- Australian teen pregnancy rate among highest in OECD
- By Susanna Dunkerley
- The Herald Sun
- 21/10/2008 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 264 articles in 2008 )
AUSTRALIA has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developed word.
That and other findings are contained in a new report card by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth.
The report compares the wellbeing of Australians, aged up to 24, with other member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
It looks at areas including health, education, employment as well as peer and family relationships, behaviour and risks.
Overall, non-indigenous Australian youths fare relatively well in each category but not compared with children from the best-performing countries.
And indigenous young people compare miserably under every indicator.
"Despite our economic prosperity, Australian children do not perform as well as modern society would like to think," the report says.
Teenage pregnancy rates are much higher than the OECD average, and rates for indigenous Australians are the highest.
Australia ranks 20th out of 27 nations for infant mortality and indigenous Australians rate second last.
Indigenous Australians rank last for low infant birth weight rates.
Youth road deaths are the third highest in the OECD and Australian children are 12 times more likely to live in a jobless household as those in Japan.
In education, Australia performs relatively well but ranks 17 out of 25 nations for the transition between education to employment.
Family relationships are not strong, according to the report.
Australian parents are far less likely to spend time just talking with their children compared to the OECD average.
And indigenous young people's sense of belonging in the community and amongst peers is the second lowest in the OECD.
Head of the study Professor Fiona Stanley said the findings should be a wake-up call to the nation.
"If this was the Olympics, Australians would be horrified that we've failed to bring home a single gold," she said.
"We need to be asking how an affluent and successful country like Australia can be so average when it comes to raising our children and whether we're prepared to continue to accept mediocrity for our young people."
Federal Families and Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the report would be a shock to many people.
"We are falling far behind many, many comparable countries ... where we would have thought we were doing so much better," Ms Macklin said.
"We all know the shocking gap that exists between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians but ... I don't think that people are aware of the extraordinary differences between our children and children in other developed countries."
That and other findings are contained in a new report card by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth.
The report compares the wellbeing of Australians, aged up to 24, with other member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
It looks at areas including health, education, employment as well as peer and family relationships, behaviour and risks.
Overall, non-indigenous Australian youths fare relatively well in each category but not compared with children from the best-performing countries.
And indigenous young people compare miserably under every indicator.
"Despite our economic prosperity, Australian children do not perform as well as modern society would like to think," the report says.
Teenage pregnancy rates are much higher than the OECD average, and rates for indigenous Australians are the highest.
Australia ranks 20th out of 27 nations for infant mortality and indigenous Australians rate second last.
Indigenous Australians rank last for low infant birth weight rates.
Youth road deaths are the third highest in the OECD and Australian children are 12 times more likely to live in a jobless household as those in Japan.
In education, Australia performs relatively well but ranks 17 out of 25 nations for the transition between education to employment.
Family relationships are not strong, according to the report.
Australian parents are far less likely to spend time just talking with their children compared to the OECD average.
And indigenous young people's sense of belonging in the community and amongst peers is the second lowest in the OECD.
Head of the study Professor Fiona Stanley said the findings should be a wake-up call to the nation.
"If this was the Olympics, Australians would be horrified that we've failed to bring home a single gold," she said.
"We need to be asking how an affluent and successful country like Australia can be so average when it comes to raising our children and whether we're prepared to continue to accept mediocrity for our young people."
Federal Families and Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the report would be a shock to many people.
"We are falling far behind many, many comparable countries ... where we would have thought we were doing so much better," Ms Macklin said.
"We all know the shocking gap that exists between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians but ... I don't think that people are aware of the extraordinary differences between our children and children in other developed countries."
Source: https://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24530256-5005961,00.html
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