Partner violence

Of the 173,300 women who have experienced violence by their current partner, 41% experienced more than one incident of violence.

Of the 1.5 million women who have experienced violence by a previous partner, 67% experienced more than one incident of violence.

Approximately 17% of women who experienced violence by a previous partner experienced violence most of the time and 3.8% experienced violence all of the time.

Of the 425,400 men who have experienced violence by a previous partner, 52% experienced more than one incident of violence.

Of the 173,300 women who have experienced violence by their current partner:

• 24% were in the relationship for less than 2 years before the first incident of violence occurred
• 34% were in the relationship for more than 10 years before the first incident of violence occurred

Of the 1.5 million women who have experienced violence by a previous partner:

• 40% were in the relationship for less than 2 years before the first incident of violence occurred
• 10% were in the relationship for more than 10 years before the first incident of violence occurred
• 11% did not experience violence until after the relationship ended

Of the 425,400 men who have experienced violence by a previous partner:

• 71% were in the relationship for less than 10 years before the first incident of violence occurred
• 9.8% were in the relationship for longer than 10 years before the first incident of violence occurred
• 25% did not experience violence until after the relationship ended

Of the 173,300 women who have experienced violence by their current partner:

• 68% have told someone about the violence
• 54% have sought advice or support
• 35% have sought advice or support from a formal source
• 35% have sought advice or support from an informal source

Of the 1.5 million women who have experienced violence by a previous partner:

• 85% have told someone about the violence
• 63% have sought advice or support
• 44% have sought advice or support from a formal source
• 46% have sought advice or support from an informal source

Women who experienced violence by a previous partner commonly sought advice or support from:

• Friend or family member (45%)
• Police (21%)
• Counsellor or support worker (20%)

Of the 425,400 men who have experienced violence by a previous partner:

• 86% have told someone about the violence
• 64% have sought advice or support

Of the 78,100 women who have experienced violence by their current partner and have not sought advice or support, common reasons for not doing so were:

• feeling they could deal with it themselves (51%)
• believing it was not serious enough to seek help (43%)
• not wanting or needing help (23%)

Of the 573,600 women who have experienced violence by a previous partner and did not seek advice or support, common reasons for not doing so were:

• feeling they could deal with it themselves (37%)
• shame or embarrassment (29%)
• believing it was not serious enough to seek help (25%)

Of the 173,300 women who have experienced violence by their current partner, 79% have never told the police about the violence.

Of the 1.5 million women who have experienced violence by a previous partner:

• 68% have never told the police about the violence
• 32% have contacted the police, including 29% who contacted the police themselves and 3.5% who said the police were contacted by someone else

Of the 425,400 men who have experienced violence by a previous partner, 73% have never told the police about the violence.

Of the 489,300 women who have experienced violence by a previous partner and have told the police, about one third (34% or 164,200) said the perpetrator was charged. Of these women, most (88%) said the perpetrator went to court as a result of the charges.

About one-fifth (20% or 310,600) of all women who experienced violence by a previous partner had a restraining order issued against the violent partner. Of these women:

• 47% experienced further incidents of violence after the restraining order was issued
• 71% experienced controlling or emotionally harmful incidents during the period covered by the order

Of the 173,300 women who have experienced violence by their current partner, 49% experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety as a result of the violence.

Of the 1.5 million women who have experienced violence by a previous partner, 69% experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety as a result of the violence.

Approximately 36% of women who experienced violence by a previous partner experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety all or most of the time.

Of the 425,400 men who have experienced violence by a previous partner, 42% experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety as a result of the violence.

Of the 1.5 million women who have experienced violence by a previous partner, 23% took time off work as a result of the violence.

An estimated 123,800 women who experienced violence by their current partner were pregnant at some point during the relationship. Of these women, *15% experienced violence during their pregnancy.

An estimated 791,100 women who experienced violence by a previous partner while living together were pregnant at some point during the relationship. Of these women, 42% experienced violence during their pregnancy, including 17% who experienced violence for the first time during their pregnancy.

Of the 90,100 women who experienced violence by their current partner and had children in their care when the violence occurred, 49% reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.

Of the 701,800 women who experienced violence by a previous partner while living together and had children in their care when the violence occurred, 69% reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.

Of the 119,200 men who experienced violence by a previous partner while living together and had children in their care when the violence occurred, 48% reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.

Of the 173,300 women who experienced violence by their current partner, 27% had temporarily separated from their partner, including:

• 17% who temporarily separated once
• 11% who temporarily separated more than once

Of the 47,200 women who had temporarily separated from their current partner, the most common reasons for returning to their partner include:

• Wanted to try and work things out or resolve problems with their partner (91%)
• Still loved their partner (55%)

Approximately half (48%) of women who temporarily separated from their current partner moved out of home during at least one temporary separation.

Approximately 121,900 women who have experienced violence by their current partner have never temporarily separated. More than half of these women (57%) reported that they have wanted to leave their partner.

Of the 68,900 women who have wanted to leave their violent current partner:

• 50% reported their main reason for wanting to leave was their partner’s controlling or emotionally harmful behaviour towards them
• 41% reported their main reason for being unable to leave was because they wanted to try and work things out or had resolved problems with their partner

Of the 1.4 million women who experienced violence by a previous partner while living together, 43% had temporarily separated, including:

• 16% who temporarily separated once
• 26% who temporarily separated more than once

Of the 583,800 women who temporarily separated from their previous partner, the most common reasons for returning to their partner include:

• Wanted to try and work things out (57%)
• Partner promised to stop assaults and/or threats (51%)
• Still loved their partner (45%)

Approximately two-thirds of women (63% or 369,400) who temporarily separated from their previous partner moved out of home during at least one temporary separation.

Of the 369,400 women who moved away from the home during any temporary separations, 34% reported that the violence occurred while temporarily separated, including 14% who reported that the violence increased while temporarily separated.

The most common places women stayed during their temporary separation(s) from a violent previous partner include: 

• Friend or relative’s house (78%)
• Relocated to a new house or rental property (28%)
• A motel, hotel, serviced apartment or caravan park (12%)

Of the 1.4 million women who experienced violence by a previous partner while living together:

• 34% said the main reason the relationship ended was their partner’s controlling or emotionally harmful behaviour towards them
• 33% said the main reason the relationship ended was their partner’s assaults or threats to them or children in their care

An estimated 64% of women (866,700) who experienced violence by a previous partner while living together moved out of home when the relationship finally ended. This includes 55% where only the woman moved out of home and 8.3% where both the woman and her partner moved out of home.

Of the 866,700 women who moved out of the home when the relationship finally ended, the most common places stayed included:

• Friend or relative’s house (67%)
• Relocated to a new house or rental property (47%)

Note: women may have stayed in multiple locations after the relationship ended.

About two-thirds of women (69% or 596,700) who moved out of the home when the relationship with their violent previous partner finally ended left property or assets behind.

For this publication, the emotional abuse behaviours have been classified into three broad groups: controlling social behaviours, controlling economic behaviours and threatening or degrading behaviours. See the table below for classification of each behaviour.

For data about specific behaviour types refer to the data downloads.

Of the 431,000 women who experienced emotional abuse by their current partner:

• 85% experienced threatening or degrading behaviours
• 37% experienced controlling social behaviours
• 33% experienced controlling economic behaviours

Of the 1.9 million women who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 90% experienced threatening or degrading behaviours
• 63% experienced controlling social behaviours
• 59% experienced controlling economic behaviours

Of the 1.1 million men who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 87% experienced threatening or degrading behaviours
• 56% experienced controlling social behaviours
• 51% experienced controlling economic behaviours

Of the 431,000 women who experienced emotional abuse by their current partner:

• 56% experienced more than one behaviour
• the mean number of behaviours experienced was 2.7

Of the 1.9 million women who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 83% experienced more than one behaviour, including 22% who experienced ten or more behaviours
• the mean number of behaviours experienced was 6.0

Of the 1.1 million men who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 76% experienced more than one behaviour
• the mean number of behaviours experienced was 4.4

Of the 431,000 women who have experienced emotional abuse by their current partner:

• 90% experienced more than one incident
• 8.0% experienced emotional abuse all or most of the time
• 32% experienced emotional abuse some of the time

Of the 1.9 million women who have experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 94% experienced more than one incident
• 43% experienced emotional abuse all or most of the time
• 36% experienced emotional abuse some of the time

Of the 1.1 million men who have experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 96% experienced more than one incident
• 27% experienced emotional abuse all or most of the time
• 41% experienced emotional abuse some of the time

Of the 431,000 women who have experienced emotional abuse by their current partner:

• 26% were in the relationship for less than 2 years before the first incident of emotional abuse occurred
• 26% were in the relationship for longer than 10 years before the first incident of emotional abuse occurred

Of the 1.9 million women who have experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 47% were in the relationship for less than 2 years before the first incident of emotional abuse occurred
• 12% were in the relationship for longer than 10 years before the first incident of emotional abuse occurred
• 7.9% did not experience emotional abuse until after the relationship ended

Of the 1.1 million men who have experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner:

• 28% were in the relationship for less than two years before the first incident of violence occurred
• 10% did not experience emotional abuse until after the relationship ended

Of the 431,000 women who experienced emotional abuse by their current partner, 24% said they were assaulted or threatened with assault by the emotionally abusive partner.

Of the 1.9 million women who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner, 47% said they were assaulted or threatened with assault by the emotionally abusive partner.

Of the 1.1 million men who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner, 25% said they were assaulted or threatened with assault by the emotionally abusive partner.

Of the 431,000 women who experienced emotional abuse by their current partner, 67% experienced anxiety or fear due to the emotional abuse.

Of the 1.9 million women who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner, 73% experienced anxiety or fear due to the emotional abuse.

Of the 1.1 million men who experienced emotional abuse by a previous partner, 45% experienced anxiety or fear due to emotional abuse.

For this publication, the economic abuse behaviours have been classified into three broad groups: economic restriction behaviours, economic exploitation behaviours, and economic sabotage behaviours. See the table below for classification of each behaviour.

For data about specific behaviour types refer to the data downloads.

Of the 173,900 women who experienced economic abuse by their current partner:

• 75% experienced economic restriction behaviours
• 34% experienced economic sabotage behaviours
• 23% experienced economic exploitation behaviours

Of the 1.5 million women who experienced economic abuse by a previous partner:

• 78% experienced economic sabotage behaviours
• 69% experienced economic restriction behaviours
• 42% experienced economic exploitation behaviours

Of the 636,000 men who experienced economic abuse by a previous partner:

• 69% experienced economic sabotage behaviours
• 61% experienced economic restriction behaviours
• 51% experienced economic exploitation behaviours

Of the 173,900 women who experienced economic abuse by their current partner:

• 43% experienced more than one behaviour
• the mean number of behaviours experienced was 1.8

Of the 1.5 million women who experienced economic abuse by a previous partner:

• 74% experienced more than one behaviour, including 5.5% who experienced ten or more behaviours
• the mean number of behaviours experienced was 3.7

Of the 636,000 men who experienced economic abuse by a previous partner:

• 67% experienced between one and three behaviours
• 31% experienced four or more behaviours
• the mean number of behaviours experienced was 3.0

‘Advice or support’ means listening to the person, being understanding, making suggestions, giving information, referring the person to appropriate services, or offering further help of any kind. It includes contacting or visiting any source of help from a friend to a professional organisation, so long as the person perceived that they were seeking advice or support.

See Partner.

A partner the person currently (at the time of the survey) lives with in a married or de facto relationship.

Economic abuse occurs when a person is subjected to certain behaviours or actions that are aimed at preventing or controlling their access to economic resources, causing them emotional harm or fear. These behaviours are characterised in nature by their intent to manipulate, control, isolate or intimidate the person they are aimed at, and are generally repeated.

In the PSS, a person was considered to have experienced economic abuse if they reported they had experienced or been subjected to one or more of the following behaviours:

• Controlled or tried to control them from knowing about, having access to, or making decisions about household money
• Controlled or tried to control them from working or earning money
• Controlled or tried to control their income or assets
• Controlled or tried to control them from studying
• Deprived them of basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, sleep, assistive aids)
• Damaged, destroyed or stole any of their property
• Forced them to deposit income into their partner's bank account
• Prevented them from opening or having their own bank account
• Manipulated or forced them to cash in, sell or sign over any financial assets they own
• Pressured or forced them to sign financial documents
• Accrued significant debt on shared accounts, joint credit cards, or in their name
• Refused to contribute financially to them or the family, or would not provide enough money to cover living expenses
• Refused to pay child support payments when required to (previous partner only)
• Deliberately delayed property settlement after the relationship ended (previous partner only)

The PSS collected information about economic abuse experienced by a cohabiting partner only.

Emotional abuse occurs when a person is subjected to certain behaviours or actions that are aimed at preventing or controlling their behaviour, causing them emotional harm or fear. These behaviours are characterised in nature by their intent to manipulate, control, isolate or intimidate the person they are aimed at. They are generally repeated behaviours and include psychological, social, economic and verbal abuse.

In the PSS, a person was considered to have experienced emotional abuse if they reported they had been subjected to or experienced one or more of the following behaviours (that were repeated with the intent to prevent or control their behaviour and were intended to cause them emotional harm or fear):

• Controlled or tried to control them from contacting family, friends or community
• Controlled or tried to control them from using the telephone, internet or family car
• Controlled or tried to control where they went or who they saw
• Kept track of where they were and who they were with (e.g. constant phone calls, GPS tracking, monitoring through social media)
• Controlled or tried to control them from knowing, accessing or deciding about household money
• Controlled or tried to control them from working or earning money
• Controlled or tried to control their income or assets
• Controlled or tried to control them from studying
• Deprived them of basic needs such as food, shelter, sleep or assistive aids
• Damaged, destroyed or stole any of their property
• Constantly insulted them to make them feel ashamed, belittled or humiliated (e.g. put-downs)
• Shouted, yelled or verbally abused them to intimidate them
• Lied to their child/ren with the intent of turning their children against them
• Lied to other family members or friends with the intent of turning them against them
• Threatened to take their child/ren away from them
• Threatened to harm their child/ren
• Threatened to harm their other family members or friends
• Threatened to harm any of their pets
• Harmed any of their pets
• Threatened or attempted suicide

The definition of emotional abuse excludes:

• Cases of nagging (e.g. about spending too much money, or going out with friends) unless this nagging causes them emotional harm or fear
• Cases where a partner has restricted the person’s access to money, the car, or the internet as a result of the person’s substance abuse, gambling, or compulsive shopping issues, unless the person perceives that these restrictions cause them emotional harm or fear

The PSS collected information about emotional abuse experienced by a cohabiting partner only.

Any limitation, restriction or impairment which restricts everyday activities and has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months.

Includes someone the person lives with (current partner) or lived with at some point (previous partner) in a married or de facto relationship. This may also be described as a cohabiting partner.

Any incident that involves the use of physical force, with the intent to harm or frighten a person. An assault may have occurred in conjunction with a robbery, and includes incidents that occurred on the job, where a person was assaulted in their line of work (e.g. assaulted while working as a security guard), at school, or overseas. Physical force includes:

• Pushed, grabbed or shoved
• Slapped
• Kicked, bitten or hit with a fist
• Hit with something else that could hurt
• Beaten
• Choked
• Stabbed with a knife
• Shot with a gun
• Any other type of physical assault

Physical assault excludes incidents that occurred during the course of play on a sporting field and incidents of physical assault that occurred before the age of 15 (these are defined as physical abuse).

Any verbal and/or physical intent (or suggestion of intent) to inflict physical harm, which was made face-to-face and which the person targeted believed was able and likely to be carried out. Physical threat includes:

• Threaten or attempt to hit with a fist or anything else that could hurt
• Threaten or attempt to stab with a knife
• Threaten or attempt to shoot with a gun
• Threaten or attempt to physically hurt in any other way

Physical threat excludes any incidents in which the threat was actually carried out (these are counted as assault) and incidents that occurred during the course of play on a sporting field.

The occurrence, attempt or threat of physical assault experienced since the age of 15.

Refers to the number and proportion (rate) of persons in a given population that have experienced the selected type of violence/abuse within a specified time frame – usually in the last 12 or 24 months (prior to the survey) and since the age of 15.

Someone who the person lived with at some point in a married or de facto relationship, whom they are now separated, divorced or widowed from.

Relative Standard Error (RSE) is the standard error expressed as a percentage of the estimate.

An act of a sexual nature carried out against a person's will through the use of physical force, intimidation or coercion, including any attempts to do this. This includes rape, attempted rape, aggravated sexual assault (assault with a weapon), indecent assault, penetration by objects, forced sexual activity that did not end in penetration and attempts to force a person into sexual activity. Incidents so defined would be an offence under State and Territory criminal law.

Sexual assault excludes incidents that occurred before the age of 15 (these are defined as sexual abuse). It also excludes unwanted sexual touching, which is defined as sexual harassment.

Any threat of acts of a sexual nature that were made face-to-face, and which the person targeted believed were able and likely to be carried out.

The occurrence, attempt or threat of sexual assault experienced since the age of 15.

Any incident involving the occurrence, attempt or threat of either sexual or physical assault. Violence can be broken down into two main categories, sexual violence and physical violence.