4700.0 - ABS Directions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics, Jun 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/06/2007   
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APPENDIX 1 KEY INDIGENOUS DATA FRAMEWORKS AND REPORTS

The ABS produces a number of key reports on issues such as Indigenous population estimates, health, community infrastructure and housing, and social circumstances, based on data from the Census of Population and Housing and ABS survey collections. The ABS also supports the production of, and provides data outputs to, a number of the key Indigenous data frameworks and reports, produced by external agencies, listed below.

OVERCOMING INDIGENOUS DISADVANTAGE: KEY INDICATORS

In April 2002, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) commissioned the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision to produce a regular report against key indicators of Indigenous disadvantage. The first report, Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators was published in November 2003, and thereafter biennially. This report provides information on the impact of changes to policy and service delivery on outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It also provides a way to assess the effect of COAG's commitment to achieving the shared goal for Indigenous Australians:

'to enjoy the same standard of living as other Australians - for them to be as healthy, as long-living and as able to participate in the social and economic life of the country.'

REPORT ON GOVERNMENT SERVICES

This annual report is produced by the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (SCRGSP). It is used for strategic budget and policy planning and evaluation. Information in the report is also used to assess the resource needs and resource performance of government departments. The data in this report provide an incentive to improve the performance of government services by enhancing measurement approaches and techniques in relation to aspects of performance, such as unit costs and service quality. Since 1997, the report has increased its reporting on Indigenous Australians across all service areas and from 2003 a separate compendium of data on services to Indigenous people has been published.

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HEALTH PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework (HPF) is the basis of a biennial report, with the first edition released in late 2006. The Framework was developed by the Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (SCATSIH) - a subcommittee of the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC). The HPF was developed to provide the basis for quantitative measurement of the impact of the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and to streamline reporting on health and healthcare delivery. It covers the entire health system including Indigenous-specific services and programs, and mainstream services across the continuum of care. In addition, the HPF includes measures of health outcomes and determinants of health that are outside the health system, consistent with the whole-of-government approach recommended by COAG.

THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AUSTRALIA'S ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES

This report has been produced jointly by the ABS and AIHW every two years since 1997. The publication draws together the results of ABS surveys and censuses and the range of data held by the AIHW to provide a comprehensive statistical overview, largely at the national level, of the health and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Among the topics included are: maternal and child health; risk factors; ill-health; disability and ageing; mortality; and access to, and use of, services.

NATIONAL STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL BEING

This framework for 2004-09 was designed to complement the National Mental Health Plan 2003-2008 and the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health 2003-2013. It was endorsed by AHMAC and aims to respond to the high incidence of social and emotional wellbeing problems and mental illness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by providing a strategic framework for national action. It also outlines data development priorities.

INDIGENOUS HOUSING INDICATORS

This biennial indicator report prepared by AIHW is based on the National Reporting Framework for Indigenous Housing data. It provides data that can be used to monitor progress in the seven outcome areas outlined in the Housing Ministers' 10-year statement of new directions for Indigenous housing, Building a Better Future: Indigenous housing to 2010.

NATIONAL REPORT TO PARLIAMENT ON INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND TRAINING

This report is presented annually to Parliament in accordance with the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000. The report tracks progress in Indigenous education and training and discusses issues under the major goals of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy.

SOCIAL JUSTICE REPORT

Since 1993, through the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner has published an annual report about contemporary issues relating to the human rights of Indigenous people in Australia. The Social Justice Report 2005 considered progress in achieving improvements in the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and set out a human rights framework for achieving health equality within a generation. The report also examined the implementation of the new arrangements for Indigenous affairs in a post-ATSIC environment.