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Session D1: Collecting and analysing data on urban Indigenous populations

1. Andrew Webster: The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2008: collection methods and upcoming data availability

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 200KB

Abstract

This presentation will outline the ABS program of surveys of the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander population focussing on the collection of information in urban and regional areas. It will include output plans for the most recent survey, the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) which is due for release shortly.

Author bio:

Andrew Webster is currently acting Director of the ABs National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics. He has worked in this field over the past ten years.

2.  T. Dugbaza & R. Jeff. Wright: What's location got to do with it? Variations in indigenous mortality across geographical regions

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 506KB

Abstract

It is widely known that Indigenous life expectancy is 12 years lower than in the rest of the Australian population, while Indigenous infant mortality is nearly three times higher than in the rest of the Australian population. What is not common knowledge, however, is that there are wide variations in mortality and life expectancy between Indigenous people themselves. For example, the 2005-2007 Indigenous life tables (ABS, 3302.0.55.002.2006) show that life expectancy at birth for Indigenous males ranges between 61.5 years in the Northern Territory and 69.6 years in New South Wales, a difference of 8.1 years. For females, life expectancy ranges between 69.2 years in the Northern Territory and 74.8 years in New South Wales, a difference of 5.6 years.

The causes of these differences are unclear, but it is known that there are differences between States and Territories in the proportions of their Indigenous population living in remote and non-remote areas. It is also known that there are differences between remote and non-remote areas in health facilities and living conditions, leading to suggestions that differences in the size and distribution of the Indigenous population living in remote and non-remote areas in the various States and Territories could account, at least in part, for the variations in Indigenous life expectancy between States and Territories.

The main problem investigated in this study was therefore whether differences in Indigenous life expectancy between States and Territories could be related to differences between States and Territories in the distribution of their Indigenous population into remote and non-remote areas.

The results of the study pointed to declining mortality between 2001 and 2006, higher male than female mortality, significantly higher mortality in remote than in non-remote areas, differences between states and territories in their levels and patterns of mortality and higher Indigenous mortality in states and territories where a large proportion of their Indigenous population was living in remote areas than in states and territories where a large proportion of the Indigenous population was living in major cities. Indigenous mortality was therefore higher in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, where a significant proportion was living in remote areas, than in other states and territories. Indigenous mortality was also higher in South Australia and Queensland than in New South Wales and the combined populations of Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, where only a small proportion of their respective Indigenous populations were living in remote areas.

Decomposition analysis carried out on Indigenous mortality also confirmed that the age composition and remoteness location of the Indigenous population also have substantial impacts on variations in Indigenous mortality between states and territories.

Author bios:

Tetteh Dugbaza studied Demography at the Research School of Social Sciences at the ANU where he did research on fertility and birth intervals. After graduation, he worked briefly at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare before joining the Demography Section at the ABS for six years. At the ABS, he worked on migration, fertility and household and family estimates. He was instrumental in the earliest application of the 'Own children' method to census data to derive estimates of Indigenous fertility and family types. He then went overseas for six years before returning to the ABS in 2005. He currently works at the Analytical Services Branch where he has been doing research on data linking, Indigenous mortality, financial stress, consumption possibilities and economic hardship

Jeff Wright graduated from Monash University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Engineering. He commenced work at the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2005 in the Analytical Services Branch, where he still currently works. In addition to the work he is presenting today, he has been heavily involved in probabilistic data linking, including linking death records to Census records as part of the Census Data Enhancement project.

3. Tina Takagaki: An urban cut from the "Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2009" report

Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow pdf 163KB

Abstract

In 2002 the Council of Australian Governments asked the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision to produce a regular report on key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage — the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators report. The fourth edition was published in July 2009.

This presentation will discuss the history and development of the OID framework, and the recent changes to the framework to align the Working Group on Indigenous Reform and OID frameworks and the National Indigenous Reform Agreement.

This presentation will discuss and compare outcomes from the OID for urban people across a range of indicators, such as education, employment, incomes and housing. Finally, the presentation will consider how the report is influencing governments to address Indigenous disadvantage.

Author bio

Tina is a Senior Research Analyst at the Productivity Commission and has worked on the 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 editions of the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators report. Tina has a background working as a lawyer and recently spent 12 months working on the Welfare Reform project at the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership.