Injury prevention and control is one of seven National Health Priority Areas. The Australian Health Ministers endorsed injury Prevention and Control as a National Priority Area in 1986 in recognition of the national burden of injury.
Injuries result in an estimated 8,000, or 6% of deaths each year in Australia and are responsible for an estimated 400,000 hospital admissions annually. Injuries are the principal cause of death in almost half of the people under 45 years of age, and account for a range of physical and psychological disabilities that seriously affect the quality of life of inj…