The Overview of Australian Indigenous health status 2011 has been released and is now freely available from the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet website. Also available this year is a Power Point which contains tables and key facts from the Overview. These can be found at <www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews>

The Overview provides a comprehensive summary of the most recent indicators of the health of Indigenous people.

The Overview contains information about:

• the context of Indigenous health
• births and pregnancy outcomes
• mortality
• hospitalisation
• selected health conditions (cardiovascular health, cancer, diabetes, social and emotional wellbeing, kidney health, injury, respiratory health, communicable disease, eye health, ear health, oral health and disability)
• health risk and protective factors (nutrition, physical activity, bodyweight, immunisation, breastfeeding, tobacco smoking, alcohol use and illicit drug use).

There have been significant reductions in recorded mortality in recent years, and there have been substantial improvements in the overall impact of many infectious diseases partly due to immunisation programs. The Overview has been prepared by the HealthInfoNet as part of its effort to help ‘close the gap’ by providing the evidence base to inform practice and policy in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. The HealthInfoNet makes relevant high quality knowledge and information readily accessible to policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians, researchers and the general community.

Working in the area of translational research with a population health focus, the HealthInfoNet is helping to ‘close the gap’ in health between Indigenous and other Australians. The HealthInfoNet makes research and other information available in a form that has immediate, practical utility for practitioners and policy makers in the area of Indigenous health enabling to make decisions based on the best available evidence. It is a ‘one‑stop info‑shop’ for people interested in improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. Further information about the HealthInfoNet can be found at <www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au>