OVERVIEW

This chapter presents data about the Indigenous Status of offenders for New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Based on an ABS assessment, Indigenous Status data for other states are not of sufficient quality and/or do not meet ABS standards for self-identification for national reporting in 2014-15. Data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders in the Australian Capital Territory have been included for the first time in this issue, after a review of self-identification practices (see Explanatory Note 33). Indigenous Status data for the ACT are included for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 reference periods.

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 32-38 of the Explanatory Notes.

For the data presented here, there remain a small proportion of offenders whose Indigenous Status was ‘not stated/unknown.’ In 2014-15 the proportion of unknowns was 13% in New South Wales, 2% in Queensland, 18% in South Australia and less than 1% in the Northern Territory. There were no offenders with an unknown Indigenous Status in the Australian Capital 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 in 2014-15, by state or territory, was as follows:

• New South Wales - 9%;
• Queensland - 19%;
• South Australia - 14%;
• the Northern Territory - 77%; and
• the Australian Capital Territory - 13%.

For comparison, the proportion of the Estimated Resident Population (ERP) aged 10 years and over as at 31 December 2014 who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander was as follows:

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

SEX AND AGE

Males made up the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders for all selected states and territories in 2014-15, with the proportion of males ranging from 68% in Queensland to 77% in the Northern Territory. However, compared to non-Indigenous offenders a greater proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders were females. The proportion of female offenders was highest in Queensland and South Australia, where nearly a third (31%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders were females compared to 23% and 20% of non-Indigenous offenders respectively. (Table 24)

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offender rate was highest in South Australia for both males (16,488 offenders per 100,000 persons) and females (6,999 per 100,000 persons). The difference between male and female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offender rates was greatest in the Northern Territory, where males were over three times more likely to be an offender than females.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders had a lower median age compared to non-Indigenous offenders for most selected states and territories, with the median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders being:

• 25 in New South Wales (28 for non-Indigenous offenders);
• 26 in Queensland (27 for non-Indigenous offenders);
• 28 in South Australia (31 for non-Indigenous offenders);
• 29 in the Northern Territory (31 for non-Indigenous offenders); and
• 27 in the Australian Capital Territory (26 for non-Indigenous offenders). (Table 24)

Age-standardised rates

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population has a younger age distribution than the non-Indigenous population. To remove the effect of age when comparing populations, age standardised rates are used (see Explanatory Notes paragraphs 26-31). The following shows the age-standardised offender rates per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 10 years and over in 2014-15, by state and territory:

• 3,744 in New South Wales (see Explanatory Note 57);
• 9,497 in Queensland;
• 10,360 in South Australia;
• 8,763 in the Northern Territory; and
• 4,364 in the Australian Capital Territory. (Table 23)

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander age standardised offender rate was over eight times higher than the non-Indigenous rate in the Northern Territory (8.8) and South Australia (8.5).



REPEAT OFFENDERS

For all selected states and territories, a greater proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders were proceeded against more than once compared to non-Indigenous offenders, ranging from 49% in Queensland (compared to 31% of non-Indigenous offenders) to 30% in the Australian Capital Territory (compared to 15% of non-Indigenous offenders). (Table 25)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders were proceeded against in 2014-15 an average of 2.2 times in Queensland, 2 times in New South Wales and the Northern Territory, 1.9 times in South Australia and 1.6 times in the Australian Capital Territory.

PRINCIPAL OFFENCE

In 2014-15, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offender rates (per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons) were highest for:

• Acts intended to cause injury in New South Wales (2,026);
• Public order offences in Queensland (2,082);
• Acts intended to cause injury in South Australia (4,864);
• Acts intended to cause injury in the Northern Territory (4,203); and
• Acts intended to cause injury in the Australian Capital Territory (1,651). (Table 22)

Across all selected states and territories, there was a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders with a principal offence of Acts intended to cause injury compared to non-Indigenous offenders, but a lower proportion with Illicit drug offences.



Across all selected states and territories, there was an increase in the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders with Illicit drug offences, while the proportion proceeded against for Public order offences decreased in all selected states and territories except New South Wales.