Lead
A new study has found that children living in Melbourne's inner-west are significantly more likely to visit hospital emergency departments for asthma, renewing calls for government action on air pollution. The research, led by Deakin University, analysed 12 years of data from Victorian public hospitals and surveyed more than 500 parents from inner-west suburbs.
According to the study, childhood asthma-related emergency visits were 26 to 53 per cent higher in the local government areas of Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay and Brimbank compared with Victoria overall. The findings have been described as "significant" and "concerning" by the researchers involved.
Coverage comparison
ABC Australia reported the findings across two separate articles, each focusing on different aspects of the study. One report centred on the disproportionate impact on children in Melbourne's inner-west, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention. The other broadened the scope, linking residential ambient air pollution to cardio-respiratory hospitalisations and calling for better air quality policies.
Both reports drew on the same Deakin University study but framed its implications differently. The first emphasised localised childhood asthma rates and the role of truck and industrial pollution, while the second discussed nationwide asthma prevalence and recommended policy changes.
Key claims
The study analysed 12 years of data (2007-2019) from Victorian public hospitals and surveyed more than 500 parents from inner-west suburbs. It found that childhood asthma-related emergency department visits were 26 to 53 per cent higher in Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay and Brimbank compared with the state average.
Lead researcher Dr Yichao Wang said the findings highlight an urgent need to reduce environmental triggers such as air pollution and improve support for asthma care. Co-author Katherine Chen noted that although air pollution was not the sole cause of asthma, the increased risk for inner-west children was consistently above that of other Victorian children over the 12-year period.
The report also found consistent links between residential ambient air pollution and cardio-respiratory hospitalisations, warning that air pollution contributes to breathing difficulties, heart problems and stroke.
Maribyrnong City Council declared a health emergency in 2023 due to air pollution from trucks on local streets, such as Williamstown Road in Yarraville. The inner-west's proximity to the Port of Melbourne means thousands of trucks pass through daily, and the area is also home to numerous industrial sites and the West Gate Tunnel's ventilation stacks. A recent influx of data centres with backup diesel generators has also raised concerns among local residents.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures from 2022 show one in nine Australians has asthma. The study recommended banning wood heaters, phasing out diesel vehicles and improving bushfire control to reduce cardio-respiratory hospital admissions.
The personal impact was illustrated by Julia Ovens, a 53-year-old from Carrum in Melbourne's south-east, who has lived with asthma since age 10. She described air pollution as a "matter of life or death" and said she regularly monitors weather conditions and air quality apps to plan her daily activities. "Sometimes there's things that you go, 'OK, well, I need to stay indoors today,'" she said.