Summary
Aboriginal people are often found to have relatively poorer access to health services than non-Aboriginal Australians in relation to need, for a range of reasons, including barriers such as availability, cost and a lack of culturally appropriate health services. The Health Performance Framework (HPF) highlights that enhanced health services and continued improvement in, and access to, comprehensive, culturally appropriate and safe primary health care services are needed to support improvements in health outcomes and reduce the burden of disease, preventable hospitalisations, and avoidable deaths among Aboriginal people.
Measures of health status (Tier 1), determinants of health (Tier 2), and health system performance (Tier 3) in this report show mixed results. It is important to note that measures in the 3 tiers are interconnected, and understanding the reasons for progress (or lack thereof) in the health status and outcomes of Aboriginal people may often be best understood by examining relevant measures of determinants of health, and health system performance.
Tier 1 data tables: Health status and outcomes - data tables
Tier 2 data tables: Determinants of health - data tables
Tier 3 data tables: Health system performance - data tables
There has been no significant change in the age-standardised rate of potentially avoidable deaths for Aboriginal people in New South Wales in the period from 2016 to 2021. However, the rate difference between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in New South Wales increased by 8.5 deaths per 100,000 people annually.
Between 2019 and 2023, cardiovascular disease was the second leading cause of death for Aboriginal people in New South Wales (1,390 deaths or 20% of total deaths). From 2016 to 2023, the age-standardised rate of deaths due to cardiovascular disease for Aboriginal people in New South Wales did not change significantly.
The perinatal death rate among babies born to Aboriginal women in New South Wales in 2013–2017 was lower than the rate in 2018–2022 (11 compared with 13 per 1,000 births).
The proportion of Aboriginal people aged 15 and over who smoked was 25% in New South Wales in 2022–23, compared with 36% in 2018–19 and with 42% in 2012–13.
In New South Wales the proportion of Aboriginal adults aged 18 and over living in the lower half of the income distribution decreased from 70% in 2006 to 64% in 2021, and the proportion of adults in the lowest-income households decreased from 39% to 30% in the same period.
In New South Wales over the period 2011 to 2021, the proportion of Aboriginal people aged 20–24 who had completed Year 12 or equivalent increased from 54% to 69%. Over the same period the rate difference between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people decreased from 32 to 21 percentage points.
The proportion of Aboriginal youth aged 10–17 under youth justice supervision on an average day in New South Wales decreased by 31% from 2016–17 to 2023–24. Over the same period the rate difference between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth decreased by 4.0 per 10,000 population annually.
In 2022–23, 87% of Aboriginal people in New South Wales had a usual place to go for health problems and advice: 64% usually went to a doctor/GP; 20% usually went to an Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) or community clinic; and 2% usually went to a hospital.
The rate of Aboriginal people employed in health-related occupations in New South Wales increased by 20% between 2011 and 2021.