Australia’s health 2020: data insights presents an overview of health Australian Institute of data in Australia and Health and Welfare explores selected health topics—including—in 10 original articles. Australia’s health 2020 is the 17th biennial health report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. This edition has a new format and expanded product suite: • Australia’s health 2020: data insights • Australia’s health snapshots Australia’s health 2020: Australia’s • Australia’s health 2020: in brief. data insights health 2020 data insights Australia’s health 2020 data insights The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is a major national agency whose purpose is to create authoritative and accessible information and statistics that inform decisions and improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians. © Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2020 This product, excluding the AIHW logo, Commonwealth Coat of Arms and any material owned by a third party or protected by a trademark, has been released under a Creative Commons BY 3.0 (CC BY 3.0) licence. Excluded material owned by third parties may include, for example, design and layout, images obtained under licence from third parties and signatures. We have made all reasonable efforts to identify and label material owned by third parties. You may distribute, remix and build upon this work. However, you must attribute the AIHW as the copyright holder of the work in compliance with our attribution policy available at www.aihw.gov.au/copyright/. The full terms and conditions of this licence are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/. This publication is part of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Australia’s health series. A complete list of the Institute’s publications is available from the Institute’s website www.aihw.gov.au. ISSN 2651-978X (Online) ISSN 1032-6138 (Print) ISBN 978-1-76054-689-2 (Online) ISBN 978-1-76054-690-8 (Print) DOI 10.25816/5f05371c539f3 Suggested citation Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2020. Australia’s health 2020 data insights. Australia’s health series no. 17. Cat. no. AUS 231. Canberra: AIHW. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Board Chair Chief Executive Officer Mrs Louise Markus Mr Barry Sandison Any enquiries relating to copyright or comments on this publication should be directed to: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare GPO Box 570 Canberra ACT 2601 Tel: (02) 6244 1000 Email: [email protected] Published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Please note that there is the potential for minor revisions of data in this report. Please check the online version at www.aihw.gov.au. The Hon Greg Hunt MP Minister for Health Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Dear Minister On behalf of the Board of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, I am pleased to present to you Australia’s health 2020, as required under Subsection 31(1) of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987. This edition continues the AIHW tradition of delivering high quality evidence and value-added analysis on health in Australia, and it continues the multi-format report introduced in Australia’s welfare 2019. The report provides comprehensive coverage of topics in statistical snapshots (online) and explores new insights into topical issues, in narrative articles (print and online). This report discusses health data in Australia and includes an article on what is known about COVID-19 in Australia four months on from the first confirmed case. This report also explores how more timely data could better meet the needs of policy makers, service providers, researchers and the public. I commend this report to you as a significant contribution to national information on health- related issues and to the development and evaluation of health systems and programs in Australia. The relevance of this report is heightened by the fact that we are in a time when it is acknowledged that availability of data and evidence is more important than ever. Yours sincerely, Mrs Louise Markus Chair AIHW Board 9 June 2020 1 Thynne Street, Bruce ACT 2617 +61 2 6244 1000 www.aihw.gov.au GPO Box 570, Canberra ACT 2601 [email protected] @aihw iii About Australia’s health 2020 About Australia’s health 2020 This edition of the AIHW’s biennial flagship report on health introduces a new format and an expanded product suite: Australia’s health 2020: data insights This is a collection of topical, in-depth articles on selected health issues, including a picture of health data in Australia. It is available online and as a print report. Australia’s health snapshots These are web pages that present key information and data on the health system, health of Australians and factors that can influence our health. The 71 snapshots are available online in HTML and as a PDF. Australia’s health 2020: in brief This is a short, visual report summarising key findings and concepts from the snapshots to provide a holistic picture of health in Australia. It is available online and as a print report. All products can be viewed or downloaded at www.aihw.gov.au/australias-health iv Contents Preface ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������vi Introduction ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Australia’s health snapshots .......................................................................xxii Chapter 1: Health data in Australia .............................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: Four months in: what we know about the new coronavirus disease in Australia ................................................................................... 19 Chapter 3: Social determinants of health in Australia ............................................. 77 Chapter 4: Housing conditions and key challenges in Indigenous health ����������107 Chapter 5: Potentially preventable hospitalisations—an opportunity for greater exploration of health inequity .................................................133 Chapter 6: Funding health care in Australia ............................................................159 Chapter 7: Changes in people’s health service use around the time of entering permanent residential aged care ..........................................181 Chapter 8: Dementia data in Australia—understanding gaps and opportunities ...........................................................................................209 Chapter 9: Improving suicide and intentional self-harm monitoring in Australia ...............................................................................................231 Chapter 10: Longer lives, healthier lives? ..................................................................257 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................270 Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................272 Symbols ..........................................................................................................................274 Glossary ..........................................................................................................................275 v Preface Australia’s health 2020 is the 17th biennial flagship report on health released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) since it was established in 1987. The AIHW’s flagship reports,Australia’s health and Australia’s welfare, are highly regarded by policy makers, service providers, researchers and the public as sources of independent, authoritative and accessible information. They are compiled from multiple data sources and explore different perspectives on topical and ongoing issues. By exploring how we are faring as a nation, they also serve as ‘report cards’ on the health and welfare of Australians. Australia’s health 2020 continues the trend of providing independent and trusted information to the wide range of Australians who use it. It reports on our health status and health system, and takes an in-depth look at a number of topical health issues— including the links between the environment and health, and the complex role that socioeconomic factors play in our health. Global and national events over the past year have placed health at the forefront of our minds—for individuals, families, communities, and nations. In particular, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to pose a great potential threat to health and to Australia’s health system. Australian governments and the Australian community have responded well to this crisis and, as a result, it appears that Australia may have avoided some of the large adverse impacts that have been seen in some other countries. Nevertheless, COVID-19 has changed most aspects of our lives, including social, cultural and economic activities. More than any other event in recent history, this pandemic has illustrated how integral our health is to the effective functioning of society and of its support systems, including the health system. The AIHW’s core purpose—to produce authoritative and accessible information and statistics—is now more relevant than ever. Every day, data on the number of new cases and on the number of deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported in the media, and governments have needed up-to-date, timely and reliable data on health-system