ABOUT THE DIRECTORY

The statistical collections included in the Directory have been organised into geographic categories (national and states and territories), however some national level statistical collections may also output state and territory level data.

The Directory publishes metadata about each identified source of family, domestic, and sexual violence data. Metadata, which provides an overview of the nature and content of the data source, assists researchers, policy analysts, and practitioners to obtain information about:

• the range of family, domestic, and sexual violence data captured by each data source, and where data gaps exist, both within and across data sources;
• the collection methodology, scope, coverage and consequent limitations of the data source;
• whether data from a particular source meets their information needs;
• potential frameworks or models for the development of new data collections; and
• contact details for accessing published data and, where applicable, requests for customised data.

Whilst the Directory is broad in its scope, it does not constitute an exhaustive catalogue of all sources of family, domestic, and sexual violence data. Some data sources have been omitted from the Directory for the following reasons:

• the data are not publically available;
• the data cannot be readily extracted in an aggregated, de-identified format;
• the data are not considered to be sufficiently robust, consistent or relevant for statistical purposes; and
• the data have not been released within the previous ten years.

Further, although every effort has been made to ensure the information presented in the Directory remains current and accurate, it is recommended that readers confirm details about data availability and methodology directly with the relevant data custodian.

HOW THE DATA SOURCES INFORM NATIONAL DATA INITIATIVES

Since the release of the National Plan in 2011, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has consulted with a range of Commonwealth and state and territory agencies that operate in the area of family, domestic, and sexual violence to produce two key publications:

• Defining the Data Challenge for Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence, 2013 (cat. no. 4529.0) (Defining the Data Challenge); and

• Foundation for a National Data Collection and Reporting Framework for Family, Domestic, and, Sexual Violence, 2014 (cat. no. 4529.0.00.003) (the DCRF).

The purpose of these publications is to identify key information needs and priorities, improve the quality and consistency of data collection and reporting, and outline a conceptual framework for establishing a sound evidence base for the field.

In addition to providing metadata information about each data source, the Directory also includes subjective assessments (by the ABS) in terms of if/how each source meets the needs or requirements outlined in the DCRF and ‘Defining the Data Challenge’ publications. These assessments are not an ABS endorsement or indication of data quality, but are intended to assist readers in determining whether the source will meet their data needs.