EXPERIMENTAL FAMILY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents experimental data about Offenders of Family and Domestic Violence (FDV) –related offences¹. The data presented in this release were drawn from police crime recording systems and offenders of selected offences were determined to be FDV -related based on an FDV flag as recorded by police.

The use of the FDV flag varies across jurisdictions based on relevant state and territory legislation. Police policy can also vary, from professional judgement through to the use of screening tools as part of risk assessment frameworks. As there is no uniform process to identify FDV events across state and territories, caution should be exercised when interpreting these results. Users should refrain from making direct comparisons across the selected states and territories as movements in these data may be influenced by changes in reporting behaviours and police detection. For further information see Explanatory Notes paragraphs 32–42.

FDV-related data referred to in this chapter were drawn from the data cube: Offenders of Family and Domestic Violence, Experimental data, selected states and territories. The total offender population referred to in this chapter was drawn from data cube: Offenders, States and territories.

Offender rates presented in the chapter are for persons aged 10 years and over. Where rates are presented by jurisdiction, sex, age or Indigenous Status, they have been calculated based on the relevant population or group.

KEY FINDINGS

Across the selected states and territories, around one in five offenders proceeded against by police in 2015–16 had at least one FDV-related offence as follows:

• New South Wales (18% or 22,910 offenders)
• Western Australia (18% or 7,134 offenders)
• Victoria (20% of 15,322 offenders)
• The Australian Capital Territory (22% or 624 offenders)
• The Northern Territory (24% or 2,832 offenders). (Table 1)

Across the selected states and territories, the majority of these offenders were male. There were five times more male than female offenders proceeded against for FDV-related offences, except in New South Wales where the number of male offenders was four times the number of female offenders.


Across the selected states and territories, the most common principal FDV-related offence amongst both male and female offenders was Assault.

Within each jurisdiction, males were more likely than females to have a principal FDV-related offence of Sexual assault or Stalking. In contrast, females had a higher proportion of offenders with a principal FDV-related offence of Property damage in all selected states and territories, except the Australian Capital Territory. However, the male offender rate for FDV-related Property damage was at least two times higher than the rate for females across all the selected jurisdictions. (Table 1)


In most jurisdictions, offenders proceeded against for an FDV-related offence had a higher median age than that of total offenders. Specifically, the median age for offenders with an FDV-related offence was:

• Six years older than the median age of total offenders in the Australian Capital Territory (32 and 26 years respectively)
• Five years older than the median age of total offenders in New South Wales (32 and 27 years respectively)
• Five years older than the median age of total offenders in Victoria (34 and 29 years respectively)
• Four years older than the median age of total offenders in Western Australia (32 and 28 years respectively)

In the Northern Territory the median age of offenders was the same, 31 years, for both offenders of FDV-related offences and total offenders in 2015–16. (Table 2)


Offenders were most likely to have been proceeded against for an FDV-related offence on only one occasion during the reference period. In most cases this was via a court action (over 97% of FDV-related proceedings across the selected states and territories). (Tables 5 and 6)

New South Wales

There were 22,910 offenders with an FDV-related offence in New South Wales in 2015–16, which equated to 342 offenders per 100,000 persons. This represents an increase of 15 offenders per 100,000 persons since 2014–15.

Over two thirds of these offenders had a principal FDV-related offence of Assault (15,399 offenders).

The number of male offenders of FDV-related offences (18,707) was four times higher than the number of female offenders (4,204). (Table 1)

The median age of offenders of FDV-related offences was 32 years. However, the median age varied by offence type, ranging from 27 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Property damage, to 36 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Breach of violence and non-violence orders. (Table 2)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders accounted for 18% (or 4,062) of total offenders of FDV-related offences recorded in New South Wales in 2015–16. The offender rate was eight times higher amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders (2,328 offenders per 100,000 persons) than non-Indigenous offenders (281 offenders per 100,000 persons).

The median age of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders of FDV-related offences was 29 years; while for non-Indigenous offenders it was 33 years. (Tables 3 and 4)

The majority of offenders in New South Wales (80%) were proceeded against only once for a selected FDV-related offence during the reference period (18,369 offenders). (Table 5)

Victoria

There were 15,322 offenders with an FDV-related offence in Victoria in 2015–16, equating to 292 offenders per 100,000 persons. This represents an increase of 29 offenders per 100,000 persons since 2014–15.

Around three in five (59%) offenders had a principal FDV-related offence of Assault (9,033 offenders). Almost one fifth (19%) had a principal FDV-related offence of Breach of violence and non-violence orders (2,881 offenders).

In 2015–16, the number of male offenders with an FDV-related offence (12,755) in Victoria was five times higher than the number of female offenders (2,531). (Table 1)

The median age of offenders of FDV-related offences was 34 years; the highest across the selected jurisdictions. The median age of offenders varied by offence type, ranging from 28 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Property damage, to 37 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Sexual assault and Breach of violence and non-violence orders. (Table 2)

The majority of offenders (77%) were proceeded against only once in Victoria for an FDV-related offence during the reference period (11,831 offenders). (Table 5)

Western Australia

There were 7,134 offenders of FDV-related offences in Western Australia in 2015–16, equating to 316 offenders per 100,000 persons. This represents an increase of 47 offenders per 100,000 persons since 2014–15.

Almost half of these offenders (48%) had a principal FDV-related offence of Assault (3,447 offenders); while just under one third (32%) had a principal FDV-related offence of Breach of violence and non-violence orders (2,261 offenders).

In 2015–16, there were five times more male offenders (5,939) than female offenders (1,168) proceeded against in Western Australia for at least one FDV-related offence. (Table 1)

The median age of offenders of FDV-related offences in Western Australia was 32 years. However, the median age varied by offence type from a low of 27 years amongst offenders with a principal FDV-related offence of Property damage, to 36 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Homicide and related offences. (Table 2)

Northern Territory

In 2015–16, there were 2,832 offenders of FDV-related offences in the Northern Territory, which equated to 1,368 offenders per 100,000 persons. This represents a decrease of 47 offenders per 100,000 persons since 2014–15.

Three quarters of these offenders had a principal FDV-related offence of Assault (75% or 2,136 offenders).

There were five times more male offenders (2,343) than female offenders (480) proceeded against for an FDV-related offence in 2015–16. (Table 1)

The median age of offenders of FDV-related offences was lower in the Northern Territory (at 31 years) than any other selected state or territory. The median age of offenders ranged from 25 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Property damage to 43 years amongst those with a principal FDV-related offence of Homicide and related offences. (Table 2)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders accounted for nine out of ten offenders (89%) proceeded against for an FDV-related offence in the Northern Territory in 2015–16 (2,525 offenders). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offender rate (4,264 offenders per 100,000 persons) was 21 times higher than the non-Indigenous rate (202 offenders per 100,000 persons). (Tables 3 and 4)

The majority of offenders (77%) were proceeded against only once in the Northern Territory for an FDV-related offence during the reference period (2,181 offenders). (Table 5)

Australian Capital Territory

In 2015–16, there were 624 offenders proceeded against for FDV-related offences in the Australian Capital Territory; or 183 offenders per 100,000 persons.

Around two thirds of these (64%) had a principal FDV-related offence of Assault (402 offenders). The second most prevalent principal FDV-related offence in the Australian Capital Territory was Property damage (14% or 87 offenders).

There were five times more male offenders (523) than female offenders (104) proceeded against for an FDV-related offence in the territory during 2015–16. (Table 1)

The median age of offenders proceeded against for an FDV-related offence was 32 years. (Table 2)

One in ten offenders (11%) proceeded against for an FDV-related offence in the Australian Capital Territory identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (66 offenders) and almost three quarters of these (73%) had a principal FDV-related offence of Assault (48 offenders).

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offender rate (1,189 offenders per 100,000 persons) was seven times higher than the non-Indigenous offender rate (165 offenders per 100,000 persons). (Tables 3 and 4)

Footnotes
1. FDV-related offences refer to selected offences only (see Explanatory Notes paragraph 35 for inclusions).