The Australian government has launched a real-time reporting system to hold criminal justice systems accountable for Indigenous deaths in custody.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Linda Burney, minister for Indigenous Australians, announced the new system on Wednesday.

"Every death in custody is a tragedy for all concerned, but it's also a systemic issue, and by reporting in real time on deaths in custody we've got a better chance of dealing with those systemic problems," Dreyfus was quoted as saying by Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

According to a report published by the Productivity Commission earlier in June, there were 22 deaths in police custody in 2021-22. More than 500 Indigenous Australians have died in custody since 1991.

Although Australia has monitored deaths in custody from 1992, there has been no real-time reporting to date, according to the Guardian.

Burney was quoted as saying that, "For far too long there has been a lack of trusted information available when a death in custody occurs," noting that the deaths in custody were a "heartbreaking tragedy for families and communities."

The new system will aggregate information on all deaths in police, prison and youth detention nationally, including custody type, Indigenous status and the sex and age of the deceased.

Australia is failing to address disadvantages faced by its Indigenous population, with life outcomes continuing to worsen according to data published on Thursday by the Productivity Commission on Closing the Gap, a national framework aiming to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by achieving 19 socioeconomic targets.

However, the update found only four of the 19 targets are on track to be met by 2031.

Australians are expected to vote late in 2023 in a referendum on whether to alter the constitution to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

(With input from agencies)