Save the Children has released a new report revealing Australia’s luckiest and toughest places to be a mum.

The NGO has used the report to demand governments do more for mothers.

The report ranks the states and territories using indicators including maternal and child health, education opportunities, earning potential and relative social disadvantage.

It ranked the ACT as the luckiest place to be a mother, while Queensland came in last place.

Mums in urban areas did much better than rural mums.

Cottesloe Town in Western Australia was the luckiest local government area in Australia to be a mum, while the top 10 places to be a mother across the country were almost exclusively in urban areas.

Mums in Australian cities consistently ranked higher across all states, with better access to maternal child health and other services, education opportunities and higher earning potential than their regional counterparts.

Being an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mother was deemed the least advantageous.

In the Northern Territory, which has the highest concentration of Aboriginal mothers in Australia, the maternal mortality ratio is more than three times higher than any other state.

Under-five mortality in the NT is almost twice as high.

The report also found concerning, entrenched disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers who are behind non-Indigenous mothers on almost every typical indicator of well-being.

The maternal mortality ratio for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is double that for non-Indigenous mums, while average household income and educational attainment are both just half that of non-Indigenous mothers.

Save the Children says the data shows the Australian Government must do more to reduce inequality between mums across the country.

They are asking the government to:

  • Increase investment in high-quality health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and children, and those living in regional and remote areas
  • Increase investment in family support services
  • Improve policies for mums in the workplace
  • Increase access to early learning opportunities for the most disadvantaged families and children

The full report is available here.