7. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies

Abstract

For NSW overall, the percentage of births to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers reported to the MDC rose from 65.5 per cent to 69.3 per cent between 2002 and 2005. In 2005, reporting varied markedly between area health services, ranging from 39.3 per cent in the Sydney South West Area to 86.8 per cent in the Greater Southern Area (Table 65, Figure 2). Under-reporting of Aboriginality on the MDC means that numbers of births presented in this chapter should be interpreted with caution. The total number of babies born to Aboriginal mothers in 2005 is estimated to be 3,614, about one-and-a half times higher than the number reported to the MDC.