DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

The Aboriginal population

The Aboriginal population of Western Australia at 30 June 2001 was estimated at 66,069 or 3.5% of the State population.

  • In 1999–2001, life expectancy of Aboriginal males and females was estimated to be 55 years and 63 years respectively compared with 77 years and 83 years for the state population as a whole (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Deaths 2001, Catalogue no. 3302.0).
  • Of the Aboriginal population, 29,817 people were under the age of 18 comprising 6% of the state’s general population for this age group and 45% of the total Aboriginal population.
  • Over one third (34%) of all Aboriginal children live in the Perth region (no isolation) whereas just under 10% of children live in areas of extreme isolation.

NUMBER OF CHILDREN, BY LEVEL OF RELATIVE ISOLATION

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The following highlights how the Level of Relative Isolation (LORI) classification maps across the state of Western Australia. For more details on LORI see Glossary:

 

LEVEL OF RELATIVE ISOLATION (LORI) CATEGORIES

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Carers and their children

Women who identified as being of Aboriginal origin were the natural mothers and primary carers of 24,000 or 68% of Aboriginal children. Non-Aboriginal women were the natural mothers and primary carers of 3,400 or 11% of Aboriginal children. Another 5,150 or 17% of children had, as their primary carer, an Aboriginal woman who was not their natural mother.

An estimated 13,900 or 47% of Aboriginal children were cared for by both of their original parents. Sole mothers cared for another 9,220 or 31% of children.

CARE ARRANGEMENTS, BY AGE OF CHILD

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The impact of death, separation and divorce on the lives of Aboriginal children is striking. Around 6% of Aboriginal children aged 0 to 3 years were being cared for by someone other than their original parent(s), the proportion increasing to 20% for children aged 12 to 17 years.

As isolation increased, the proportion of children cared for by both of their original parents increased – from 42% in the Perth metropolitan area to 54% in areas of extreme isolation. The proportion cared for by sole mothers decreased – from 40% in the Perth metropolitan area to 15% in areas of extreme isolation.

CARE ARRANGEMENTS , BY LEVEL OF RELATIVE ISOLATION (LORI)

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Last updated 5 September 2007