Australians among longest living in world

[Richard]

By Rob Taylor

Australia may be the "lucky country" but its indigenous people are not so fortunate when it comes to longevity.

Figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that Australians are among the longest-living people in the world, with an average lifespan of 78.5 years for males and 83.3 years for females born "Down Under."

But the figures drop by around 17 years for indigenous Australians, whose average life expectancy in 2001 was 59.4 years for males and 64.8 for females.

Several factors, including poverty, discrimination, substance abuse and poor access to health, are believed to affect the lifespan of these original Australians.

For the rest of the nation, the capital Canberra -- often derided as boring and soulless -- is statistically the best place to sustain a long life.

The lakeside city's 325,000 people enjoy the longest average lifespan, with women living to 84 years and most men to 79.9.

Built to resolve a bitter 1908 dispute between Sydney and Melbourne over which should be capital, modern Canberra has the wealthiest and best-educated population in Australia.

The city's unemployment rate hovers at barely 2.8 percent, while weekly wages are well above the Australian average at A$1,208 (US$941), backed by a booming information technology industry and government salaries.

At the other end of the scale is the sparsely populated outback Northern Territory, cinematic home to "Crocodile Dundee."

The territory accounts for only 1 percent of Australia's 20 million population.

Men there live to 72.5 years on average, while women live to 78.2. More than a quarter of the population are aboriginal Australians, who often live on remote communities with poor access to jobs, health and education services and have one of the lowest life expectancies.

Australia's nationwide average life expectancy for males is exceeded only by Iceland and Hong Kong while the female life expectancy is exceeded by Japan and Hong Kong.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070108/ts_n...ia_life_dc

[Astrojewels]

This is funny, Canberra is where all the politicians live, they like to claim they are the best educated but in my opinion they are all dumb and dumber! They are only wealthy because they all have unlimited credit cards which we pay for in tax. When you drive through Canberra, it is soulless, the energy is dense and dark. If you can look at a map of this city you will see how everything is precisely geometrically built. True about the indigenous people and true that there are many elderly people here, but the average wage is way under this claim. The majority of people in Australia earn around $500 per week, the harder you work the less pay you get.

[Richard]

It sounds like the average pay out there is about the same as here. Also the harder you work the less jobs pay out here.

[Aethah]

Canberra Parliament House










  

[Astrojewels]

Aethah,
Great pictures and you know what they say ‘a picture tells a thousand words’