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Abstract

Drawing upon a variety of published reports, some of the historical and contemporary issues in the official collection of Aboriginal health statistics are discussed. Serious problems are revealed such as a past policy of excluding Aborigines from census counts, a restrictive official definition of Aboriginality, and a lack of uniformity in collection policies between the various states within Australia's federal system of government. As a consequence of inadequate collection of health statistics, data on risk factors and information on social, cultural and economic factors affecting Aboriginal health, substantial gaps exist in the overall picture of Aboriginal health in Australia. Recent initiatives designed to foster national agreement on the collection of Aboriginal health statistics are chronicled and continuing problems with the collection of such statistics identified. (AMRJ, 1991, 21(1), 6–9.)

Keywords

Australia Aboriginal health statistics Aboriginality

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References

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Issues and Policy Developments in the Official Collection of Australian Aboriginal Health Statistics

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