The Bureau of Stats has revealed some grim truths about 2022 being a big year for deaths… There were 190,939 deaths recorded – almost 20,000 more than 2021, and the most since 2015. The top 5 causes of death also changed for the first time since 2006. Heart disease remained the leading cause overall, followed by dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) – it overtook bowel cancer and claimed the most women. COVID-19 came in third place with nearly 10,000 deaths – the first infectious top 5 disease since 1970. Cerebrovascular diseases (like stroke) came fourth, and lung disease/cancer was fifth. The median age at death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was 62.9 years – significantly lower than 82.4 years for non-Indigenous people. Policy experts say it’s the statistic that underlines the dire need to close the gap…