However, the most common cause of death can be traced back to five things, according to new data from the Bureau of Statistics.

During 2021, there were 171,469 deaths, 52.1 per cent were male (89,401) and 47.9 per cent were female (82,068).

The median age at death was 82.0 years (79.4 for males, 84.8 for females).

The top five leading causes accounted for more than one-third of all deaths, they include heart disease (17,331 people); dementia including Alzheimer's disease (15,940), stroke (9800), lung cancer (8674) and respiratory diseases (7805).

These were the same top five killers in Australia for 2020.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Victoria's floods has grown to two, as communities remain on high alert for the swollen Murray River system to inundate homes.

Today's fatality, a 65-year-old man, was last known to be on a tractor on a property off Blacksmiths Road at Nathalia on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

His death follows that of a 71-year-old man found in the backyard of his Rochester home on Saturday.

Many of Victoria's dams are either spilling or expected to spill with the arrival of more rain.

Many of them are spilling for the first time in decades.

It has focused attention on how the water storage systems are managed to capture water for irrigation and urban supplies and not to prevent flooding.

With the floods hitting prime agricultural areas, the state government has announced a $73.5 million relief package to help farmers and business owners clean up, including $10,000 grants for primary producers.

Australians are being warned to play it safe when swimming in waters affected by flooding in the spring and summer months.

Beaches, rivers and lakes across the country could feel the after-effects of continued heavy rainfall and dangerous flooding, placing swimmers in dangerous situations.

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