FEDERAL OFFENCE TYPE

During 2009-10 there were 49,011 federal offences finalised in the Higher, Magistrates' and Children's Courts. Almost three-quarters of federal offences finalised in all court levels (74% or 36,213 offences) were classified as fraud offences, an increase of 47% for this offence type from 2008-09.

Within the Higher Courts, the predominant offence types were: fraud (34%), financial offences (21%) and sexual offences (12%). Of the 45,979 offences in the Magistrates' Court, 77% were classified as fraud, 6% were communications offences and 5% were financial offences. The highest proportion of offences in the Children's Court were communications offences (40%).

Fraud offences comprised the highest proportion of offences in every jurisdiction except the Australian Capital Territory, ranging from 63% in the Northern Territory up to 82% in Western Australia. The largest proportion of communications offences and financial offences (both 10%) were finalised in New South Wales, whilst the highest majority of illegal fishing offences (13%) were finalised in the Northern Territory. Offences related to commonwealth officials were proportionally more common in the Australian Capital Territory (12%), with Queensland having the largest proportion of commonwealth sexual offences (4%).

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