Fewer Indigenous kids in detention

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in detention has dropped by more than 30 per cent.

The number of Indigenous children in detention in 2020-21 on an average day was 23.2 per 10,000 people, down from 31.9 per 10,000.

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in detention has dropped by more than 30 per cent since the financial year 2019 but remains well above the rate of the broader population.

The Productivity Commission’s update on the Closing the Gap progress showed Australia was on track to reach a target to reduce the number of Indigenous children aged 10-17 in detention by at least 30 per cent.

The number of Indigenous children in detention in 2020-21 on an average day was 23.2 per 10,000 people, down from 31.9 per 10,000.

There were 40.5 out of 10,000 Indigenous boys in detention in 2020-21, down from 55 out of 10,000 in 2018-19.

The number of Indigenous girls in detention dropped from 7.8 per 10,000 in 2018-19 to 5.1 per 10,000 in 2020-21.

Among non-Indigenous children aged 10 to 17, there were 2.2 out of 10,000 boys and 0.3 out of 10,000 girls in detention in 2020-21.

The Productivity Commission’s update also showed improving results in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in early childhood education.

In 2021, 96.7 per cent of Indigenous children were enrolled in a preschool program, exceeding the Closing the Gap target of 95 per cent by 2025.

The 2021 preschool rates are well up on 2016, when just 76.7 per cent of Indigenous children were enrolled at preschool.

“The proportions have increased at a similar rate for boys and girls since the 2016 baseline year,” the Productivity Commission research said.

“In 2021, the rates of disability were higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in a state and territory government-funded preschool program ... than for non-Indigenous children.”

But the results have gone backwards in the target for 55 per cent of Indigenous children to be assessed as “on track” by 2031 in the Australian Early Development Census.

The five domains assessed in the AEDC are physical health and well being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge.

“Nationally in 2021, 34.3 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children commencing school were assessed as being developmentally on track in all five AEDC domains,” the Productivity Commission said. “This is a decrease from 35.2 per cent in 2018. Nationally, based on progress from the baseline, the target is worsening.”

Nationally, just 27 per cent of Indigenous boys were assessed as being developmentally on track when commencing school, compared to 41.6 per cent of girls.

This is compared to 47.9 per cent of non-Indigenous boys who were developmentally on track and 64.5 per cent of girls.

“The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children assessed as being developmentally on track in all five AEDC domains was highest in major cities (38.4 per cent),” the commission said. “The proportion declined with remoteness, to 16.1 per cent in very remote areas.”

In 2021, 8.5 per cent of Indigenous children starting school had a medically diagnosed special need, up from 6.4 per cent in 2018.

On top of this, 28.5 per cent of Indigenous children had been identified by teachers as needing “further assessment to determine if they have a developmental difficulty that affects their ability to do schoolwork in a regular classroom”. This is up from 24.3 per cent in 2018.