Indigenous birth rates-how reliable are they?

Government policy is now very much focused on remedying disadvantages among Australia's Indigenous population. Consequently it is important that we have reliable data on the size and characteristics of this population, especially its age distribution. This paper analyses statistics on Indigenous birth rates in the Northern Territory and uncovers some troubling anomalies, to such an extent that a sceptical observer might wonder if the data might not be in some sense made up.