as non- adults to report their health as fair/poor (29 compared with 15). Long-term health conditions responsible for much of the ill-health experienced by people include circulatory diseases (including heart disease), diabetes, respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal conditions, kidney disease and eye and ear problems. adults were twice as likely as non- adults to report high/very high levels of psychological distress. In , people were hospitalised at 14 times the rate of non- people for care involving dialysis, and at three times the rate for endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (which includes diabetes). Australians were hospitalised for potentially preventable conditions at five times the rate of non- Australians. Health risk factors In , half of adults were regular smokers twice the rate of non- adults. One in six adults (16) had consumed alcohol at long-term risky/high risk levels in the past week. This was similar to the rate for non- adults. More than half (57) of people aged 15 years and over were overweight or obese. women were around one-and-a-half times as likely as non- women to be overweight/obese, while the rates for and non- men were similar. Mortality Life expectancy for Australians was 59 years for males and 65 years for females, compared with 77 years for all males and 82 years for all females, a difference of around 17 years. In the period , the mortality rates for males and females in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory combined, were almost three times those for non- males and females. The five leading causes of death for people were: diseases of the circulatory system; injury; cancers; endocrine, metabolic and nutritional disorders (including diabetes); and respiratory diseases. There were significant declines in the all-cause mortality rates for males and females in Western Australia between 1991 and There were also significant declines in infant mortality rates in Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory over the same period. xxii ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

23 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HEALTH SERVICES In , $1.17 was spent on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health for every $1.00 spent on the health of non- Australians, only 17 higher despite the poorer health of the population. More than two-thirds of this expenditure was on publicly provided health services such as public hospitals (46) and community health services (22). males and females were more than twice as likely to be hospitalised as other Australian males and females. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may experience difficulties accessing health care. people in non-remote areas were more likely than those in remote areas to report cost as a reason for not seeking health care, while for those in remote areas, transport/distance and the service not being available in the area were more commonly reported reasons. In 2006, people aged 15 years and over were under-represented in almost all health-related occupations and comprised 1 of the health workforce. They were better represented in welfare and community service-related occupations, comprising 3.6 of this workforce. COMMUNITY SERVICES children were over-represented in the child protection system in , with the rate of children on care and protection orders over six times the rate of other Australian children. youth were under juvenile justice supervision at a rate of 44 per 1,000, compared with 3 per 1,000 for other Australian youth. Compared with other Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people used both disability and aged care services at younger ages, consistent with their poorer health status and high mortality rates. INDIGENOUS SUB-POPULATIONS OF SPECIAL INTEREST Torres Strait Islander Peoples The estimated resident Torres Strait Islander population in 2006 was 53,300, or 10 of the total population Some 15 of Torres Strait Islander people were living in the Torres Strait Region, 47 in other parts of Queensland and 15 in New South Wales. Compared with all Australians, Torres Strait Islander people had higher rates of Year 12 completion and labour force participation, as well as higher equivalised household income. Torres Strait Islander people living in the Torres Strait Region had higher rates of Year 12 completion and labour force participation and lower unemployment rates than those living in other parts of Australia. Mothers and Children Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females have higher fertility, with an estimated total fertility rate of 2.1 babies, compared with 1.8 babies for all Australian females. The median age of females who gave birth in the period was 25 years, compared with a median age of 30 years for other mothers. ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES xxiii

24 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Mothers and Children continued In the period , the perinatal mortality rate for babies in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory combined was 1.5 times the rate for non- babies. The perinatal mortality rate for babies, however, declined significantly in Western Australia between and The mortality rate for infants and children aged 1 14 years in the period was around three times that for non- infants and children. People with disablity and Carers Some 4 of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2006 were identified as needing assistance with self-care, physical mobility or communication. After adjusting for differences in the age structure of the two populations, people were almost twice as likely as non- people to need assistance with core activities. In the 2006, one in eight people aged 15 years and over (12) were carers. The median age of carers was 37 years; 12 years less than the median age of non- carers. After adjusting for differences in the age structure of the two populations, people were 1.2 times as likely as non- people to be carers.. xxiv ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

25 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AIM This publication is the sixth in the series of reports on the health and welfare of Australia s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. By drawing on recent data available from a variety of sources, it aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the health and welfare of Australia's population. It covers a range of topics regarded as important for improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The definition of health that underpins the publication is a holistic one put forward in the National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party report: Not just the physical well-being of the individual but the social, emotional and cultural well-being of the whole community. This is a whole of life view and it includes the cyclical concept of life-death-life (National Aboriginal Health Strategy Working Party 1989). This report also provides a broader context for the two major indicator based reports on health and welfare the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework (auspiced by the Australian Health Minister s Advisory Council) and the COAG Overcoming Disadvantage (OID) Key Indicators Report. The Health Performance Framework has around 70 indicators under three tiers of reporting health status and outcomes, determinants of health, and health system performance while the OID framework reports on 12 headline indicators of social and economic outcomes, such as life expectancy at birth, Years 10 and 12 retention and attainment, labour force participation and unemployment, home ownership, suicide and self-harm, family and community violence, and imprisonment and juvenile detention rates. Information about the social context and specific issues that impact on the health and welfare of Australians is presented in Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 8. Chapter 2 provides background information on the demographic, social and economic context in which Australians live. Chapter 3 provides information on education and employment status, including the transition from school to work. Chapter 4 examines the housing circumstances of Australians, while Chapter 8 looks at selected health risk factors. Health status of, and outcomes for, Australians are described in Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 9. Chapter 5 focuses on disability (need for assistance with core activities) and carers, primarily using data from the 2006 Census. Chapter 6 provides information on the health status of mothers and children; Chapter 7 provides an overview of the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; while Chapter 9 describes mortality, including a discussion of trends where these can be observed. ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

26 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AIM continued Chapters 10 (Health service provision, access and use) and 11 (Community services) look at system performance issues, including access to, and utilisation of, these services by Australians. Chapter 12 provides a summary of the relevant, available information about the health and welfare of Torres Strait Islander peoples. The breadth and depth of data assembled for this report will also provide the basis for the development of an ABS Framework for the measurement of wellbeing. The Framework has been identified as a key strategic area in the ABS statistics program and will be developed in consultation with researchers and stakeholders. DATA SOURCES The data presented in this report were drawn from key national statistical collections including the latest information from both the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Important new information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and welfare was collected through the ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS). The report also includes data from other ABS collections such as the 2006 Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey (CHINS) and the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS). AIHW surveys such as Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH), and national administrative data collections such as the National Hospital Morbidity Data Collection, the National Mortality Data Collection and the National Perinatal Data Collection are all important data sources used in the production of this report. In addition, the report includes updated estimates of expenditure on health services for people. DATA ISSUES The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 2006 preliminary population estimates used in this report are based on the population counts from the five-yearly 2006 Census of Population and Housing (on a usual residence basis), adjusted for instances in which status was unknown (not stated) and for net undercount. Unless otherwise indicated, rates in this publication have been based on the 2001 'low series' resident population estimates and projections. Estimating the size and composition of the population is difficult for a range of reasons, including the incomplete and differential identification in births and deaths records across jurisdictions, which do not support the standard approach to population estimation. identification is also incomplete in many other administrative data collections used in this report. The ABS and the AIHW, in partnership with state and territory authorities and the community, are making efforts to improve the quality and completeness of identification in key administrative data collections. 2 ABS AIHW HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES