The context of Indigenous health

Indigenous population

Based on the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people counted in the 2001 Census of Housing and Population, the ABS has projected that there were 501,236 Indigenous people living in Australia at 30 June 2006 [1, 2]. New South Wales (NSW) had the largest Indigenous population with 146,159, followed by Queensland (139,527), WA (72,243), and the NT (61,232) (Table 1). The NT had the highest proportion of Indigenous people among its population (29.7%) and Victoria the lowest (0.6%).

The census counts for Indigenous people were 16% higher in 2001 than in 1996 (the counts for the total Australian population were 6% higher) [4]. The difference between births and deaths contributed to 12% of the overall increase among Indigenous people, with much of the remaining 4% being attributed by the ABS to ‘an increasing propensity for persons to be identified as Indigenous on census forms’. The increase of 16% between 1996 and 2001 followed an increase of 33% between 1991 and 1996.

The majority of Indigenous people live in cities and towns, but the Indigenous population is much more widely dispersed across Australia than is the non-Indigenous population. Slightly more than one-half of the Indigenous population lives in areas classified as ‘major cities’ or ‘inner regional’ areas, compared with almost nine-tenths of the non-Indigenous population [5]. (As well as these two classifications of ‘remoteness’ in terms of access to goods and services and opportunities for social interaction, the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) has four other categories: ‘outer regional’, ‘remote’, ‘very remote’ and ‘migratory’ [6].) Around one-quarter of Indigenous people live in areas classified as ‘remote’ or ‘very remote’ in relation to having ‘ very little or very restricted access to goods and services and opportunities for social interaction’ [5, 7]. Only 2% of non-Indigenous people live in remote or very remote areas.

Table 1 Estimated Indigenous population, Australia, by jurisdiction, 30 June 2006

Jurisdiction Indigenous population Proportion of Australian Indigenous population (%) Proportion of jurisdiction population (%)
New South Wales 146,159 29.2 2.1
Victoria 30,988 6.2 0.6
Queensland 139,527 27.8 3.5
Western Australia 72,243 14.4 3.5
South Australia 28,105 5.6 1.8
Tasmania 18,586 3.7 3.8
Australian Capital Territory 4,396 0.9 1.3
Northern Territory 61,232 12.2 29.7
Australia 501,236 100.0 2.4

Source: Derived from Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004 [1] and Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 [3]

Notes:

  1. The projections of the resident Indigenous population, based on the 2001 Census counts, (a) make allowances for unknown Indigenous status and for net under-enumeration; (b) make a back adjustment for natural increases between 30 June 2001 and 7 August 2001 (the date of the census); and (c) assume that there is no ‘unexplained growth’ in the Indigenous population
  2. Proportions of jurisdiction populations use estimates of the jurisdiction-specific total populations for 30 June 2006 that were derived by extrapolation of the total jurisdiction populations for 31 December 2005
  3. Australian population includes Jervis Bay Territory, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Christmas Island

In terms of specific geographical areas, more than one-half of all Indigenous people live in nine of the 36 ATSIC regions: Sydney; Brisbane; Coffs Harbour; Wagga Wagga; Perth; Cairns; Townsville; Hobart; and Adelaide [4].

The ABS Indigenous population projections do not provide separate details for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at 30 June 2006. The only information of these details comes from the estimated population of 458,520 Indigenous people at 30 June 2001 – around 409,800 were Aboriginal, around 29,120 Torres Strait Islander, and around 19,600 both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (the census question on Indigenous status enabled people to identify as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.) [2, 4]. A total of 429,392 people were identified as Aboriginal (including those who were identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) and 48,730 as Torres Strait Islander (including those who were identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) (Table 2). As expected, most Torres Strait Islander people live in Queensland, with NSW the only other State with a substantial number of Torres Strait Islanders.

Table 2 Estimated resident Indigenous population by Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander status and jurisdiction, 30 June 2001

Jurisdiction Total Aboriginal population Proportion of total Aboriginal population (%) Total Torres Strait Islander population Proportion of total Torres Strait Islander population (%)
New South Wales 130,140 30.3 8,628 17.7
Victoria 25,932 6.0 3,089 6.3
Queensland 107,548 25.0 28,453 58.4
Western Australia 64,949 15.1 2,481 5.1
South Australia 24,683 5.7 1,469 3.0
Tasmania 16,001 3.7 2,389 4.9
Australian Capital Territory 3,734 0.9 305 0.6
Northern Territory 56,217 13.1 1,858 3.8
Australia 429,392 100.0 48,730 100.0

Source: Derived from ABS, 2002 [4] and ABS, 2003 [2]

Notes:

  1. The estimates of the resident Indigenous populations, based on the 2001 Census counts, make (a) allowances for unknown Indigenous status and for net under-enumeration; and (b) a back adjustment for natural increases between 30 June 2001 and 7 August 2001 (the date of the Census)
  2. People who identified as being both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are included in the figures for each sub-population. As a result, the combined figure for this table is around 19,600 higher than the estimated resident population of 458,520
  3. Australian populations include Jervis Bay Territory, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Christmas Island

The Indigenous population is markedly younger than the non-Indigenous population – 40% of Indigenous people are aged less than 15 years, compared with 21% of non-Indigenous people. Only 2.6% of the Indigenous population is aged 65 years or over, compared with 12% of the non-Indigenous population (see Figure).

 

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The socioeconomic context

There is an irrefutable relationship between the social inequalities experienced by Indigenous people and their current health status [8]. This social disadvantage, directly related to dispossession and characterised by poverty and powerlessness, is reflected in measures of their education, employment, and income. Thus, prior to presenting the key indicators of Indigenous health status, it is important to provide a brief summary of the context within which these indicators should be considered.

The key measures in these areas for Indigenous people nationally include:

Education

According to the 2006 Australian census:

  • 88% of five year old Indigenous children and 95% of five year old non-Indigenous children were attending an educational institution;
  • 2.5% of the Indigenous population had not attended school compared with 0.9% of the non-Indigenous population;
  • one-third (32%) of Indigenous people reported year 10 as their highest year of school completion and less than one-quarter (22%) completed year 12 compared with almost one-half (47%) of non-Indigenous people;
  • one-quarter (25%) of Indigenous people reported having a post school qualification, compared with almost one-half (47%) of non-Indigenous people; and
  • 4.1% of non-Indigenous people reported attending a university, compared with 1.7% of Indigenous people [9].

The 2006 national report on schooling in Australia showed:

  • 80% of Indigenous students in year three and 63% in year seven achieved the national reading benchmark, compared with 93% and 89% respectively of all Australian students; and
  • 76% of Indigenous students in year three and 48% in year seven achieved the national numeracy benchmark, compared with 93% and 80% respectively of all Australian students [10].

Employment

According to the 2006 Australian census:

  • 46% of Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed, 8.5% were unemployed, and 46% were not in the labour force. In comparison, 62% of non-Indigenous people aged 15 years or older were employed, 3.3% were unemployed, and 35% were not in the labour force;
  • excluding people employed under the Community Development Employment Project (CDEP) scheme increases the unemployment rate for Indigenous people to approximately 25% - five times the rate of 5% for non-Indigenous people;
  • the most common occupation classification of employed Indigenous people was ‘labourer’ (24%). The most common occupation classification of employed non-Indigenous people was ‘professional’ (20%) [9].

Income

According to the 2006 Australian census:

  • the mean equivalised gross household income for Indigenous persons was $460 per week – approximately 62% of that for non-Indigenous people ($740);
  • 45% of the Indigenous population were in the lowest income quintile (mean equivalised gross household income of less than $315 per week). The non-Indigenous population was almost evenly distributed among the five income quintiles;
  • the median gross individual income for Indigenous people was $278 per week compared with $473 for non-Indigenous people;
  • ‘professionals’ were the highest median gross weekly income earners and ‘labourers’ were the lowest. Indigenous people earned 28% and 16% less than non-Indigenous people in these occupations [9].

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References

1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004) Experimental estimates and projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. (ABS catalogue no. 3238.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003) Australian demographic statistics quarterly: March quarter 2003. (Cat no. 3101.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006) Australian demographic statistics quarterly: March quarter 2006. (Cat no. 3101.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
4 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002) Population distribution, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2001. (Cat No. 4705.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2004) 2004 Year Book Australia. (ABS Cat. no. 1301.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
6 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2003) Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), 2003. (ABS Catalogue No. 1216.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
7 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001) Statistical geography, volume 1: Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), 2001. (ABS Catalogue No. 1216.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
8 Carson B, Dunbar T, Chenhall RD, Bailie R, eds. (2007) Social determinants of Indigenous health. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin
9 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008) Population characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. (ABS Catalogue no. 4713.0) Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics
10 Curriculum Corporation (2006) National report on schooling in Australia: preliminary paper, 2006: national benchmark results: reading, writing and numeracy, years 3, 5 and 7. Canberra: Curriculum Corporation

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Last updated: 14 October 2008