A comparative analysis of indirect methodologies for estimating Indigenous life expectancy

Tony Barnes, Len Smith, Yuejen Zhao, Steven Guthridge / School for Social and Policy Research, Charles Darwin University
Posted: 20-11-2008
Using data on the Northern Territory’s Indigenous population and deaths—the most accurate in the country—this report explores current methods used to estimate Indigenous life expectancy, and found that estimates can change by as much as 10 years merely by making small changes in the data sets used in the analyses. The report recommends the Australian Bureau of Statistics to use a simpler approach to derive official life expectancy estimates for Indigenous Australians.