the first time in Australia under the following age groups: 4–9 years; 10–11
years; 12–13 years; 14–15 years; and 16–17 years.61
86. As a result of this work, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
commenced publishing data on self-harm resulting in suicide in the age
range 5–17 years from 2014. It had not previously reported on self-harm
deaths under the age of 15 years.
87. According to current ABS data:
In 2017, suicide remained the leading cause of death of children between
5 and 17 years of age, with 98 deaths occurring in this age group. This
represents a 10.1% increase in deaths from 2016. Nearly 80% of the child
suicides were aged between 15 and 17 (78.8%).62
88. The NCC’s 2014 report found significant increases in the rates of suicide
between those aged 10 and 14 years of age.63 For the purposes of this
report to the Committee, the NCC updated her 2014 work using data from
the National Coronial Information System (NCIS) for the time-period 2007–
2015. The findings showed little improvement. Her updated work in
intentional self-harm showed the number of hospitalisations in children
aged 3–17 years almost doubled between 2007–2008 and 2016–2017.
89. Disaggregated data, rather than a single cohort for children aged 5–17
years, is required to inform interventions, planning and policy-making.
90. The Growing Up Queer report, released by the Young and Well Cooperative
Research Centre, identified intentional self-harm and suicide as an issue
for children and young people who are sexuality diverse, transgender,
gender diverse and intersex.64 As part of this report, an online national
survey completed by 1,032 children and young people aged 16–23 years
found that 41% of participants had thought about self-harm and/or
suicide, 33% had harmed themselves, and 16% had attempted suicide.65
(c)
Filicide
91. The National Homicide Monitoring Program recorded 42 children aged 17
years and younger being killed between 2012–2014.66 Approximately 8% of
homicide victims were children under 18 years of age, a decrease of five
percentage points from 2010–2012 (n=61; 13%). Over a third of these
children were between one and nine years of age (n=16; 3% of all homicide
victims); 14 victims were under one year of age (3% of all homicide
victims).67 Filicide is the second most frequent group of victims of family
and domestic homicides.
16