Almost 30,000 preventable hospital stays: what new data means for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders are hospitalised for preventable conditions at 2.4 times the rate of other Queenslanders, according to new national data. The figures come from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework, updated in October 2026 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. They show that chronic hepatitis B is one of the largest gaps of all.
What the report measures
Potentially preventable hospitalisations are hospital stays that could have been avoided with timely care in the community. That care includes vaccination, early testing and regular check-ups.
The impact in Queensland
Between July 2021 and June 2023:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders had 29,537 potentially preventable hospitalisations, more than in any other state and about three in ten of the national total.
- The rate was 2.4 times that of non-Indigenous Queenslanders, and 2.9 times in remote areas.
- The widest gap was for vaccine-preventable conditions, at 3.9 times the non-Indigenous rate.
- The gap was largest in mid-life. Among people aged 45 to 54, the rate was 3.8 times higher.
Why hepatitis B matters
Across Australia, chronic hepatitis B accounted for half (49%) of all vaccine-preventable hospitalisations among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. That is 6,361 hospital stays in two years, averaging seven days each.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were hospitalised with chronic hepatitis B at about seven times the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. No other leading preventable condition had a gap that large.
Hepatitis B can be prevented with a vaccine and found with a simple blood test. There is no cure yet, but regular liver check-ups and treatment when needed can prevent serious liver disease and liver cancer. Many people living with hepatitis B have no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know.
“These are hospital stays that good care in the community can prevent,” said Hepatitis Queensland CEO Dr Anna Hawkes. “Most people living with chronic hepatitis B need a liver check-up every six months, not a week in a hospital bed.”
What Hepatitis Queensland is doing
Strong Liver. Strong Mob. is Hepatitis Queensland’s program to prevent hepatitis B and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities living with chronic hepatitis B. We work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health organisations, health services and community members to:
- raise awareness of hepatitis B, testing and vaccination
- provide education and training for the health workforce
- help people living with chronic hepatitis B connect with regular liver care.
Find out more
Talk to your doctor or health worker about a hepatitis B test. For free, confidential information, call the Hepatitis Queensland Information and Support Line on 1800 437 753.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and National Indigenous Australians Agency (2026), Measure 3.07 Selected potentially preventable hospital admissions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework. Queensland figures are from the measure’s data tables. Hepatitis B figures are national.
