Australia is continuing its streak of mediocrity in terms of the health of our children, according to a new research report released by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).

The second Report Card: The Wellbeing of Young Australians was launched at Parliament house earlier this week, and highlights that in spite of ‘much rhetoric’ about the wellbeing of our kids, we’re making little real headway.

The report card judges Australia’s progress on 46 indicators, and compares the wellbeing of the nation’s youth with other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“The good news is we rank in the top third for 12 of the indicators but there are ominous signs that this achievement is fragile, particularly when you look at where we are performing poorly or moderately,” ARACY’s CEO Lance Emerson said.

The key findings of the report include:

  • Australia is ‘middle of the road’ – ranked in the top third of OECD countries for only 12 out of 46 indicators.
  • Australia is ranked relatively poorly when it comes to keeping our kids safe and preventing deaths from injuries – 22nd out of 34 OECD countries. Australia ranks 22nd on infant mortality and 29th for rates of some infant vaccinations to prevent disease.
  • Teenage pregnancy rates are higher than the OECD average, with Australia ranked 22nd out of 34 OECD countries.
  • Nearly one in three (30%) young people aged 15-24 years are overweight or obese and more than half (57%) lead sedentary lifestyles. Most children don’t eat the recommended levels of fruit and vegetables.
  • Australia fares well when compared to other OECD nations on rates of youth smoking (7% smoke daily) but less favourably for use of illicit drugs (18% using illicit drugs).
  • Rates of youth suicide are declining but we are still ranked only 20th of 33 OECD countries. More than one in 10 young people suffer high levels of psychological distress. Indigenous rates of psychological distress and suicide are close to three times the national average.
  • School achievement is relatively positive for 15 year olds but below average for primary school reading, maths and science.
  • Youth unemployment is increasing despite our strong economy. One in six young people are not in education or in employment.
  • The gap between rich and poor is increasing as is the percentage of young children living in jobless families. Over one in six children lived at or below the poverty line in 2010.

The full report can be found here