1367.8 - Australian Capital Territory Statistical Indicators, Jun 2002  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 31/07/2002   
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  • ACT crime victimisation rates lower than rest of Australia (Media Release)

MEDIA RELEASE

July 31, 2002
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
100/2002

ACT crime victimisation rates lower than rest of Australia

With the exception of motor vehicle theft, crime victimisation rates were lower in the ACT compared to the rest of the nation, according to special article released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The article in the new publication ACT Statistical Indicators found victimisation rates were higher for property crimes than for crimes against people. Motor vehicle theft, at 751 people per 100,000, was above the national figure of 722.

The rate of sexual assault was 44 per 100,000 in the ACT, almost half the national figure of 86. Unlawful entry with intent recorded 1886 victims per 100,000 compared with 2247 nationally.

Nearly half of all assaults occurred in locations intended for public use, and 93% did not involve the use of a weapon. The 15 to 24 year age group contained 31% of male victims and 29% of female victims. Female victims were more likely to know their attacker (76%) than male victims (41%).

Most sexual assault victims were female (86%), while most male victims were aged under 15 (68%). Male victims were more likely to know their attacker (89%) than female victims (63%). More than half of all sexual assaults occurred in residential locations.

Weapons were used in over one-third of robberies. The most common weapons were knives (used in 52% of armed robberies), syringes (21%) and firearms (7%). Almost two-thirds occurred in areas of public use, such as retail locations (23%), car parks (10%) and service stations (7%).

Most motor vehicle thefts occurred in public locations (66%), with 40% of these occurring in car parks. Residential locations accounted for 30% of motor vehicle thefts.

Overall, unlawful entry with intent declined by 23% between 2000 and 2001, while robbery declined by 18%, motor vehicle theft by 17% and other theft by 14%. Increases were recorded for sexual assault (up 18%) and assault (9%).

These results are contained the first issue of the new quarterly ACT Statistical Indicators (cat. no.1367.8) which replaces the previous business indicator publication. See over for more information from this publication.

The new quarterly ACT Statistical Indicators publication provides a broad range of data with detailed analysis of recent trends and movements in key demographic, economic and labour market statistics.

Some highlights from the publication include:
  • Tourism in the ACT continued to grow from the previous quarter. Room occupancy rates were up 5%, with the national rate up 1%. Guest arrivals in the ACT also continued strongly up 7% on the previous quarter while the national guest arrival rate fell by 2%.
  • Total average weekly earnings in the ACT was $838 for males and $627 for females in February 2002. By comparison, the Australian average weekly earnings for males was $822 per week and $514 per week for females.
  • There was a higher proportion of public sector employees, 44% of all wage earners in the ACT compared with 20% nationally. The Commonwealth government, employs 33% of all wage earners in the ACT and 4% nationally.
  • Original personal finance commitments in the ACT rose by 7% to $73 million in April 2002. Nationally original total finance commitments fell by 2%.
  • The value of buildings commenced in the ACT was up 35% on the previous quarter, well above the national figure of 3%. The value of buildings completed was also above the national average, up 18% in the ACT compared to 7% nationally.
  • The number of Indigenous people increased by 23% in the 2001 Census compared with the previous 1996 Census, and by 125% since 1991. National increases of 16% and 55% were recorded for Indigenous people over these periods.
  • The 2001 Census found the ACT was the second youngest state after the Northern Territory (30 years), while South Australia recorded the highest median age (37 years). However the ACT's population continued to age, with the median age rising to 32 years from 1996 (30 years).

ACT Statistical Indicators provides more relevant information for a wider range of people who need to make decisions on the future of the ACT. ACT businesses, industry groups, health organisations, schools, tourism bodies and the ACT Government will all benefit from this publication.

More details are in ACT Statistical Indicators (cat. no. 1367.8).