QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY

INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

TableBuilder files are released in accordance with the conditions specified in the Statistics Determination section of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 (CSA). This ensures that confidentiality is maintained whilst enabling micro level data to be released. More information on the confidentiality practices associated with TableBuilder can be found at the Confidentiality page.

For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.


RELEVANCE

Data on Crime Victimisation were collected as part of the 2011–12 Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS). The MPHS is a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS) and is designed to collect annual statistics on a small number of self-contained topics. The scope of the LFS is restricted to people aged 15 years and over and excludes members of the permanent defence forces; certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments usually excluded from census and estimated resident populations; overseas residents in Australia; and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependents). Refer to Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) for further information regarding the LFS. In addition, the 2011–12 MPHS excluded households in Indigenous Communities and people living in non-private dwellings such as hotels, university residences, students at boarding schools, patients in hospitals, inmates of prisons and residents of other institutions (e.g. retirement homes, homes for persons with disabilities).

Microdata from the Crime Victimisation component of the MPHS are available in TableBuilder. Respondents aged 15 years and over (or 18 years and over for incidents of sexual assault) were asked questions about their experiences of crime victimisation. The type of information collected included their experience of selected personal crimes (physical assault, threatened assault, robbery and sexual assault), selected household crimes (break-ins, attempted break-ins, motor vehicle theft, theft from a motor vehicle, malicious property damage and other theft) and perceptions of the justice system. Information was collected from one person selected at random in each selected household.

For more information, see Microdata: Crime Victimisation, Australia, 2011–12 (cat. no. 4530.0.55.002).


TIMELINESS

The MPHS is an annual survey with enumeration undertaken over the financial year period from July to June. The Crime Victimisation topic has been collected each year using the MPHS since 2008–09 and is scheduled to be repeated till at least 2013-14. As the reference period was the 12 months prior to the survey interview during 2011–12, the data relate to crimes occurring at some time between July 2010 and June 2012. Data from the Crime Victimisation topic (in the form of html and data cubes) were released on 19 February 2013. Generally, microdata product is released approximately 12 months after enumeration is completed.


ACCURACY

The microdata contains finer levels of detail of data items than what is otherwise published in other formats, for example, in Crime Victimisation, Australia, 2011–12 (cat. no. 4530.0). For more information on the level of detail provided, please see the associated data item lists.

Steps are taken to confidentialise the data made available on TableBuilder in such a way as to maximise the usefulness of the content while maintaining the confidentiality of respondents selected in the survey. As a result it may not be possible to exactly reconcile all the statistics produced from the microdata with other published statistics. Further information about the steps taken to confidentialise the microdata is available through the following link:

TableBuilder confidentiality

Users of MPHS data should also note that all sample surveys are subject to error which can be broadly categorised as either sampling error or non-sampling error.

Sampling error occurs because a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed. One measure of the likely difference resulting from not including all dwellings in the survey is given by the standard error. There are about two chances in three that a sample estimate will differ by less than one standard error from the figure that would have been obtained if all dwellings had been included in the survey, and about nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two standard errors.

Non-sampling error arises from inaccuracies in collecting, recording and processing the data. Every effort is made to minimise reporting error by the careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and supervision of interviewers, and efficient data processing procedures. Non-sampling error also arises because information cannot be obtained from all persons selected in the survey.


COHERENCE

The ABS conducted National Crime and Safety Surveys in 1975, 1983, 1993, 1998, 2002 and 2005. In 2006–07, a review of these crime surveys found the need for more timely and regular crime victimisation headline indicators (on an annual basis), and the need for flexibility to cater for new and emerging areas of crime.

In 2008–09, a redesigned ABS Crime Victimisation Survey was conducted (via the MPHS) which sought information on people's experiences as victims of both personal and household crimes. Collection of this information was largely repeated in 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12 allowing comparisons over time to be made. In addition to victimisation data, each year there was a changing set of questions which focussed on a particular aspect of crime and justice. In 2008-09, the focus was on feelings of safety; in 2009-10 and 2010-11, perceptions of social disorder; and in 2011-12 perceptions of the justice system.

In 2010–11, for the first time, victims of physical assault and face-to-face threatened assault aged 15 and over who were personally interviewed were asked whether they believed alcohol or any other substance contributed to their most recent incident of assault (see Data Collection section of the Explanatory Notes for more information).

Differences in survey methodology and enumeration periods, as well as changes to many of the questions being asked, means that data from the 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11 and 2011–12 Crime Victimisation Surveys are not comparable with earlier ABS crime surveys. These differences mean that a time series is only possible for the period 2008–09 and beyond.

Consistent with the findings of the review of ABS crime surveys, the national Crime Victimisation Survey is expected to be conducted annually from 2008–09 using the MPHS.

The terms used to describe the various types of offences in this publication may not necessarily correspond with legal or police definitions.


INTERPRETABILITY

The information within this product should be referred to when using the microdata. It contains information including Survey methodology, File structure, Using the TableBuilder, Conditions of use and the Data item lists.

The Explanatory Notes section of the Crime Victimisation, Australia, 2011–12 (cat. no. 4530.0) includes information on survey objectives, survey methods and design, data quality and interpretation, output data items, information about the availability of results and comparability with previous surveys.


ACCESSIBILITY

Microdata products are available to approved users. Users wishing to access the microdata should read the How to apply for Microdata web page, before applying for access through MiCRO. Users should also familiarise themselves with information available via the Microdata web pages.

A full list of available microdata can be viewed via the List of expected and available Microdata.

Crime Victimisation, 2011–12 can be accessed using TableBuilder.

Any questions regarding access to microdata can be forwarded to microdata.access@abs.gov.au or phone (02) 6252 7714.