GLOSSARY

Age

This is the person's age on their last birthday at the time of the survey.

Attempted break-in

An incident where an attempt was made to break into the respondent's home, garage or shed.

• Includes incidents where the respondent (or another person) saw someone acting suspiciously around the property if it was suspected that his or her intent was to steal property.
• Excludes any attempted break-in that resulted in an actual break-in (e.g. attempted to break in through a door but then gained entry through a window).
• Also excludes attempted break-ins to a respondent's car.

Audio/visual equipment

Includes TVs, VCRs, DVD players and stereos.

Balance of state/territory

This category comprises people usually resident in areas outside of the six state capital city Statistical Divisions (as defined in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification ASGC (cat. no. 1216.0)), including all residents of the Northern Territory (except those in very remote areas) and the Australian Capital Territory.

Break-in

An incident where an offender broke into the respondent's home (primary residence). Includes break-ins to garages, sheds or any detached secure buildings such as games/hobby rooms etc. Caravans were only included if it was the respondent's permanent residence. Break-in incidents relating to a respondent's car or front or rear yard were excluded.

Computer equipment

Includes PCs, printers, scanners and modems.

Confront

To come into contact with an offender or offenders during a break-in.

Country of birth

Country of birth has been classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) (cat. no. 1269.0).

Employed

All persons aged 15 years or over who, during the week prior to interview:

• worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or
• worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or
• were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
  • away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or
  • away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or
  • away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or
  • on strike or locked out; or
  • on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or
• were employers or own account workers, who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Employed full-time

Employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.

Employed part-time

Employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.

Employee cash income

Includes wages or salary from all jobs, whether full-time or part-time. Also wages, salaries or fees paid to the owner of a limited liability company.

Exterior items

Includes walls, windows, doors, fences, garden, letter boxes, statues, and outdoor settings.

Government cash pensions and allowances

Any government pension, benefit or allowance payments made by overseas governments as well as the Australian Government.

Household

A household is defined as a group of two or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling, who regard themselves as a household, and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living; or a person living in a dwelling who makes provision for his/her own food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person.

Household crime

Specifically, a break-in, attempted break-in, motor vehicle theft, theft from a motor vehicle, incident of malicious property damage, or other theft, in which a household is considered to be the victim of the crime.

Incident

A single occurrence of a crime event, such as a break-in, attempted break-in, theft of a motor vehicle, or act of robbery, assault or sexual assault. Single respondents can report multiple incidents, which means the total number of victims and total number of incidents may differ.

Interior furnishings

Includes walls, floors, and ceilings.

Known by sight only

Used when the respondent knew of the offender(s) by sight only but did not have a personal relationship with them. Respondents were not asked whether they were living with this person at the time of the incident if this was the only response to a question about a particular incident.

Labour force status

A classification of the civilian population aged 15 years or over into employed, unemployed or not in the labour force, as defined. The definitions conform closely to the international standard definitions adopted by the International Conferences of Labour Statisticians.

Main English-speaking countries

The list of main English-speaking countries (MESC) provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official language of each country. It is a list of the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of overseas settlers who are likely to speak English. These countries comprise the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United States of America. Non-MESC describes people originating from countries where a language other than English is likely to be spoken by migrants. It is important to note that being from a non main English-speaking country does not imply a lack of proficiency in English.

Malicious property damage

Intentional or wilful (not accidental) damage, defacement or destruction of any part of the respondent's home or anything usually kept at his or her home. The questions on malicious property damage relate to the respondent's home and any property belonging to the respondent or a member of his or her household, excluding any rental, investment or holiday properties that he or she owns. Property is something tangible in nature including land, conveyances, animals or other objects capable of being privately owned. Destruction can mean any alteration that may render something imperfect or inoperative. It can include destruction of property, graffiti or vandalism, partial destruction, killing or harming an owned animal, and removing or destroying a plant or other part of an owned landscape. Excludes turning off water meters and flicking safety switches etc. if no damage to the meter occurred.

Marital status

As reported by the person at the time of the survey.

Medical treatment

Includes incidents where a respondent was admitted to hospital, or incidents where a respondent was seen by a doctor or other medical practitioner in a hospital emergency room but not admitted to hospital.

Motor vehicle parts

Includes car audio and DVD equipment.

Motor vehicle theft

An incident where a motor vehicle was stolen from any member of the household. Includes cars, utes, motorcycles, buses and trucks. Excludes boats and trailers. Only includes vehicles where the primary use is for private purposes (i.e. excludes commercial vehicles). Motor vehicle theft incidents are collected as household level data.

Noisy neighbours

Includes barking dogs.

Non-school qualification

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Postgraduate Degree level, Master Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school qualifications.

Non-victim

A household or person that has not reported any of the crimes surveyed.

Not in the labour force

People who were not in the categories employed or unemployed as defined.

Offender

A person who commits a crime, as reported by the survey respondent. A crime can be committed by multiple offenders.

Other cash income

Includes profit or loss from rental property, dividends or interest, child support or maintenance, superannuation, annuity or allocated pension, or workers' compensation.

Other known person

Used to describe the relationship of the offender to the respondent when the relationship did not match any of the other categories listed.

Other personal items

Includes clothing and compact discs.

Other theft

Any unlawful taking or obtaining of money or goods other than from motor vehicles owned by the respondent or a household member, without the use of force, threat of force or violence, coercion or deception, with the intent to permanently deprive the owner or possessor of the use of the money or goods. Includes any theft of property belonging to a respondent or a member of the respondent's household not mentioned previously in the survey by the respondent. Includes property belonging to a household member stolen from a vehicle not owned by a household member. Also includes property stolen from a yard or garden (e.g. statues, plants). Excludes any incidents involving theft covered in other sections of the survey such as break-ins or robberies. Other theft incidents are collected as household level data.

Outdoor/garden items

Includes Christmas decorations stolen from the yard or exterior walls.

People hanging around in groups

Includes any group of people (regardless of age or demographic) that the respondent perceives to be a problem, e.g. gangs.

Personal crime

Specifically, a robbery, physical assault, threatened assault or sexual assault, in which an individual is considered to be the victim of the crime.

Personal matter

Relates to the reason a crime incident was not reported where the respondent felt they could deal with the issue themselves rather than involve the police.

Personal electronic equipment

Includes MP3 players and digital cameras.

Physical assault

An incident where anyone used physical force or violence against a respondent. Physical force or violence includes being: pushed, grabbed, shoved, slapped, hit with an open hand or fist, kicked or bitten. It also includes being hit with something else that could hurt a respondent i.e. a bat, hammer, belt, pot, ruler, etc. It includes being beaten, choked, stabbed, shot, burnt, dragged or hit deliberately by a vehicle. Includes assault in a respondent's line of work. It excludes incidents that occurred during the course of play on a sporting field, verbal abuse, and incidents of sexual assault or threatened sexual assault which also involved physical assault.

Place of entertainment/recreation

Includes pubs and nightclubs.

Private vehicle

Motor vehicle used for private purposes, e.g. car.

Professional relationship

A relationship between the respondent and other person(s) which has occurred primarily through the course of the respondent's occupation. For example, this includes engagement with clients of a business at which the respondent may have been working at the time of an incident, as well as relationships between medical professionals and patients, and also relationships between police/security officers and offenders.

Public transport or public vehicle

Includes buses, trains, trams, ferries and taxis.

Qualification

Formal certification, issued by a relevant approved body, in recognition that a person has achieved an appropriate level of learning outcomes or competencies relevant to identified individual, professional, industry or community needs. Statements of attainment awarded for partial completion of a course of study at a particular level are excluded.

Relationship to offender

The person's relationship to a perpetrator at the time of the incident. More than one response was allowed if there were multiple offenders involved in the incident.

Reporting rate

The total number of victims who reported the most recent crime incident to police expressed as a percentage of victims.

Robbery

An incident where someone stole (or tried to steal) property from a respondent by physically attacking or threatening them with force or violence. Includes incidents of physical assault and threatened assault which also involved robbery or attempted robbery.

Rowdy behaviour

Classified as behaviour generally disturbing to the public peace (e.g. loud behaviour, arguments, general boisterousness).

Sexual assault

The definition of sexual assault was left to the interpretation of the respondent. Only people aged 18 years and over were asked questions about sexual assault.

Social disorder

Relates to respondents' attitudes and opinions about social disorder problems in the local area where they currently live at the time of the survey. The definition of 'local area' was left to the interpretation of the respondent and may include a whole town or suburb or just the streets surrounding the respondent's home. Questions about social disorder problems were asked of all respondents aged 18 years or over and all 15-17 year olds where a parent/guardian gave permission for a personal interview.

Theft from a motor vehicle

An incident where property owned by a respondent or any member of that respondent's household was stolen from a motor vehicle owned (for private use) by that respondent or any member of that respondent's household.

It excludes property stolen that belonged to someone not living in the household (e.g. friend, other relative), and property owned by a business/employer (e.g. computer, mobile phone, work tools). Property stolen from commercial vehicles (this includes a self-employed business operator whose vehicle is mainly used for work purposes), and any break-ins to motor vehicles where nothing was stolen are also excluded. Incidents of theft from a motor vehicle are collected as household level data.

Threatened assault

Includes any verbal and/or physical intent or suggestion of intent to inflict physical harm, which the person believed was able and likely to be carried out. Includes a threat or attempt to hit with a fist or anything else that could hurt, threats or attempts to slap, punch, spank or hit in any way with a fist or weapon such as a bat, hammer or pot, situations where a gun was left in an obvious place or if the person knew that the perpetrator had access to a gun. Includes toy guns, starter pistols etc. if the respondent believed they were real. Also includes incidents where a respondent was threatened in their line of work (e.g. while working as a security guard).

Unemployed

People aged 15 years or over who were not employed during the reference week, and:

• had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and were available for work in the reference week; or
• were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.

Unincorporated business cash income

Profit or loss from own unincorporated business or share in a partnership.

Victim

A household or person reporting at least one of the crimes surveyed. Victims were counted once only for each type of crime, regardless of the number of incidents of that type.

Victimisation rate

The total number of victims of a crime in a given population expressed as a percentage of that population.

Weapon used

Includes incidents when the respondent was unsure whether a weapon was present but believed that there could have been one, or if they were threatened that a weapon would be used if necessary. Weapon includes knife, gun and syringe/hypodermic needle.