Residents in Lynbrook among the state’s longest living people
Residents in Melbourne’s southeast are among those living the longest in Victoria as researchers raise concerns about the growing gap between the state’s rich and poor areas.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
A freeway in Melbourne’s southeast acts as the great age divide where residents living in one suburb can expect to live up to 15 years longer than those in the postcode next door.
Population data from Torrens University Australia revealed Lynbrook residents lived more than a decade longer than those on the other side of the South Gippsland Hwy in Cranbourne North.
Socio-economic advantages and the number of aged care facilities were among the reasons why Lynbrook locals had a median death age of 84, several years higher than Cranbourne North whose median age of 67 was the third lowest in the state.
Neighbouring suburbs including Berwick South, Hampton Park and Narre Warren South all had median death ages of less than 75, with Dandenong’s sitting at 80 and Berwick’s at 85.
Closer to the beach Mt Eliza, Dromana and Rosebud were all above 84.
The median age for females was 86 in Lynbrook and 81 for males.
The data also revealed Lynbrook’s rate of people dying before the age of 75 was nearly 30 per cent below the national average.
According to the Torrens University data there was a moderate correlation between the median death age and rate of people in residential aged care.
Lynbrook had 27 per cent of residents aged over 70 in residential aged care — the fourth highest rate in the state — compared to Cranbourne North which had no aged care residents over 70.
Likewise, Sydenham had a median death age of 84 and the state’s second highest rate of elderly in aged care, while Taylors Lakes next door had no aged care residents and a median death age of 76.
While deaths for Australians before 75 have reduced by 55 per cent in the last 35 years,
Torrens University Australia public health development director John Glover said the gap between rich and poor areas had widened significantly.
“Since 1989 the death rate age before 75 has come down by 55 per cent overall but when you compare across Australia between most and least disadvantaged that’s where the gap has grown,” he said.
“Between the least and most disadvantaged the death rate has more than doubled, so where everyone was benefiting from a lower death rate the gap between the rich and poor has widened substantially.”
According to the data the four most disadvantaged suburbs — Broadmeadows, Campbellfield, Meadow Heights and Corio — all had median death ages below 80.
Meanwhile, the 12 suburbs with the highest socio-economic advantage index all had median death ages above 81.
The suburbs which had the highest median death ages in the state were Brighton East, Camberwell and Caulfield with 88.
The median death age for both Greater Melbourne and Regional Victoria was 82 years.
The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.
