Indigenous children were overrepresented in every category of child or infant death in the Northern Territory last year.
The findings came from an annual report by the Child Deaths Review and Prevention Committee tabled to the NT parliament on Tuesday.
The report examined the 38 child deaths and 35 stillbirths which occurred in the territory in 2015, as well as the total 242 including the preceding four years.
It found Indigenous children and infants die at much higher rates than non-Indigenous infants and children in the NT, as do people living outside the capital city area.
Thirty-eight Northern Territory children died in 2015. Just over half were male, and more than 76% were Indigenous, despite only about 33% of the NT’s population being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
Twenty-three of the deaths were infants, and most died at less than one month old. About 40% of the additional 38 stillbirths were Indigenous.
The minister for health, Natasha Fyles, said the information was important for government and agencies “to come up with key health and safety campaign messages” and would inform policy and research in the future.
The figures showed some improvement “but obviously 38 deaths is tragic for those families”.
She said children dying while in care were automatically referred to the coroner for further scrutiny because “we need to make sure that the system isn’t failing them”.
Making note of previous “horrific” coronial inquiries into deaths of children in care, Fyles accused the previous CLP government of ignoring recommendations.
“We’re making sure those recommendations from previous coronials and the board of inquiry are now being encompassed into our child protection system”.
The figures were broadly in line with the five year rates.
From 2011 to 2015 the child death rate in the NT was 76.5 per 100,000 children, comprising rates of 138 per 100,000 for Indigenous children and and 33 for non-Indigenous children.
Among infant deaths the ratio was much higher, with 1,479 deaths per 100,000 among Indigenous infants, and 284 per 100,000 for non-Indigenous. The infant mortality rate is more than double the national rate of 640 deaths per 100,000, as reported by the productivity commission earlier this month.
More than 25% of all deaths were children of families known to the Department of Children and Families.
In 31.7% of the 242 deaths the cause was considered to be in the category of “external causes of morbidity and mortality”, which are considered preventable.
About half the Northern Territory’s population lives outside the greater Darwin region, but more than 70% of child deaths occurred there.
“The death of any child is a tragedy and the members of the committee extend their sincere condolences to the family, friends and communities of the children and young people cited in this report,” said committee convenor and children’s commissioner, Colleen Gwynne.
“ln highlighting the circumstances relating to these deaths and by conducting research based on identified patterns and trends, the committee’s objective is to effect change that will prevent and reduce child deaths, accidents and diseases in the NT.”
The report noted 14 deaths were awaiting coronial findings.
