In 2023 there were 5,256 deaths registered where the deceased was of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin, an increase of 171 deaths from 2022. All jurisdictions except Queensland and the Northern Territory recorded an increase in the number of deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Most of the increase (147 deaths) is due to two methodological changes (additional sources available for derivation of Indigenous status) applied by the ABS when deriving Indigenous status for deaths, which had the greatest impact for Victoria. This technical note discusses these methodology changes in detail. Three recommendations for Australia and national level reporting have also been made in consideration of these changes:
Technical Note: The impact of using multiple sources for deriving the Indigenous status of deaths in 2023 – changes for Victoria and coroner referred deaths
ABS enhancements to the reporting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths
Released
10/10/2024
Summary
Background
Enhancing the quality of mortality data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is an ongoing goal for the ABS. The ABS works closely with the Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM), the custodians of death registration data in Australia, to implement improvements and communicate existing quality issues with key stakeholders. While significant progress has been made there are still data gaps. For example, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory are not included in key indicators for Closing the Gap reporting due to quality concerns.
A key method for achieving improvement has been using more than one source to derive Indigenous status for deaths. The death registration statement, completed by the informant (usually the funeral director and family) is the primary source for providing information on the Indigenous status of the deceased. Over time, the medical certificate of cause of death (completed by a doctor) has been introduced as a secondary source for understanding if a deceased person was of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. To date, for all jurisdictions except Victoria, two sources have been used by the ABS for deriving Indigenous status.
The medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) is completed for all deaths that are certified by a doctor in Australia which encompasses approximately 86-89% of deaths each year. Cause of death and associated demographic information (including Indigenous status) for those remaining deaths which are referred to the coroner have different form requirements for reporting to the RBDM. These may include the final dispensation from the coroner and interim reports from a forensic pathologist. Due to the complexity of these deaths and the general requirement for an investigation, there are also different timing requirements. This can mean that a RBDM may not receive finalised information for cause of death and demographics of the deceased for an extended period. During this time the death registration has been sent to the ABS and the information included on the death registration is recorded at a point in time to inform mortality data.
The ABS also accesses the National Coronial Information System (NCIS), a medico-legal database that contains extensive information for all coroner referred deaths in Australia. The cause of death dataset for coroner referred deaths is collated by ABS coders from information contained on the NCIS. This is because the information contained in coronial reports is not only more detailed but also because the data is not always available from the RBDMs at the time the registration is lodged with the ABS. To date, cause of death information only has been accessed from the NCIS.
More detail on the ‘Australian causes of death statistics system’ is available in the methodology.
Enhancements introduced in 2023
Considering the current system, the ABS worked with data providers to enable access to new sources of information to help understand if a deceased person was of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. Two methodological improvements that have been implemented are:
- Information from the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) provided by the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages is now being used for deriving Indigenous status. Before 2023, the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria was derived from information lodged by the informant (generally the funeral director and family) on the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This change aligns Victoria with all other jurisdictions, for which both the DRS and MCCD have been used since 2022 in New South Wales, and for several years in all other jurisdictions.
- For coroner referred deaths, the ABS worked with the NCIS to obtain approval to use information on the deceased’s Indigenous status ascertained during the coronial process, for deriving the Indigenous status of the deceased. This change in process affects all jurisdictions in 2023, except New South Wales, for which a similar enhancement was introduced in 2022.
Following these two methodological improvements the deceased is generally reported as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin when recorded as such on the DRS or through the cause of death process (MCCD or NCIS). If these sources do not agree, identification on any source is usually given preference over recording the deceased as non-Indigenous (although there are some rare exceptions to this).
The ABS works in a broader system of civil registration and vital statistics. The enhancements discussed in this technical note only address changes to processing introduced by the ABS. Improvements to the collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data are also implemented by other agencies working in the cause of death system, including by the RBDMs, the NCIS and the coronial courts. These enhancements may also flow through to the ABS mortality dataset. The ABS acknowledges the work of other agencies.
These changes have introduced enhancements to the ABS mortality data for deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and make some progress on addressing data gaps. The change introduces a break in time series in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander death statistics in Victoria, and to a lesser degree Australia. Data presented in the following sections shows the impact of these changes as well as recommendations for how the data can be presented and interpreted.
Notes for interpreting the data presented in the following sections
- All data is presented by jurisdiction of usual residence of the deceased rather than the jurisdiction where the death occurred. There were seven deaths that occurred in Victoria but the deceased had a usual residence of another jurisdiction where there was a change in the recorded Indigenous status due to the new methodology. Of these, three people were recorded as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin and four people were non-Indigenous. These deaths will be presented by their state of usual residence in the following sections.
- Data is presented by the year it is registered rather than the year the death occurred.
- The additional sources (the MCCD and the NCIS data) for deriving Indigenous status are referred to collectively as the “COD source”. This is because both sources are part of the cause of death process.
- For infants aged under 28 days (referred to as neonatal deaths), the cause of death is completed on a form called the Medical Certificate of Cause of Perinatal Death (MCCPD). The Victorian RBDM has supplied the ABS with the MCCPD for several years and it has already been used to derive Indigenous status for neonatal deaths during this time. Use of the MCCPD is therefore not considered a new source for neonatal deaths in Victoria, as reflected in the ‘Infant deaths’ section below.
Impact of introducing additional sources for deriving Indigenous status for deaths in Victoria
With the addition of the MCCD and the NCIS as a source for deriving Indigenous status, the number of deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people increased by 71 and 318 respectively. There was a corresponding decrease in deaths where the Indigenous status was not stated.
Table 1 shows:
- Using all sources, there were 412 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths, an increase of 72 deaths (21.2%) compared to 2022.
- If only the DRS was used for ascertaining the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin of the deceased (the historical method) there would be 341 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths, an increase of 1 death (0.3%) compared to 2022.
- Use of COD sources resulted in an additional 71 deaths where the deceased was identified as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.
- Using additional information from COD processes has led to a substantial improvement in the number of deaths with an Indigenous status of not stated, reducing from 437 to 48.
| Number of deaths (no.) | Difference (no.) | Difference (%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indigenous status | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(b) | 2023, incl. COD sources(c) | 22-23, no COD sources(b) | 22-23, incl. COD sources(c) | 22-23, no COD sources(b) | 22-23, incl. COD sources(c) |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | 340 | 341 | 412 | 1 | 72 | 0.3 | 21.2 |
| Non-Indigenous | 47,080 | 44,548 | 44,866 | -2,532 | -2,214 | -5.4 | -4.7 |
| Not stated | 558 | 437 | 48 | -121 | -510 | -21.7 | -91.4 |
| Total | 47,978 | 45,326 | 45,326 | -2,652 | -2,652 | -5.5 | -5.5 |
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such a small number of deaths are included which were registered in other jurisdictions.
b. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
c. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
By certifier type
Table 2 highlights the impact of using all sources (DRS and COD) for deriving Indigenous status, by certifier type (doctor or coroner). In Victoria in 2023:
- Of the additional 71 deaths where the deceased was identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin based on COD sources, 22 were coroner referred and 49 were doctor-certified.
- Deaths referred to a coroner have traditionally been more likely to have an Indigenous status of “not stated” on the DRS. With the additional use of COD sources, the proportion of coroner referred deaths where the Indigenous status is unknown decreased to 0.1%.
| Doctor | Coroner | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indigenous status | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(b) | 2023, incl. COD sources(c) | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(b) | 2023, incl. COD sources(c) | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(b) | 2023, incl. COD sources(c) |
| Number of deaths (no.) | Number of deaths (no.) | Number of deaths (no.) | |||||||
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | 202 | 229 | 278 | 138 | 112 | 134 | 340 | 341 | 412 |
| Non-Indigenous | 39,931 | 37,818 | 38,076 | 7,149 | 6,730 | 6,790 | 47,080 | 44,548 | 44,866 |
| Not stated | 425 | 350 | 43 | 133 | 87 | 5 | 558 | 437 | 48 |
| Total | 40,558 | 38,397 | 38,397 | 7,420 | 6,929 | 6,929 | 47,978 | 45,326 | 45,326 |
| Proportion of deaths (%) | Proportion of deaths (%) | Proportion of deaths (%) | |||||||
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Non-Indigenous | 98.5 | 98.5 | 99.2 | 96.3 | 97.1 | 98.0 | 98.1 | 98.3 | 99.0 |
| Not stated | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such a small number of deaths are included which were registered in other jurisdictions.
b. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
c. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
Infant deaths
There is no change to the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infant deaths (children aged under one year) with the addition of the COD sources (as seen in Table 3). This is due to two factors:
- There are small numbers of deaths of infants in Victoria each year.
- For infants aged under 28 days (referred to as neonatal deaths), the cause of death is completed on a form called the Medical Certificate of Cause of Perinatal Death (MCCPD). The Victorian RBDM has supplied the ABS with the MCCPD for a number of years and it has already been used to derive Indigenous status for neonatal deaths during this time. The MCCPD is therefore not considered to be a new COD source for deriving the Indigenous status of neonatal deaths.
| Indigenous status | 2022 | 2023, without new COD sources(b) | 2023, with new COD sources(c) | 2022 | 2023, without new COD sources(b) | 2023, with new COD sources(c) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total infant deaths (no.) | Infant mortality rate (IMR)(e)(f) | |||||
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | 5 | 11 | 11 | 2.6 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Non-Indigenous | 197 | 181 | 181 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Total(d) | 206 | 192 | 192 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such a small number of deaths are included which were registered in other jurisdictions.
b. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
c. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
d. Total includes deaths for which the Indigenous status of the deceased was not stated.
e. Neonatal and total infant mortality rates are presented per 1,000 live births registered in the relevant period.
f. Infant mortality rates (IMRs) in the Deaths, Australia publication are presented based on a three-year average. IMRs presented in this technical note are by single year to demonstrate the impact of the change in method on 2023 data specifically.
Median age at death
The median age at death increased for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males and all persons, and decreased for females, with the additional use of COD sources. Of the additional 71 deaths where the deceased was identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin based on COD sources:
- The majority were deaths of males (43 deaths).
- A higher proportion of these male deaths were certified by a doctor (76.7%) compared to the deaths of females (57.1%). Such deaths are more likely to be due to natural causes, which typically occur in older age cohorts.
The increase in median age of death for males and all persons is likely due to the higher proportion of natural causes of death in those identified as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin through the additional use of COD sources. Overall, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females continue to have a higher median age at death than males, regardless of source type.
| Median age at death (years) | Difference (years)(b) | % Difference(b) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(c) | 2023, incl. COD sources(d) | 22-23, no COD sources(c) | 22-23, incl. COD sources(d) | 22-23, no COD sources(c) | 22-23, incl. COD sources(d) |
| Males | 59.1 | 61.0 | 63.1 | 1.9 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 6.8 |
| Females | 62.6 | 67.1 | 66.3 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 7.2 | 5.8 |
| Persons | 60.2 | 63.9 | 64.2 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 6.1 | 6.6 |
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such a small number of deaths are included which were registered in other jurisdictions.
b. Median age data presented in this table is rounded to the first decimal place. The differences presented in this table are based on unrounded median ages.
c. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
d. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
Age-standardised death rates
The age-standardised mortality rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people increased for males, females and total persons with the additional use of COD sources. The mortality rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 9.5 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023. This is a rate difference of 1.7 compared with the mortality rate with no additional COD sources used.
For non-Indigenous Victorians, the age-standardised mortality rate decreased for males and persons with the additional use of COD sources. In 2023, with the additional use of COD sources, the age-standardised death rate increased from being 1.5 to 1.8 times higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to non-Indigenous people.
| Age-standardised death rates (SDRs)(b)(c) | Rate difference (no)(d) | Rate difference (%)(d) | Rate ratio(d)(e) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indigenous status by sex | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(f) | 2023, incl. COD sources(g) | 22-23, no COD sources(f) | 22-23, incl. COD sources(g) | 22-23, no COD sources(f) | 22-23, incl. COD sources(g) | 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(f) | 2023, incl. COD sources(g) |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | ||||||||||
| Males | 9.0 | 8.0 | 10.3 | -0.9 | 1.4 | -10.4 | 15.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Females | 6.6 | 7.4 | 8.6 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 12.5 | 31.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Persons | 7.7 | 7.7 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 22.9 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
| Non-Indigenous | ||||||||||
| Males | 6.4 | 5.9 | 5.9 | -0.5 | -0.5 | -7.8 | -7.1 | |||
| Females | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.6 | -0.4 | -0.4 | -8.8 | -8.2 | |||
| Persons | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.2 | -0.5 | -0.4 | -8.2 | -7.6 | |||
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such a small number of deaths are included which were registered in other jurisdictions.
b. Age-standardised death rates (SDRs) are presented per 1,000 estimated resident population. Data is based on 2021 Census-based population estimates and projections.
c. Age-standardised death rates (SDRs) in the Deaths, Australia publication are presented based on a three-year average (ending in the reference year). SDRs presented in this technical note are by single year to demonstrate the impact of the change in method on 2023 data specifically.
d. Age-standardised death rates presented in this table are rounded to the first decimal place. The differences presented are based on unrounded rates.
e. The rate ratio is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander age-standardised death rate divided by the non-Indigenous rate. Due to the effect of rounding rates presented will not multiply exactly to the ratio presented.
f. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
g. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
Leading causes of death
Ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria in 2023. This would have been the leading cause of death regardless of source type. Table 6 below shows:
- When using all sources, the top five leading causes of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths were the same in 2022 and 2023.
- While there was no change in the top five leading causes there was a change in the number of deaths, with these causes now recording a higher number with the addition of the COD sources in 2023.
- For all persons, the main change was the leading cause ranking, with lung cancer (C33-C34) and accidental poisoning (X40-X49) having a lower ranking, due to an increase in deaths due to chronic lower respiratory diseases.
| 2022 | 2023, no COD sources(d) | 2023, incl. COD sources(e) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Leading causes | No. deaths | Rank | Leading causes | No. deaths | Rank | Leading causes | No. deaths |
| Males | Males | Males | ||||||
| 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 18 | 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 28 | 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 33 |
| 1 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 18 | 2 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 17 | 2 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 19 |
| 1 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 18 | 3 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 16 | 3 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 18 |
| 4 | Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions (R00-R99) | 12 | 4 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 14 | 4 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 17 |
| 5 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 9 | 5 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 9 | 5 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 10 |
| 6 | Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69) | 8 | 6 | Malignant neoplasm of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus (C18-C21, C26.0) | 7 | 6 | Malignant neoplasm of colon, sigmoid, rectum and anus (C18-C21, C26.0) | 8 |
| 6 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 8 | 7 | Malignant neoplasm of pancreas (C25) | 6 | 6 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 8 |
| 6 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 8 | 8 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 5 | 8 | Malignant neoplasm of pancreas (C25) | 6 |
| 9 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 7 | 8 | Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69) | 5 | 8 | Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69) | 6 |
| 10 | Malignant neoplasm of prostate (C61) | 6 | 8 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 5 | 10 | Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease (I50-I51) | 5 |
| 10 | COVID-19 (U07.1-U07.2, U10.9) | 6 | 8 | Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions (R00-R99) | 5 | 10 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 5 |
| 10 | Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions (R00-R99) | 5 | ||||||
| Females | Females | Females | ||||||
| 1 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 20 | 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 14 | 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 17 |
| 2 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 12 | 2 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 12 | 2 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 15 |
| 2 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 12 | 3 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 8 | 3 | Malignant neoplasms of breast (C50) | 10 |
| 4 | COVID-19 (U07.1-U07.2, U10.9) | 8 | 3 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 8 | 3 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 10 |
| 4 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 8 | 3 | Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (F01, F03, G30) | 8 | 5 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 9 |
| 6 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 7 | 3 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 8 | 6 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33, C34) | 8 |
| 7 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 6 | 3 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 8 | 6 | Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (F01, F03, G30) | 8 |
| 8 | Heart failure and complications and ill-defined heart disease (I50-I51) | 5 | 8 | Malignant neoplasms of breast (C50) | 7 | 6 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 8 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia (J00-J06, J20-J22) | 5 | 9 | COVID-19 (U07.1-U07.2, U10.9) | 6 | 6 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 8 |
| 8 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 5 | 9 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 6 | 10 | Malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (C22) | 6 |
| 10 | Diseases of the urinary system (N00-N39) | 6 | ||||||
| 10 | COVID-19 (U07.1-U07.2, U10.9) | 6 | ||||||
| Persons | Persons | Persons | ||||||
| 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 30 | 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 42 | 1 | Ischaemic heart diseases (I20-I25) | 50 |
| 2 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 29 | 2 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 26 | 2 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 32 |
| 3 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 26 | 3 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 25 | 3 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 27 |
| 4 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 25 | 4 | Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung (C33-C34) | 24 | 4 | Intentional self-harm [suicide] (X60-X84, Y870) | 26 |
| 5 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases (J40-J47) | 20 | 5 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 15 | 5 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 18 |
| 6 | Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions (R00-R99) | 16 | 6 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 13 | 5 | Accidental poisoning (X40-X49) | 18 |
| 7 | COVID-19 (U07.1-U07.2, U10.9) | 14 | 6 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 13 | 7 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 14 |
| 8 | Diabetes (E10-E14) | 13 | 8 | Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69) | 10 | 8 | Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69) | 11 |
| 8 | Cirrhosis and other diseases of liver (K70-K76) | 13 | 9 | Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (F01, F03, G30) | 9 | 9 | Malignant neoplasm of liver and intrahepatic bile ducts (C22) | 10 |
| 10 | Cerebrovascular diseases (I60-I69) | 11 | 9 | Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions (R00-R99) | 9 | 9 | Malignant neoplasms of breast (C50) | 10 |
| 9 | Dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (F01, F03, G30) | 10 | ||||||
| 9 | Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions (R00-R99) | 10 | ||||||
a. Causes listed are based on the WHO recommended tabulation of leading causes. See Mortality tabulations and methodologies for further information.
b. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such a small number of deaths are included which were registered in other jurisdictions.
c. Causes of death data for 2022 and 2023 is preliminary and subject to a revisions process.
d. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
e. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
Deaths due to suicide in Victoria, 2018-2023
Some of these statistics may cause distress. Services you can contact are in the Crisis support services section.
Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the second leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males. To date, deaths due to suicide for Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have not been included in suicide reporting due to concerns on data quality. This has a direct impact on Target 14 of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (significant and sustained reduction in suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards zero).
To address this data gap, the ABS conducted an extensive review of the Indigenous status for suicides occurring in Victoria between 2018-2022 using the additional COD sources. This review showed that there were 30 deaths due to suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during this period where the deceased had an Indigenous status of either unknown or non-Indigenous in the ABS dataset (derived from the DRS). The Indigenous status on these deaths have been updated to reflect that they are suicides of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Table 7 outlines the change in the number of deaths due to suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using the additional COD sources. The row labelled “Updated total for publishing” is the updated number which will now be used for reporting purposes.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| With DRS only(g) | 10 | 13 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 25 |
| Identified via COD source(h) | 12 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Updated total for publishing | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 26 |
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis.
b. Data is by date of registration. Data may not match that published prior to 2022 by reference year.
c. Intentional self-harm includes ICD-10 codes X60-X84 and Y87.0.
d. Interpret intentional self-harm data with caution (refer to the methodology for more detail).
e. Interpret data derived from Victorian coroner referred deaths with caution. Refer to Historical considerations in the Data Quality section of the Methodology for more detail.
f. Causes of death data for recent years is preliminary and subject to a revisions process. This table includes final data for 2018-2020, revised data for 2021 and preliminary revised data for 2022 and 2023.
g. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as identified using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) only. This was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
h. Refers to the Indigenous status of deaths as derived using the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data by Indigenous status for Victoria in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications is presented based on all sources in 2023.
Enhancements for coroner referred deaths
On the NCIS the Indigenous status of the deceased may be viewed by the ABS as part of the NCIS coding or through the coronial reports including autopsy, toxicology and police reports, as well as in coronial findings. The NCIS is actively updated by jurisdictional coronial courts meaning that demographic and cause of death information may differ from the original information supplied in a death registration to the ABS. In 2023, the ABS gained approval from the NCIS to use this information when deriving the Indigenous status of the deceased in all jurisdictions for ABS mortality data.
While the use of the NCIS is new for all jurisdictions for deriving Indigenous status, it is not considered a time series break for deaths in NSW for 2023. This is because in 2022, a similar enhancement was introduced to NSW data which enabled the use of the Indigenous status for coroner referred deaths. This was achieved through direct collaboration with the NSW RBDM who facilitated information sharing with the Coroners Court of NSW. For further information, see Technical Note: The impact of using two sources for deriving the Indigenous status of deaths in NSW in 2022 published in the methodology of Causes of Death, Australia, 2022.
For jurisdictions excluding NSW there were an additional 80 deaths where the deceased was identified as being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin when the NCIS was used. These deaths occurred relatively evenly across jurisdictions with WA and the NT each having an additional 19 deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through the use of information on Indigenous status from the NCIS. Table 8 provides a detailed tabulation.
Tasmania recorded the largest proportional increase, with deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now accounting for 4% of coroner referred deaths with the use of information from the NCIS. Without the use of the NCIS, this proportion was 2.6%.
| Without new COD sources(b) | With new COD sources(c) | Change with new COD sources | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths as a proportion (%) of all coroner deaths | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State/territory of usual residence | Total coroner certified | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | Non-Indigenous | Not stated/unknown | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | Non-Indigenous | Not stated/unknown | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander | Non-Indigenous | Not stated/unknown | Without new COD sources(b) | With new COD sources(c) |
| NSW(d) | 5,825 | 321 | 5,376 | 128 | 433 | 5,364 | 28 | 112 | -12 | -100 | 5.5 | 7.4 |
| Vic | 6,929 | 112 | 6,730 | 87 | 134 | 6,790 | 5 | 22 | 60 | -82 | 1.6 | 1.9 |
| Qld | 2,325 | 194 | 2,117 | 14 | 210 | 2,109 | 6 | 16 | -8 | -8 | 8.3 | 9.0 |
| SA | 3,303 | 136 | 3,127 | 40 | 146 | 3,136 | 21 | 10 | 9 | -19 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
| WA | 3,177 | 258 | 2,820 | 99 | 277 | 2,886 | 14 | 19 | 66 | -85 | 8.1 | 8.7 |
| Tas | 741 | 19 | 697 | 25 | 30 | 701 | 10 | 11 | 4 | -15 | 2.6 | 4.0 |
| NT | 320 | 157 | 162 | 1 | 176 | 144 | 0 | 19 | -18 | -1 | 49.1 | 55.0 |
| ACT | 279 | 5 | 271 | 3 | 6 | 273 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Total excl. NSW(d) | 17,075 | 881 | 15,924 | 270 | 979 | 16,039 | 57 | 98 | 115 | -213 | 5.2 | 5.7 |
| Total Australia(e) | 22,900 | 1,202 | 21,300 | 398 | 1,412 | 21,403 | 85 | 210 | 103 | -313 | 5.2 | 6.2 |
a. Data is presented on a usual residence basis. As such, a small number of deaths included in each jurisdiction were registered in other jurisdictions.
b. For all jurisdictions other than Victoria, 'without new COD sources' refers to the Indigenous status as derived based on the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). For Victoria, this refers to the Indigenous status as identified using the DRS only. For Victoria, the DRS was the sole source of information used to derive the Indigenous status of deaths registered in Victoria for 2022 and prior.
c. For all jurisdictions, 'with new COD sources' refers to the Indigenous status as derived based on the Death Registration Statement (DRS) and Cause of Death (COD) sources (the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) and the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for deaths referred to a coroner). Data in the Deaths and Causes of Death publications by Indigenous status is presented based on all sources in 2023 for all states and territories.
d. For New South Wales, an enhancement for coroner referred deaths was introduced in 2022, which allowed information on the deceased's Indigenous status ascertained during the coronial investigation process to be used when deriving Indigenous status. The 'change with new COD sources' does not reflect a change in methodology for NSW in 2023, and a total has been produced excluding NSW for this reason.
e. Total for Australia includes Other Territories.
How can data now be presented and analysed?
The information below outlines how the ABS has chosen to present this data for mortality reporting purposes. While these presentations are recommended, data should be presented based on individual research and policy requirements. These should be assessed on an individual basis. The ABS will review each recommendation on an annual basis.
Australia or National level reporting
Current reporting: Actual counts of deaths for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are presented, but mortality rates (both crude and age-standardised) are created for analytical purposes for NSW, Qld, WA, SA and the NT. Data is typically presented in five-year aggregates to address annual fluctuations that occur in jurisdictions with small numbers of deaths.
Updated reporting: The ABS is still maintaining the same approach to reporting of key mortality indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is because there is only one year of data which poses challenges for time series analysis and assessing the consistency in change with the new methodology. In rare cases where only deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2023 data is being investigated it may be appropriate to include Victoria in analysis. A level of caution should still be taken here as there is some uncertainty on change over time.
Recommendation 1: Key mortality indicators of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including leading causes of death cannot yet include Victoria for aggregated years.
Intentional self-harm (suicide) reporting
Current reporting: Actual counts of deaths due to suicide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are presented, but mortality rates (both crude and age-standardised) are created for analytical purposes for NSW, Qld, WA, SA and the NT. Data is typically presented in five-year aggregates to address annual fluctuations that occur in jurisdictions with small numbers of deaths.
Updated reporting: The ABS is including Victoria in its analysis of deaths due to suicide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people registered between 2018-2023. Two mortality rates will be presented – one for the five jurisdictions and one for the six jurisdictions including Victoria. See topic Intentional self-harm deaths (Suicide) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Deaths due to suicide of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory have not yet been added to the national dataset despite the use of information from the NCIS. This is because this change is only for one year and there is uncertainty as to the consistency of the change. The ABS will reassess this recommendation annually and communicate findings to stakeholders.
Recommendation 2: Suicide statistics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria could be included in national totals.
Life expectancy estimates
Current reporting: Life expectancy estimates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria are currently not produced.
Updated reporting: ABS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy is estimated using the average number of deaths that occur in a period (the most recent estimates are for the period 2020-2022) and estimates of the population (at the mid-point of the period).
Following the use of COD sources in the identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths, the number of deaths in Victoria remain small for calculating life expectancy. It is not possible to disaggregate these deaths further by age and sex to construct separate reliable life tables. Additionally, death records for the three years spanning the Census are typically used for creating life expectancy estimates, to smooth out yearly fluctuations in the number of deaths and produce more reliable estimates. Updates to MCCD data for Victoria are not available in a back-cast series for all deaths.
The ABS will reassess this recommendation annually and communicate findings to stakeholders.