‘The deaths of 446 children and young people were registered in 2013–14, representing a rate of 41.0 deaths per 100,000 population aged 0–17 years. Over the ten year period of data collection there has been a general reduction in the rates in the most recent years in comparison with the first half of the decade. Report findings include:
- diseases and morbid conditions accounted for 76.9% of deaths (343 deaths), while deaths from external causes accounted for 73 deaths (16.4%)
- transport incidents were the leading external cause of child deaths overall with 31 deaths
- suicide was the second leading external cause of death overall with 23 deaths
- the number of drowning deaths for children aged under five years (3 deaths) was the lowest recorded since reporting began in 2004
- fatal assault and neglect accounted for the deaths of 4 children and young people, and
- the mortality rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children was around twice the mortality rate for non-Indigenous children.
The report relates to research and activities conducted by the then Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (CCYPCG) during the 2013–14 period.