The Alliance is pleased that the Community Affairs Reference Committee’s Inquiry into Excess Mortality has, in their final report, included our recommendation that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) include geographic indicators in excess mortality estimates to address gaps in the production and publication of data on excess mortality among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, those with disability, and those in rural and regional areas.
The recommendation followed the Alliance’s written submission and appearance before the Committee hearing, where we advocated for the ABS to extend their available data to include geographic indicators of excess mortality in Australia.
The current absence of this data means that there is currently no way to measure or track trends in excess mortality for rural Australians, further compounding the healthcare disadvantages they already face.