Closing the gap needs work as new data reveals Victoria's Aboriginal infant mortality rate didn't improve in a decade, a professor says.
A landmark report compiled over six years shows no significant change in the rate of Aboriginal infant deaths between 1999 and 2008.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Jane Freemantle says the study shows the state's Aboriginal infant mortality gap isn't closing.
"We now have data that shows there has been no significant change in the rate of deaths between 1999 and 2008 of Aboriginal babies in Victoria and the risk of Aboriginal infant deaths in the first year of life remains twice as high as for non-Aboriginal babies," she said.
Prof Freemantle said a major cause of deaths was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, found to be significantly higher in Aboriginal babies than in non-Aboriginal babies.
She said the study, conducted by University of Melbourne researchers using total population data linkage, provided a base for measuring the effectiveness of closing the gap but should be ongoing to reveal the current rate and improve systems and policies.
"If we can't look after the most vulnerable in our society, then a nation's overall prosperity must be brought into question," Prof Freemantle said.
In the period studied, Aboriginal births accounted for 1.6 per cent of Victorian births but the Aboriginal infant mortality rate sat at 3.1 per cent of infant deaths.
Aboriginal child deaths accounted for 3.4 per cent of all childhood deaths in the state, which is twice the percentage of Aboriginal births.
The Victorian Aboriginal Child Mortality Study describes post-neonatal and childhood deaths of the Victorian-born Aboriginal population.
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