PM concerned over indigenous kids' deaths

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described five indigenous child deaths as heart-breaking, noting serious social issues in some communities.

Five Aboriginal girls have died from suicide in the past fortnight, with the tragedies highlighting the shocking over-representation of indigenous children in statistics.

While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make up five per cent of Australia's children, 40 per cent of those aged between five and 17 who died by suicide in the past year were indigenous.

"It breaks my heart as a parent," Mr Morrison told 2GB on Monday.

"We just have to keep doing everything we can to try and keep these girls safe in these communities."

Mr Morrison said he had raised the matter with Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion and senior bureaucrats.

"I've spoken to my own department because I'm very concerned about it," he said.

He said some children were finding themselves in the "most awful" of circumstances.

"There are some very serious social issues in these communities," the prime minister said.

"There are, distressingly, not as many opportunities where people who are under threat are able to talk about these things."

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