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OVERVIEW

This chapter presents data about the Indigenous status of offenders for New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory only. Based on an ABS assessment, Indigenous status data for other states and territories are not of sufficient quality and/or do not meet ABS standards for self-identification for national reporting in 2013-14.

Indigenous status is difficult to ascertain when police proceed by way of a penalty notice as this does not provide an opportunity for police to ask individuals to self-identify. As a result, offenders who were proceeded against by a penalty notice have been excluded from the published Indigenous status data. For further information refer to paragraphs 33-38 of the Explanatory Notes.

Certain offences are excluded from the Recorded Crime - Offenders collection. For further information about the scope and counting methodology for the collection refer to paragraphs 3-16 of the Explanatory Notes.

For the data presented here, there remained a small proportion of offenders whose Indigenous status was "not stated/unknown". In 2013-14 the proportion of unknowns was 8% in New South Wales, 2% in Queensland, 17% in South Australia and less than 1% in the Northern Territory. The proportion of offenders with an Indigenous status of "not stated/unknown" can vary from year to year. For this reason caution should be exercised when interpreting movements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data. For further information refer to paragraphs 35-38 of the Explanatory Notes.

The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders, by state or territory, was as follows:

• New South Wales - 13%;
• Queensland - 19%;
• South Australia - 14%; and
• Northern Territory - 78%. (Table 15)

• New South Wales - 3%;
• Queensland - 4%;
• South Australia - 2%; and
• Northern Territory - 28%.