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Safety in Australia has progressed in recent years
Indicator: Physical assault victimisation rate
Why is this theme important?
Australians told us that it is important to be safe and free from physical and emotional violence, danger and harassment in their relationships, in public, while at work or in other areas of their life. People thought that this could be achieved by reducing crime, and through urban planning, workplace regulations, policing and justice systems, safe housing and other mechanisms that ensure public safety. As well as being safe, the consultation revealed that people need to feel safe in order to function well in their lives and to have places where they can take shelter if they are not safe.
Why has there been progress?
Safety in Australia has progressed because the victimisation rate for physical assault (our headline progress indicator for safety) was lower in 2012-13 than in 2008-09.
In 2008-09, the proportion of people who were victims of physical assault was 3.1%, while in 2012-13, the proportion was 2.7%. This corresponds to an estimated 527,400 victims of physical assault in Australia in 2008-09, compared to an estimated 498,000 victims in 2012-13.
Why this headline progress indicator?
Personal safety is an important part of the aspiration for safety.
The victimisation rate for physical assault is considered a good measure of progress for safety. This is because, second to face-to-face threatened assault, it is the most prevalent type of offence against a person experienced in Australia and can have far-reaching consequences. Crimes committed against individuals can impact directly on the physical, financial and emotional wellbeing of the victim, as well as indirectly on the people around them. However, we recognise that personal safety is only one dimension of safety.
This indicator is a partial measure of the concept of safety as described above (based on Aspirations for our Nation).
The data source is of high quality.
Let's break it down!
Victimisation rates for physical assault in Tasmania were significantly lower in 2012-13 than in 2008-09. In 2008-09, the proportion of people who were victims of physical assault in Tasmania was 4.1%, while in 2012-13, the proportion was 2.6%. There was no significant difference for other states and territories in the same time frame.
Use the drop down menu on the graph to look at other breakdowns of the indicator (graphs are also available on the further info page).
But that is not the whole story...
There is more to safety than the victimisation rate for physical assault. Look through the other tabs on this page to see if the other elements of safety have progressed.
Check out our further info page for useful links, a glossary and references relating to this chapter.
There has been progress in the reduction of crime at the national level in recent years, when measured by changes in the prevalence of malicious property damage.
Crime takes many forms and can have a major impact on the wellbeing of victims, their families and friends, and the wider community. Those most directly affected may suffer financially, physically, psychologically or emotionally. Household crimes may affect an individual or family's feelings of safety or security and may result in property damage and/or financial loss.
Crime in Australia has progressed in recent years because the victimisation rate for malicious property damage, our progress indicator for crime, was lower in 2012-13 than in 2008-09.
In 2008-09, the proportion of households that were victims of malicious property damage was 11.1%, while in 2012-13, the proportion was 6.3%. This corresponds to an estimated 912,500 Australian households that experienced malicious property damage in 2008-09 compared to 555,900 Australian households in 2012-13,
Why this progress indicator?
Safety of personal property is an important part of the aspiration for safety.
Malicious property damage is the most prevalent type of household crime experienced in Australia. The victimisation rate for malicious property damage is considered a good measure of progress for crime because it is one of the aspects of crime that shows change over time.
Victimisation rates for malicious property damage were significantly lower across all states and territories in 2012-13 compared with 2008-09.
Use the drop down menu on the graph to look at other breakdowns of the indicator (graphs are also available on the further info page).
But that is not the whole story...
There is more to safety than crime. Look through the other tabs on this page to see if the other elements of safety have progressed.
Check out our further info page for useful links, a glossary and references relating to this chapter.
A data gap currently exists for safe environments
In MAP there are several types of data gaps where:
1. the concept is not yet developed enough to measure;
2. the concept is important for progress but may not lend itself to meaningful measurement;
3. there is no data of sufficient quality to inform on progress; or
4. there is only one data point, so a progress assessment cannot be made.
We propose to use a social disorder measure as a progress indicator for the safe environments element in the future, when sufficient data becomes available for us to assess whether progress has been made.
But that is not the whole story...
There is more to safety than safe environments. Look through the other tabs on this page to see if the other elements of safety have progressed.
Check out our further info page for useful links, a glossary and references relating to this chapter.
A data gap currently exists for safety regulations and systems
In MAP there are several types of data gaps where:
1. the concept is not yet developed enough to measure;
2. the concept is important for progress but may not lend itself to meaningful measurement;
3. there is no data of sufficient quality to inform on progress; or
4. there is only one data point, so a progress assessment cannot be made.
At the moment we are considering this element to be the second type of data gap listed above, i.e. although the concept is important for progress, it may not lend itself to meaningful measurement. This being the case, while we will continue to consider this area of progress there is no guarantee that we will have a progress indicator for it in the future.
But that is not the whole story...
There is more to safety than safety regulations and systems. Look through the other tabs on this page to see if the other elements of safety have progressed.
Check out our further info page for useful links, a glossary and references relating to this chapter.
A data gap currently exists for refuge
In MAP there are several types of data gaps where:
1. the concept is not yet developed enough to measure;
2. the concept is important for progress but may not lend itself to meaningful measurement;
3. there is no data of sufficient quality to inform on progress; or
4. there is only one data point, so a progress assessment cannot be made.
In order to capture the spirit of this idea in a measure, further development will need to be undertaken. We will continue to explore options for a suitable indicator in the future.
But that is not the whole story...
There is more to safety than refuge. Look through the other tabs on this page to see if the other elements of safety have progressed.
Check out our further info page for useful links, a glossary and references relating to this chapter.
A data gap currently exists for feelings of safety
In MAP there are several types of data gaps where:
1. the concept is not yet developed enough to measure;
2. the concept is important for progress but may not lend itself to meaningful measurement;
3. there is no data of sufficient quality to inform on progress; or
4. there is only one data point, so a progress assessment cannot be made.
We propose to use the proportion of people who feel safe at home alone during the day, at home alone after dark and walking in the local area alone after dark, as a progress indicator for the feelings of safety element in the future, when sufficient data becomes available for us to assess whether progress has been made.
But that is not the whole story...
There is more to safety than feelings of safety. Look through the other tabs on this page to see if the other elements of safety have progressed.
Check out our further info page for useful links, a glossary and references relating to this chapter.
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