The number of Australians describing themselves as Aboriginal has risen sharply, a government report has found.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said the Aboriginal population had increased from 282,979 to 458,520 in the decade to 2001.
The rise was due to changes in social attitudes and a broader definition of Aboriginal, the report said.
It said Aboriginals were still the most disadvantaged community, with a life expectancy 17 years below the average.
The report said that the average growth rate for the indigenous population over the last five years was approximately twice that of the general population.
"Changing social attitudes, political developments, improved statistical coverage and a broader definition of Indigenous origin have all contributed to the increased likelihood of people identifying as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin," the report said.
It noted that these increases were "in excess of those which can be attributed to natural increase in the Indigenous population".
People no longer need to have two Aboriginal parents to be considered an Aborigine, but only need an Aboriginal background and to have been accepted into the Aboriginal community.
The ABS said the Aboriginal population could have been as high as one million before settlement by white Europeans began at the end of the 18th century, but that the population then declined dramatically under what it termed the impact of new diseases, repressive and often brutal treatment, dispossession, and cultural disruption.
The report follows two cases of violent clashes involving Aboriginals last year. In February in Redfern, Sydney, and in November in Palm Island, north Queensland, the deaths of Aboriginals sparked major disturbances pitting locals against the authorities.
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