About thirty people attended the Workshop on Heterogeneity in Mortality which was held on 13 and 14 April 2016. Participants included demographers, epidemiologists, actuaries, statisticians and other social scientists from several Australian and overseas universities and Australian government departments.

Substantial mortality decline in recent decades has led to renewed interest in human survival among both academics and policy-makers. Life expectancy at birth in Australia now exceeds 80 years for males and 84 years for females and continues to rise. Despite these advances in the health and survival of the population, significant differentials exist among social, economic, indigeneity-defined, ethnic, gender and geographic groups.

This Workshop investigated the mortality decline and the evolution of differentials to gain a better understanding of the underlying causes of relative advantage and disadvantage in current mortality in Australia.

The Workshop also addressed important issues regarding the availability of data in Australia for the study of differentials in mortality. New analyses made use of existing data in novel ways to increase our knowledge of mortality differentials. A particular focus was the forthcoming ABS dataset based on death registrations linked to the 2011 Census, providing reliable data on the socio-economic characteristics of deceased persons for the first time in Australia. These data will significantly enhance research capability in this area. Useful discussion took place regarding further data development and future research capabilities.

The Workshop included a Public Lecture by Professor Jon Anson, and was supported by a Workshop Grant from the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS).

This is the School's second workshop on mortality in recent years. It follows the successful 2013 Workshop on Innovations in Australian Mortality Research.

» Workshop program (PDF 241KB)

Image: Some of the Workshop participants