Canberra, Jan 8: Australia may be the 'lucky country' but its indigenous people are not so fortunat

Canberra, Jan 8: Australia may be the 'lucky country' but its indigenous people are not so fortunate when it comes to longevity.

Figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that Australians are among the longest-living people in the world, with an average lifespan of 78.5 years for males and 83.3 years for females born ''Down Under''.

But the figures drop by around 17 years for indigenous Australians, whose average life expectancy in 2001 was 59.4 years for males and 64.8 for females.

Several factors, including poverty, discrimination, substance abuse and poor access to health, are believed to affect the lifespan of these original Australians.

For the rest of the nation, the capital Canberra, often derided as boring and soulless, is statistically the best place to sustain a long life.

The lakeside city's 325,000 people enjoy the longest average lifespan, with women living to 84 years and most men to 79.9.

Built to resolve a bitter 1908 dispute between Sydney and Melbourne over which should be capital, modern Canberra has the wealthiest and best-educated population in Australia.

The city's unemployment rate hovers at barely 2.8 per cent, while weekly wages are well above the Australian average at A$1,208, backed by a booming information technology industry and government salaries.

At the other end of the scale is the sparsely populated outback Northern Territory, cinematic home to ''Crocodile Dundee''.

The territory accounts for only 1 percent of Australia's 20 million population.

Men there live to 72.5 years on average, while women live to 78.2. More than a quarter of the population are aboriginal Australians, who often live on remote communities with poor access to jobs, health and education services and have one of the lowest life expectancies.

Australia's nationwide average life expectancy for males is exceeded only by Iceland and Hong Kong while the female life expectancy is exceeded by Japan and Hong Kong.

REUTERS