Bulletin 20 - State and Territory differences

Incorporating the AIHW National Injury Surveillance Unit

Site last updated
01/04/2011

State and Territory differences

**Table 3: Injury deaths from all causes, by sex and state and territory, Australia 1997.**
	Males		Females		Persons
	Number	Age-adj. rate	Number	Age-adj. rate	Number	Age-adj. rate
NSW	1791	58.66	813	22.34	2604	40.08
VIC	1228	54.33	530	19.86	1758	36.73ª
QLD	1131	68.39	471	25.22	1602	46.69ª
SA	403	55.07	171	19.53	574	37.05
WA	534	61.25	226	23.28	760	42.39
TAS	136	59.90	55	19.49	191	38.92
NT	111	116.77	43	54.90	154	87.88ª
ACT	59	39.99	35	23.46	94	32.37
AUST	5393	59.69	2344	22.29	7737	40.70
Deaths per 100,00 age & sex specific population ª These rates differ significantly from the Australian rate (95% confidence intervals assuming Poisson distribution).

*Note: Error bars and dashes indicate 95% Poisson Confidence Intervals for age standardised rates.

Figure 7: Age-standardised rates of injury deaths from all causes, by State and Territory of death registration, Australia 1997

To overcome the large year to year fluctuations that are observed as a result of small numbers in the less populous States and Territories, a three year average injury death rate was calculated for each State and Territory. Overall, all States and Territories recorded falls in injury death rates. The largest fall was recorded by the NT which fell 30% from a 3 year average of 138 injury deaths per 100,000 for the period 1988/90 to 96 injury deaths per 100,000 for the 3 year period 1995/97. Other States which recorded large drops include Victoria down 26% and NSW down 19%. Western Australia had the smallest fall, down 5% from 45 injury deaths per 100,000 for the period 1988/90 to 43 injury deaths per 100,000 for the 3 year period 1995/97.
The large fall in injury death rates recorded in the NT was due largely to decreases in transport related deaths, down 34% from 60 to 40 deaths per 100,000, homicide (-36%), falls (-23%) and suicide (-10%).