CLOSING THE GAP

“There are many ways of knowing and
learning. I am keen to help encourage
Indigenous children to find their voice
through the power of music whilst
strengthening an understanding about
Indigenous ways of knowledge transfer.”
Deborah Cheetham AO
CHILD MORTALITY
Target: Halve the gap in mortality rates
for Indigenous children under five within
a decade (by 2018).
KEY POINTS
• The target to halve the gap in child mortality
by 2018 is not on track this year.
• However, over the longer term, Indigenous
child mortality rates have declined and the gap
has narrowed (between 1998 and 2015).
• There have been improvements in recent years in
the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
mothers not smoking during pregnancy and a lower
proportion of babies born with low birthweight.
• Better integration of services across health, child
care, early childhood education and school will
result in better access to the right services.
WHAT THE DATA TELLS US
For the most part, the child mortality target has been on
track in previous years. However, Figure 1 (over page)
shows that the 2015 Indigenous child mortality rate was
slightly outside the range required for this target to be
on track this year. In part, the Indigenous child mortality
trend has changed for this reporting period due to an
improvement in the quality of Indigenous identification. 1
Any death of an infant or child is a tragedy. The relatively
small numbers involved result in fluctuations in the
Indigenous child mortality rate each year. The 2015
result highlights this volatility which was only slightly
outside of the range for the target. 2 That said, an
increase in the number of deaths is always of concern
and reminds us that there is no room for complacency
about this target. The small numbers involved means
this target is within our reach with continued focus.
Over the long-term (1998 to 2015), the Indigenous child
mortality rate declined significantly (by 33 per cent).
There was also a significant narrowing (31 per cent)
of the child mortality gap. In the short-term, the
decline in Indigenous child mortality rates between
2008 and 2015 was not statistically significant.
• Intensive support for the children and families who
need it most will ensure children have a good
start to life.
1 For 2015 data, the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and
Marriages included Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
information for the first time to contribute to the Indigenous
status data item. This was associated with a decrease in the
number of deaths for which the Indigenous status was 'not
stated' and an increase in the number of deaths identified as
Indigenous in Queensland. Although the Indigenous child
mortality rate was higher in Queensland in 2015, for New
South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia the rates
were lower in 2015 than in 2014. This change in method
means that time series data are not directly comparable
and caution should be used in interpreting the trend.
2 In 2015, there were 124 Indigenous child deaths.
This was four deaths outside the range of the target
and an increase of six deaths since 2014.
CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017
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