More than a half aboriginal Torres street Islander people completed non-school qualification, where about 40% of people between age 25-64 was higher compared to 32% in 2002.

About 54% of Aboriginal Tores strait Islander people between 15-64 years were unemployed in 2008. This was an increase about 6%.

The fraction of Aboriginal Tores strait Islander that lived in household and had ran out of money for their basic living expenses came down the previous year from 44% in 2002 to 28% in 2008. Almost 30% of Aboriginal Tores strait Islander children aged 0–14 years lived in dwellings that required at least one extra bedroom in 2008. Rates were higher in remote areas (57%) and lower in regional areas (26%) and major cities (19%).

A good number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people completed Year 12 – 22% (of people aged 15 years and over) in 2008, up from 18% in 2002.

More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Australia were employed and the number was from 17% to 23% in the year 2008 and remained 3 times above the rate of non-indigenous Australians (5%).

In the year 2004 the indigenous students were half who continued to year 12 as non-indigenous students.

Statistics shows between an individual’s social and economic status and the health, that poverty is a bigger factor that leads to poor health as illustrated below;

• Illiteracy and low quality education are linked to poor health status and it inhibits people to use health information.
• Low income earning reduces the accessibility of medicine and other health services.
• Lack of enough shelter and high population is linked to poverty and promotes communicable disease.
• Malnutrition is also linked to poverty and that leads to chronic diseases and subsequent deaths. Mostly this affect the infants.
• Drug abuse and alcohol are behaviours that are associated in lowering the socio-economic status.

Research has also demonstrated that poor people also have less financial and other forms of control over their lives. This can contribute to a greater burden of unhealthy stress where ‘prolonged exposure to psychological demands where possible to control the situation are perceived to be limited and the chances of reward are small.’ Chronic stress can impact on the body’s immune system, circulatory system, and metabolic functions through a variety of hormonal pathways and is associated with a range of health problems from diseases of the circulatory system (notably heart disease), mental health problems, violence against women and other forms of community dysfunction