3303.0.55.001 - Causes of Death, Australia: Doctor Certified Deaths, Summary Tables, 2012  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 20/11/2013  Final
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IN THIS ISSUE

This publication contains summary information relating to cause of death for those deaths certified by doctors. It should be noted that these data represent only a subset of all causes of death, and that the numbers presented here are not comprehensive. Doctor certified deaths accounted for 88.3% of all deaths registered in 2012. The remainder are reported to, and certified by a coroner.

Although what constitutes a reportable death varies across jurisdictions, they are generally reported in circumstances such as:

  • where the person died unexpectedly and the cause of death is unknown;
  • where the person died in a violent or unnatural manner;
  • where the person died during, or as a result of, an anaesthetic;
  • where the person was 'held in care' or in custody immediately before they died; and
  • where the identity of the person who has died is otherwise unknown.

A complete dataset of causes of death for 2012 will be published in Causes of Death, Australia, 2012 (cat. no. 3303.0), due to be released in 2014. For further information on certification of causes of death, refer to Explanatory Notes 2-3.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.