Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s preferences for, use of, and access to primary health care 2025

Having a usual source of health care supports continuity of care, helps build trusting relationships between individuals and health practitioners, and enables better management of ongoing health conditions. A consistent point of contact also makes it easier to access preventive care, follow up on test results, and receive timely referrals when needed. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, a usual source of care that is culturally safe and accessible can significantly improve health outcomes and strengthen engagement with the health system (Nolan-Isles et al. 2021; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing 2021).

In 2022–23, nearly all (91% or an estimated 903,000 of 994,000) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had a usual source of health care, while 90,700 (9.1%) did not (Figure 9). It is not known whether those without a usual source used multiple sources or whether they had not needed health care. Over half had a mainstream general practitioner (GP) as their usual source (58% or an estimated 579,000), and 28% (274,000) had an Aboriginal Medical Service or Community Clinic (AMS/CC).

Note: Data are population weighted estimates.

Source: AIHW analysis of 2022–23 NATSIHS using TableBuilder (ABS 2025a).

Usual source of health care is strongly related to the services available in a person’s local area. However, it is also important to note that some people will travel outside their local area for a service they prefer, that there may be different services in the area in which people work compared with the area in which they live (so they may access care near where they work), and that availability does not mean that a service will have capacity to serve everyone in their area.

Table 3 presents the distribution of usual source of health care by perceived availability of local health care sources. In 2022–23, 79% (or an estimated 69,800 of 88,500) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with only an AMS/CC in their area had an AMS/CC as their usual source of health care, and 81% (or 241,000 of 299,000) of those with only a mainstream GP in their area had a mainstream GP as their usual source. Where there was both an AMS/CC and a mainstream GP in their local area, 32% (or an estimated 192,000 of 595,000) had an AMS/CC as their usual source and 55% (or 330,000) had a mainstream GP.

n.p. not published because of confidentiality or reliability concerns.

Note: Data are population weighted estimates.

Source: AIHW analysis of 2012–13, 2018–19 and 2022–23 NATSIHS using DataLab (ABS 2013b, 2019b, 2025b).

At a broad level, there was also a strong relationship between remoteness and usual source of health care. Around 17% (or an estimated 67,900 of 409,000) of those in Major cities had an AMS/CC as their usual source of health care, compared with 76% (69,100 of 91,300) of those in Very remote areas; while 70% (287,000 of 409,000) of those in Major cities had a mainstream GP, compared with 26% (15,100 of 58,700) of those in Remote areas (Figure 10). The small number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Very remote areas with a mainstream GP (5.9% or 5,400 of 91,300) meant that the estimate has a high standard error and should be used with caution.

Notes:

1. Data are population weighted estimates.
2. While non-overlapping confidence intervals (CIs) generally indicate statistical significance, overlapping CIs do not necessarily imply that a difference is not significant. See Technical notes for more information.

Source: AIHW analysis of 2012–13, 2018–19 and 2022–23 NATSIHS using TableBuilder (ABS 2013a, 2019a, 2025a).

This pattern is consistent with how primary health care services are distributed throughout Australia. The spatial analysis conducted for the previous edition of this report found that 100% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live within a 60-minute drive of both a mainstream GP and an IAHP-funded service in Major cities (AIHW 2024). In contrast, while 83% live within a 60-minute drive of their nearest IAHP-funded service in Very remote areas, only 36% live within 60 minutes of the nearest mainstream GP.

There was also a relationship between socioeconomic conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s usual source of health care, with having an AMS/CC as their usual source highest among those living in the most disadvantaged areas (39% or an estimated 184,000 of 469,000) (Figure 10). In contrast, having a mainstream GP as the usual source of health care was highest among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in more advantaged areas (76% or 106,000 of 139,000).

Having an AMS/CC as their usual source was also higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who:

• had experienced unfair treatment in the last 12 months (33% or an estimated 44,700 of 137,000) compared with those who had not (26% or 107,000 of 416,000)
• were satisfied or strongly satisfied with their own knowledge of culture (42% or an estimated 113,000 of 270,000) compared with those who were less satisfied (14% or 25,900 of 187,000) (noting that having an AMS/CC as a usual source of health care could increase people’s knowledge of culture).