The following figure shows the differences in life expectancy at birth among the Australian states and territories. It shows how national-level statistics can mask variation at the regional level.
The Australian Capital Territory has the country's highest life expectancy for both males and females. It is the only jurisdiction to have a male life expectancy of 80 years or over. The Northern Territory has the lowest life expectancy - male life expectancy here is nearly 8 years below that of the ACT. Among the larger states, Victoria has relatively high male life expectancy (79.3 years), while Western Australia has high female life expectancy (83.8 years). New South Wales (male: 78.6 female: 83.4) and Queensland (male: 78.5 female: 83.4) have remarkably similar life expectancies, which are just below the national average of 78.7 years for males and 83.5 years for females.
As with the national profile, females have higher life expectancies than males in all the states and territories. The smallest gap between male and female life expectancy is in the Australian Capital Territory (3.9 years). The largest gap is in the Northern Territory - 6.0 years - well above the national gap of 4.8 years.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex and state/territory, 2004-06
Source: ABS Cat No. 3302.0