4533.0 - Directory of Family and Domestic Violence Statistics, 2013  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/10/2013   
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On this page:
Contact details
Purpose
Description
Definition of family and domestic violence
Relationship to Defining the data challenge for family, domestic and sexual violence (cat. no. 4529.0)
Family and domestic violence related content (data items collected)
Collection methodology
Scope / Target population
Coverage
Data availability / Dissemination
Publications
Collection history
Other directory data sources held by this agency


EVALUATION OF THE 2006 FAMILY LAW REFORMS LEGISLATION AND COURTS PROJECT, AUSTRALIA (2013 provider updates not received)


DASHBOARD METADATA

Collection typeGeographic coverageFrequencyData availability
  • Survey
  • New South Wales
  • Victoria
  • Queensland
  • Western Australia
  • Once only
  • Detailed publication/report publicly available
[1] May be subject to release conditions


DETAILED METADATA

Contact details

Data custodianAustralian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS)
Contact Deputy Director (Research)
AddressLevel 20, South Tower, 485 La Trobe St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Telephone03 9214 7888
Facsimile 03 9214 7839
Emailhttp://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/contact.php
Internethttp://www.aifs.gov.au
Source linkhttp://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fle/

PURPOSE

The primary purpose of this data collection was to assess the extent to which the change in family law legislation affected court orders relating to parental responsibility and children’s time between parents after parental separation. Within this context, information was collected as part of this study to determine how matters involving concerns about family violence and child abuse are dealt with by the courts.

DESCRIPTION

This component obtained and analysed information contained in court files to inform the evaluation’s analysis of broader trends in the use of court services in the context of the 2006 reforms.

DEFINITION OF FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Family and domestic violence is defined operationally in this collection using information contained in court files of whether violence or abuse is listed as a factual issue of a reason for unequal parenting responsibilities.

Legislation and screening tools used pre and post-reform form the basis on which family and domestic violence is defined for consideration by courts. Post-reform, family violence is defined by the Family Law Act, 1975 as:
“conduct, whether actual or threatened, by a person towards, or towards the property of, a member of the person's family that causes that or any other member of the person's family reasonably to fear for, or reasonably to be apprehensive about, his or her personal well-being or safety.

A person reasonably fears for, or reasonably is apprehensive about, his or her personal well-being or safety in particular circumstances if a reasonable person in those circumstances would fear for, or be apprehensive about, his or her personal well-being or safety. “

The Screening and Assessment Guidelines refer to the Partnerships Against Domestic Violence (1997) definition, which is:
“an abuse of power perpetrated mainly (but not only) by men against women both in a relationship and after separation. It occurs when one partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate or control the other. Domestic violence takes a number of forms. The most commonly acknowledged forms are physical and sexual violence, threats and intimidation, emotional and social abuse and economic deprivation.” (AGD 2006, p. 27)
Pre-reform allegations were not collected.

Aspects of family and domestic violence captured by the data are:
    • physical abuse;
    • sexual abuse;
    • psychological /emotional abuse;
    • verbal abuse; and
    • child abuse and neglect.

RELATIONSHIP TO DEFINING THE DATA CHALLENGE FOR FAMILY, DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE (cat. no. 4529.0)

The summary table below is designed to indicate the amount of information available for each of the six elements outlined in Defining the Data Challenge for Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2013 (cat. no. 4529.0).This is a subjective assessment made by the ABS about the data collected and is not an indication of data quality.

Conceptual Framework
Amount of Information Available
Element/Sub–element
Some
Detailed
Context
Environmental factors
Psycho-social factors
Risk
Community prevalence
Community incidence
Incident/event
Responses
Formal responses
Informal responses
Impacts/Outcomes
Programs, Research & Evaluation
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATED CONTENT (data items collected)

The following tables provide a detailed analysis of the availability of specified data elements in the data source. The data items have been grouped into four counting units:
1. Context;
2. Person;
3. Incident/Event; and
4. Transaction.

Tables are absent from the entry in cases where the data source contains no data items which relate to the particular counting unit/s.

Context
Please note: This data source does not contain any data items relevant to this counting unit.

Person

Data Items
Respondent
(Victim)1
Perpetrator 1
Secondary
(Victim)
Residential location
Age
Sex
Indigenous status
Disability status
Country of birth
Language spoken
Employment status
Education
Income
Socio-economic status
Mental illness
Other (main activity when not in labour force)
[1] Respondent may or may not have experienced family and domestic violence. Victim or perpetrator is implied by analysis of the care arrangements information only. Incident/event

Data Items
Available
Location of incident/event
Residential location
Workplace
Educational institution
Public Place
Other Location
Relationship between parties
Current partner
1
Previous partner
Boyfriend/girlfriend/date
Parent
Child
Sibling
Other relatives
Other member of household
Personal/financial dependency
Other
Other Characteristics
Weapon used
Type of weapon
Physical Injury sustained
Type of injury sustained
Pregnancy
Alcohol/substance use
2
Prior history of victimisation/offending
Change to routine
Time off work/economic costs
Perceptions of behaviour as criminal
Other (reasons for unequal or sole parental responsibility)
3
[1] Separating couples.
[2]Post reform files only- recorded where the court file contained a claim relating to the impact of substance abuse on the capacity to parent.
[3] Post reform files only. Transaction

Data Items
Available
Detection
Reported to police
Reasons not reported to police
Satisfaction with police response
Application for violence order
Violence order issued
1
Offender charged
Offender went to court
Offender sentence type
Child protection involvement
Other
Formal support
Services used/ referral to services
2
Medical treatment/type
Counselling
Legal
2
Financial
Housing/accommodation
Crisis
Other
Informal Support
Family/friends
Minister/priest
Telephone service
Other
[1] Post reform files only - information relating to State Protection Orders (including Violence Orders).
[2] information on parenting disputes lodged in the Family Court of Australia, Federal Magistrates Court and the Family Court of Western Australia.
COLLECTION METHODOLOGY

Information was collected from a sample of 1,724 court files involving parenting disputes lodged in the Family Court of Australia (FCoA), Federal Magistrates Court (FMC) and the Family Court of Western Australia (FCoWA). Information was collected from a sample of 739 court files lodged and finalised prior to July 2006 (the pre-reform sample) and 985 court files lodged and finalised after July 2006 (the post-reform sample).

SCOPE/TARGET POPULATION

Separating couples with parenting disputes lodged in the FCoA, FMC and the FCoWA before and after the introduction of the 2006 Family Law Reforms.

COVERAGE

Post-reform files were sampled from the Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane registries of the FCoA and FMC along with court files from the FCoWA. Pre-reform files were sampled from the Melbourne registry of the FCoA and FMC along with a sample of files from the FCoWA.

DATA AVAILABILITY / DISSEMINATION

Data are reported in the report Evaluation of the 2006 Family Law Reforms. No further data are available.

PUBLICATIONS

Evaluation of the 2006 Family Law Reforms

COLLECTION HISTORY

Collection commenced: November 2008

Break in series: No

Other details: N/a
OTHER DIRECTORY DATA SOURCES HELD BY THIS AGENCY

Australian Temperament Project (ATP)
Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
Longitudinal Study of Separated Families (LSSF)
Survey of Family Relationship Service Clients, 2009