1 December 2014

Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)

165/2014

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of all ages are more likely to be living with a disability than non-Indigenous people, according to a report released today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

"There are over 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability," said Michelle Ducat from the ABS, "and we found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were more likely to have a profound or severe disability than non-Indigenous people."

"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 35 to 54 were around 2.7 times more likely to have a disability than non-Indigenous people, giving them a disability rate - 38 per cent - more in line with much older non-Indigenous people."

The article found that the unemployment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability was nearly three times as high as the comparable rate for non-Indigenous people (25 per cent compared with 9 per cent).

The survey results are based on the responses of nearly 80,000 Australians to the 2012 Survey of Disability and Carers. Further information is available in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with Disability, Australia (cat. no. 4433.0.55.005) available for free download from the ABS website - www.abs.gov.au.

Media notes:

• When reporting ABS data the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must be attributed as the source.
• Media requests and interviews - contact the ABS Communications Section on 1300 175 070.