BreastScreen Australia outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
This chapter brings together data specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women for BreastScreen Australia participation, breast cancer incidence, and breast cancer mortality that previously appeared in several places in this report.
Reporting key performance indicators by Indigenous status
Of the 8 performance indicators that are reported in this report, 3 have been reported by Indigenous status in this report, as indicated in the table below
Performance indicator | Reported by Indigenous status |
|---|---|
Performance Indicator 1 Participation | ✓ |
Performance Indicator 2 Rescreening | ✖ |
Performance Indicator 3 Recall to assessment | ✖ |
Performance Indicator 4 Invasive breast cancer detection | ✖ |
Performance Indicator 5 DCIS detection | ✖ |
Performance Indicator 6 Sensitivity | ✖ |
Performance Indicator 7 Incidence | ✓ |
Performance Indicator 8 Mortality | ✓ |
✓ = reported by Indigenous status; ✖ = not reported by Indigenous status
The performance indicators selected for inclusion in this report are key breast screening performance indicators for the BreastScreen Australia program and considered highly relevant to the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in breast cancer screening.
However, it is important that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to decide the story that their data should reveal, which in the future may include additional performance indicators reported by Indigenous status, other information that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may like to add, as well as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander data presented in a different way that best reflects needs and aspirations.
Priority Reform 4 under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap aims to improve and share access to data and information to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to make informed decisions (see Box 10.1).
Box 10.1: Priority Reform 4 under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap was developed in partnership between the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations and Australian governments, with the objective to overcome the entrenched inequality faced by too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that their life outcomes are equal to all Australians.
Under this National Agreement, and following the guidance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 4 Priority Reforms have been designed to change the way that governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Priority Reforms will:
- Strengthen and establish formal partnerships and shared decision-making
- Build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector
- Transform government organisations so they work better for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Improve and share access to data and information to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities make informed decisions.
Priority Reform 4 Improve and share access to data and information to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities make informed decisions
Data and information sharing elements of Priority Reform 4:
- There are partnerships in place between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives and government organisations to guide the improved collections, access, management, and use of data to inform shared decision-making for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
- Governments agree to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations access to the same data and information on which any decisions are made, subject to meeting privacy requirements, and ensuring data security and integrity.
- Governments collect, handle and report data at sufficient levels of disaggregation, and in an accessible and timely way, to empower local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to access, use and interpret data for local decision-making.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations are supported by governments to build capability and expertise in collecting, using, and interpreting data in a meaningful way.
In addition, the Framework for Governance of Indigenous Data was implemented across the Australia Public Service in 2024. This framework was co-designed by Australian Public Service agencies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-government partners. This Framework places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as its core, and is a single framework for Australian Public Service Agencies working with Indigenous data.
Implementation of this Framework is guided by the following four principles:
- Partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Build data-related capabilities
- Provide knowledge of data assets
- Build an inclusive data system.