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The tally of First Nations people losing their lives while in detention in Australia has reached its highest point since official data began in 1980.

New statistics reveal that 33 of the 113 individuals who passed away in custody in the year leading up to June were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. This represents an increase from 24 deaths in the preceding equivalent period.

Indigenous Australian people remain severely represented in the justice system. They constitute more than one-third of all prisoners, despite comprising less than four per cent of the country's people.

These disturbing figures come to light more than three decades after a seminal royal commission into First Nations deaths in custody, which made hundreds of recommendations.

Breakdown of the Recent Figures

Of the 33 Aboriginal deaths in custody recorded between last July and this June, 26 took place while in a correctional facility, which is an rise from 18 in the previous year.

One death was in youth detention, and the vast majority of the individuals were men.

The other six deaths took place in the custody of law enforcement, defined as when someone dies while police are detaining them.

The leading cause of First Nations deaths was classified as "self-harm," followed by "natural causes." The data noted that hanging was the cause in eight of the cases.

State-by-State Breakdown

The state of New South Wales had the greatest number of Aboriginal deaths in prison custody with nine, followed by Western Australia with six. Queensland, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory each had three deaths.

The growing number of First Nations deaths in custody in this state is a "profoundly distressing reality," the state's coroner recently stated.

In a recent statement, Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan emphasised that this upward trend was not "mere statistics" and that these deaths demanded "thorough and careful examination, dignity and responsibility."

Profile Information and Expert Reaction

The mean age of those who died was 45, and eleven of the deceased were still waiting for a court sentencing.

A university associate professor, Amanda Porter, characterised the data as reflecting a "national crisis" that requires "leadership and political action."

Ms. Porter, who has been present at multiple coronial inquests with bereaved families, said very little has changed since the 1991's national inquiry that was established to address this issue.

"It's maddening to see the number of investigations I attend, the number memorials families have to attend, and the fact that we are 30 years past the royal commission, and the situation is getting increasingly worse," she noted.

From the time of the royal commission, a approximately 600 First Nations people have lost their lives in custody, which includes six in youth detention, according to the findings.