Poster Presentation Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference 2016

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) is part of an established program of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander statistics undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The survey collects detailed information on the socio-economic circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people every six years.

The NATSISS covers a range of topics exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity that are relevant and useful for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in decision making and planning for the future. Some of the topics covered in the NATSISS include:

• Language, culture, social networks and support
• Employment and education
• Health and disability
• Justice
• Mental health (collected for the first time in 2014-15)
• Community strength, including perceptions of community leadership (collected for the first time in 2014-15)

The topics covered in the NATSISS provide a lens from which the complexity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, health and wellbeing can be understood and communicated.

This presentation will unpack some of the key stories from the 2014-15 NATSISS and examine the interrelationships between cultural strength and some of the key components of wellbeing such as social networks and support, health and disability and indicators of participation and economic strength.