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Relative to the broader Australian population, First Peoples face significant disparities in health outcomes due to factors like employment, income, education and housing (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2024).

Holistic approaches to First Peoples’ health and wellbeing are critical to improving outcomes. This includes not only considering the physical, mental and social determinants of First Peoples’ health, wellbeing and safety, but also the cultural determinants, such as connection to culture and Country (First Peoples - State Relations 2023).

For First Peoples, factors such as cultural identity, family and kinship, country and caring for country, knowledge and beliefs, language and participation in cultural activities and access to traditional lands are also key determinants of health and wellbeing (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2024).

Key health indicators for First Peoples in Victoria

  • 39.8% of First Peoples in Victoria experience high or very high levels of psychological distress
  • 27.9% of First Peoples in Victoria rate their health as fair or poor
  • 51.9% of Victorian households with children, where at least one occupant is First Peoples, report being food insecure within the past 12 months.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022-23 data.

Victorian rates of psychological distress, fair or poor self-reported health and food insecurity are all higher than the national rates among First Peoples (30.2%, 25.8% and 47.4% respectively).  There is also evidence that Victorian rates of psychological distress, fair or poor self-reported health and food insecurity among First Peoples are all higher than among the general Victorian population (Victorian Population Health Survey 2023).

First Peoples population in Boroondara

Boroondara is home to 436 residents who identify as First Peoples, which is just over 8% of the First Peoples population of the Eastern Metropolitan Region. This group is made up of:

  • 410 people who identify as Aboriginal
  • 17 people who identify as Torres Strait Islander
  • 13 people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Note: The Australian Bureau of Statistics adjust published counts to protect confidentiality. This can mean subtotals do not sum exactly to the associated totals.

The 436 First Peoples make up 0.3% of the total Boroondara population (Figure 1). 

Figure 1 is a bar chart showing the percentage of First Peoples across three areas. • In Boroondara, 0.3% of the population identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. • In the Eastern Metropolitan Region the figure is 0.5%. • In Greater Melbourne the figure is 0.7%. The chart shows that Boroondara has a smaller proportion of First Peoples residents compared to the wider region and Greater Melbourne.

Figure 1: Proportion of residents who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Source: 2021 Census.

Figure 2 presents the age distribution of First Peoples in Boroondara. First Peoples residents are more likely to be aged under 40 relative to the total Boroondara population. 

Figure 2 shows population by age range for Boroondara residents who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and all Boroondara residents: 0-9 11.8%, All Boroondara residents, 9.3% 10-19 18.4%, All residents13.9% 20-29 28.6%, All residents 13.9% 30-39 13.5%, All residents 11.9% 40-49 13.2%, All residents 11.1% 50-59 13.9%, All residents 9.3% 60-69 10.6%, All residents 3.5% 70-79 7.9%, All residents 2.0% 80+ 1.1%, All residents 5.4%pproximately $1,570 for all Boroondara households

Figure 2: Age of Boroondara residents who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

The median equivalised weekly income for Boroondara households with at least one occupant who is First Peoples was approximately $1,522 compared to approximately $1,570 for all Boroondara households.

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