Personal Safety, Australia

The Personal Safety Survey defines violence as any incident involving the occurrence, attempt or threat of either physical or sexual assault experienced by a person since the age of 15.

The term ‘intimate partner’ is used to describe a current partner (living with), previous partner (lived with), boyfriend/girlfriend/date and ex-boyfriend/girlfriend (did not live with).

The term 'partner' is used to describe a person the respondent lives with, or lived with at some point, in a married or de facto relationship.

For more information about current and previous partner definitions used in the survey refer to the Glossary in this publication.

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.

Sexual harassment is considered to have occurred when a person has experienced or been subjected to one or more selected behaviours which they found improper or unwanted, which made them feel uncomfortable, and were offensive due to their sexual nature.

In order to accurately capture the emerging trends in experiences of sexual harassment (such as the use of information and communications technology), new sexual harassment behaviours have been specifically included in the 2016 PSS. Although these behaviours may have previously been collected as part of other categories, this should be considered when comparing sexual harassment prevalence rates between the 2012 and 2016 iterations of the survey.

Stalking involves various behaviours, such as loitering and following, which the person believed were being undertaken with the intent to cause them fear or distress. To be classified as stalking more than one type of behaviour had to occur, or the same type of behaviour had to occur on more than one occasion.

For more detailed information about the definitions used in the survey refer to the Glossary in this publication.

This release provides information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) 2016 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) for states and territories and includes data on experiences of:

• violence
• partner violence and partner emotional abuse
• sexual harassment
• feelings of general safety.
   

Where appropriate, data are presented for 2016 as well as in comparison to 2005 and/or 2012.

The PSS collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence at the time of interview although this is not necessarily the state or territory in which the experience took place. The reference period presented for all state and territory estimates is experiences in the 12 months prior to interview.

Although the PSS was not designed to produce estimates at the state and territory level for men, some data was able to be produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia). Care should still be used when interpreting this data. Endnote 1 For more information on Sample Design, refer to the Methodology page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

• In 2016, the proportion of women who felt safe using public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months across all states and territories was similar to the proportion of women who felt safe nationally (77%).
• Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of women who felt safe using public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months increased in New South Wales (from 67% to 78%) and Victoria (from 65% to 74%).
   

• In 2016, the proportion of men in Queensland who felt safe using public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months was higher than the proportion of men who felt safe nationally (95% compared to 91% respectively).
• Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of men who felt safe using transport alone after dark in the last 12 months increased in New South Wales (from 83% to 91%) and Queensland (from 88% to 95%).
   

• In 2016, Victoria (18%) and Western Australia (19%) had a higher proportion of women who did not use public transport alone after dark due to feeling unsafe, compared to the proportion of women who felt unsafe nationally (14%). In contrast, the proportions in Australian Capital Territory (14%), Queensland (10%) and Tasmania (7.8%) were lower than the proportion who felt unsafe nationally.
• Between 2005 and 2016, there was a decrease in the proportion of women who did not use public transport alone after dark due to feeling unsafe in the following states:
   
  • New South Wales (from 18% to 13%)
  • Queensland (from 16% to 10%)
  • South Australia (from 21% to 13%)
  • Tasmania (from 15% to 7.8%)
  • Victoria (from 21% to 18%)
  • Western Australia (from 26% to 19%).
     

• In 2016, the proportion of men who did not use public transport alone after dark due to feeling unsafe was lower in Queensland compared to the proportion of men who felt unsafe nationally (1.7% compared to 2.8% respectively).
• Between 2005 and 2016, there was a decrease in the proportion of men who did not use public transport alone after dark due to feeling unsafe in New South Wales and Queensland:
   
  • New South Wales (from 4.5% to 2.9%)
  • Queensland (from 3.7% to 1.7%).
     

• In 2016, women in the Northern Territory experienced higher rates of violence in the last 12 months compared to the national rate (6.3% compared to 4.7% nationally).
• Since 2005, the proportion of women who experienced violence in the last 12 months remained steady across all states and territories, except in Victoria which declined from 6.5% to 4.6%.
   

• In 2016, across states where data is available, men in Western Australia experienced a lower rate of violence in the last 12 months compared to the national rate (3.2% compared to 6.0% respectively).
• Since 2005, where data is available, all states expect South Australia had a decline in the proportion of men experiencing violence in the last 12 months:
   
  • New South Wales (10% in 2005 to 6.9% in 2016)
  • Victoria (11% in 2005 to 5.7% in 2016)
  • Queensland (12% in 2005 to 4.7% in 2016)
  • Western Australia (11% in 2005 to 3.2% in 2016).
     

• In 2016, across all states and territories the proportion of women who experienced partner violence in the last 12 months was similar to the national rate (1.7%).
• Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of women experiencing partner violence in the last 12 months remained stable across all states and territories.
   

• In 2016, across all states and territories, the proportion of women who experienced emotional abuse by a partner in the last 12 months was similar to the national rate (4.8%).
• Between 2012 and 2016, the proportion of women who experienced emotional abuse by a partner in the last 12 months remained steady in most states and territories, except Western Australia, where it increased from 3.3% in 2012 to 5.3% in 2016.
   

• In 2016, across states where data is available, the proportion of men who experienced emotional abuse by a partner in the last 12 months was similar to the national rate (4.2%).
• Since 2012, New South Wales saw an increase in the proportion of men who experienced emotional abuse by a partner in the last 12 months (from 2.4% in 2012 to 3.9% in 2016).
   

• In 2016, the Northern Territory (22%) and Victoria (20%) had a higher proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months compared to the national rate (17%). The proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months was lower in South Australia (15%) compared to the national rate.
• Since 2012, the proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months remained steady across all states and territories, except for Victoria where there was an increase from 14% in 2012 to 20% in 2016. (Endnote 8)
   

• In 2016, across the states where data is available, the proportion of men who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months was similar to the national rate (9.3%).
• Since 2012, New South Wales and South Australia saw an increase in the proportion of men experiencing sexual harassment in the last 12 months:
   
  • New South Wales (5.4% in 2012 to 8.8% in 2016)
  • South Australia (6.2% in 2012 to 13% in 2016). Endnote 9
     

While data for men has been produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), the reliability of this data may vary, and users should remain aware of RSEs and/or MoEs when interpreting this data.

Proportions of women/men who used public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months. Public transport includes buses, trains, trams, taxis, and ferries.

Proportions of all women/men.

Violence includes any incident involving the occurrence, attempt or threat of either physical or sexual assault experienced by a person in the 12 months prior to the survey.

The term 'partner' is used to describe a person the respondent lives with, or lived with at some point, in a married or de facto relationship.

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.

Sexual harassment is considered to have occurred when a person has experienced or been subjected to one or more selected behaviours which they found improper or unwanted, which made them feel uncomfortable, and were offensive due to their sexual nature.

In order to accurately capture emerging trends in experiences of partner emotional abuse (such as the use of information and communication technology), new partner emotional abuse behaviours have been specifically included in the 2016 PSS. Although these behaviours have been previously collected as part of other categories, this should be considered when comparing partner emotional abuse prevalence rates between 2012 and 2016 iterations of the survey.

In order to accurately capture the emerging trends in experiences of sexual harassment (such as the use of information and communications technology), new sexual harassment behaviours have been specifically included in the 2016 PSS. Although these behaviours may have previously been collected as part of other categories, this should be considered when comparing sexual harassment prevalence rates between the 2012 and 2016 iterations of the survey.

For more detailed information about the definitions used in the survey refer to the Glossary in this publication.

In 2016, an estimated 5.4% of persons aged 18 years and over (989,500) experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey. Men were more likely than women to experience violence. An estimated 6% of men (543,900) reported experiencing violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared to 4.7% of women (444,700). Refer to Table 1.

* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
** Estimate has a relative standard error of greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use.

1. Due to rounding and the effect of perturbation the sum of components may not add to the total. For more details, refer to Endnote 1.
2. People may have experienced multiple types of violence. Components therefore may not add to the totals.

1. Due to rounding and the effect of perturbation the sum of sub-totals may not add to the total. For more details, refer to Endnote 1.
2. People may have experienced multiple types of violence. Components therefore may not add to the totals.

For both men and women who experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, physical violence was more common than sexual violence. However the likelihood of experiencing these types of violence differed by sex:

• Men were more likely to experience physical violence than women. In 2016 it was estimated that 5.4% of men (485,400) experienced physical violence in the 12 months prior to the survey compared to 3.5% of women (329,500).
• Women were more likely to experience sexual violence than men. In 2016 it was estimated that 1.8% of women (171,600) experienced sexual violence in the 12 months prior to the survey compared to less than 1% of men (*62,700).
  
  * Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.

To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, perturbation has been applied. Perturbation involves a small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. However as a result, these random adjustments of estimates may result in the sum of components not equalling the total or subtotal. For more details, refer to the Methodology page of this publication.

It was estimated that nearly two in five people (39% or 7.2 million) aged 18 years and over had experienced violence since the age of 15. This included 42% of men (3.8 million) and 37% of women (3.4 million). Refer to Table 3.

1. Due to rounding and the effect of perturbation the sum of sub-totals may not add to the total. For more details, refer to Endnote 1.
2. People may have experienced multiple types of violence. Components therefore may not add to the totals.

1. Due to rounding and the effect of perturbation the sum of sub-totals may not add to the total. For more details, refer to Endnote 1.
2. People may have experienced multiple types of violence. Components therefore may not add to the totals.
    

Both men and women were more likely to have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 than sexual violence. However the likelihood of experiencing these types of violence differed by sex.

Men were more likely than women to have experienced physical violence since the age of 15:

• Four in ten men (41% or 3.7 million) had experienced physical violence, with physical assault experienced by over a third of men (34% or 3.1 million) and physical threat experienced by 18% (1.6 million).
• Three in ten women (31% or 2.9 million) had experienced physical violence, with physical assault experienced by over a quarter of women (27% or 2.6 million) and physical threat experienced by 10% (960,100).
   

Women were more likely than men to have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15:

• Almost one in five women had experienced sexual violence (18% or 1.7 million), with sexual assault experienced by 17% (1.6 million) and sexual threat experienced by 4% (339,900).
• Almost one in twenty men experienced sexual violence (4.7% or 428,800), with sexual assault experienced by 4.3% (384,800) and sexual threat experienced by less than 1% (73,500).
   

To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, perturbation has been applied. Perturbation involves a small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. However as a result, these random adjustments of estimates may result in the sum of components not equalling the total or subtotal. For more details, refer to the Methodology of this publication.

The PSS has previously been conducted in 2012 and 2005. For more information on comparability of prevalence of violence data over time, refer to the Violence - Prevalence page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

The proportion of Australians experiencing violence in the 12 months prior to interview has declined over the last decade, decreasing from 8.3% in 2005 to 5.4% in 2016. This decline was driven by a drop in experiences of physical violence, falling from 7.5% in 2005 to 4.5% in 2016.

For men, the proportion experiencing physical violence in the last 12 months has almost halved since 2005, decreasing from 10% in 2005 to 5.4% in 2016. For women, the proportion has fallen from 4.7% in 2005 to 3.5% in 2016.

Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of Australians experiencing sexual violence in the last 12 months has remained steady. In 2005, an estimated 1.6% of women experienced sexual violence, compared to 1.8% in 2016. For men, the proportion experiencing sexual violence over this time period was also steady (0.6% in 2005 compared to 0.7% in 2016).

Refer to Table 2.

Between 2012 and 2016, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of men who experienced violence in the 12 months prior to interview. In 2012, an estimated 8.7% of men experienced violence in the 12 months prior to interview, compared to 6% in 2016. This decrease was driven by a decline in the proportion of men who experienced physical violence, from 8.5% in 2012 to 5.4% in 2016. The proportion of men who experienced sexual violence was steady over the same time period (0.5% in 2012 compared to 0.7% in 2016). Refer to Table 2.

Between 2012 and 2016 the proportion of women who experienced violence in the 12 months prior to interview remained steady. In 2012, an estimated 5.3% of women experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey compared to 4.7% in 2016.

For physical violence, the proportion of women fell from 4.6% in 2012 to 3.5% in 2016. Between 2012 and 2016 there was an increase in the proportion of women who experienced sexual violence in the 12 months prior to the survey. In 2012, an estimated 1.2% of women experienced sexual violence, compared to 1.8% in 2016.

The PSS has previously been conducted in 2012 and 2005. For more information on comparability of prevalence of violence data over time, refer to the Violence Prevalence page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

This section discusses comparisons of change in key violence estimates from previous survey periods for each state and territory. The reference period presented for all state and territory estimates is experiences of violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.

The PSS collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence at the time of the survey although this is not necessarily the state or territory in which the violence took place.

Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of women experiencing violence in the last 12 months remained steady across all states and territories, except in Victoria where there was a decline from 6.5% in 2005 to 4.6% in 2016. Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

Between 2012 and 2016, the proportion of women experiencing violence in the last 12 months also remained stable across all states and territories, except in the Australian Capital Territory where there was a decline from 6.3% in 2012 to 4.5% in 2016.

Over the last decade, the proportion of women who experienced physical violence in the last 12 months remained steady across most states and territories, except in Victoria where there was a decline from 5.3% in 2005 to 3.3% in 2016. Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

Between 2012 and 2016, the proportion of women who experienced physical violence in the last 12 months remained stable in most states and territories except Western Australia and the Northern Territory where there were decreases:

• Western Australia ( 6.2% in 2012 to 4.2% in 2016)
• Northern Territory (7.3% in 2012 to 4.9% in 2016).
   

Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of women experiencing sexual violence in the last 12 months remained steady across all states and territories. Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

Between 2012 and 2016, the proportion of women experiencing sexual violence in the last 12 months also remained steady for most states and territories, except in Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory:

• Victoria increased from 0.8% in 2012 to 2.2% in 2016
• Australian Capital Territory decreased from 2.3% in 2012 to 1.2% in 2016.
   

The PSS collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence at the time of interview although this is not necessarily the state or territory in which the violence took place.

The PSS was not designed to produce violence prevalence data at the state and territory level for men, however, some data was able to be produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia). Care should still be used when interpreting this data. Endnote 1 For more information on Sample Design, refer to the Methodology page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016(cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

This section discusses comparisons of change in key violence estimates from previous survey periods for selected states. The reference period presented for all state and territory estimates is experiences in the 12 months prior to interview.

Over the last decade, where state data is available, all states except South Australia saw a decline in the proportion of men experiencing violence in the 12 months prior to interview:

• New South Wales (10% in 2005 to 6.9% in 2016)
• Victoria (11% in 2005 to 5.7% in 2016)
• Queensland (12% in 2005 to 4.7% in 2016)
• Western Australia (11% in 2005 to 3.2% in 2016).
   

Between 2012 and 2016, the following states also saw a significant decline in men experiencing violence in the last 12 months:

• Victoria (9.1% in 2012 to 5.7% in 2016)
• Queensland (11% in 2012 to 4.7% in 2016)
• Western Australia (8.6% in 2012 to 3.2% in 2016).
   

Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

Between 2005 and 2016, where data is available, all states except South Australia had a decline in the proportion of men experiencing physical violence in the last 12 months:

• New South Wales (10% in 2005 to 6.4% in 2016)
• Victoria (10% in 2005 to 5.0% in 2016)
• Queensland (12% in 2005 to 4.6% in 2016)
• Western Australia (10% in 2005 to 2.9% in 2016).
   

Between 2012 and 2016, the proportion of men experiencing physical violence in the last 12 months decreased in the following states:

• Victoria declined from 9.0% in 2012 to 5.0% in 2016
• Queensland declined from 11% in 2012 to 4.6% in 2016
• Western Australia declined from 8.6% in 2012 to 2.9% 2016.
   

Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

While data for men has been produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), the reliability of this data may vary, and users should remain aware of RSEs and/or MoEs when interpreting this data.

In addition to collecting information for men and women aged 18 years and over about their experience of violence over the 12 months prior to the survey, the 2016 PSS also collected a range of information about their demographics. This included age, language, education, country of birth, disability status, and State or Territory of usual residence. The following selection of characteristics are analysed here:

• Broad age groups
• Disability Status, and
• State or Territory of usual residence.
   

Refer to Tables 6 and 7.

For both men and women, the experience of violence in the 12 months prior to the survey differed by age group.

Compared to the overall male violence prevalence rate of 6% (543,900):

• Men in the 18-24 years and 25-34 years age groups were more likely to have experienced violence. In 2016, an estimated 11% of men aged 18-24 years (120,400) and 9.3% of men aged 25-34 years (163,000) experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.
• Men aged 55-64 years and 65 years and over were less likely to have experienced violence. In 2016, an estimated 2.8% of men aged 55-64 years (38,600) and 1.4% of men aged 65 years and over (23,800) experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey.
   

Compared to the overall female violence prevalence rate of 4.7% (444,700):

• Women in the 18-24 year age groups were the most likely to have experienced violence. In 2016, an estimated 12% of women aged 18-24 years (129,100) experienced violence in the 12 months prior to interview.
• Women aged 65 years and over were the least likely to have experienced violence. In 2016, an estimated 1.2% of women aged 65 years and over (21,200) experienced violence in the 12 months prior to interview.
   

The 2016 PSS collected information to determine whether or not someone had a disability or long-term health condition at the time of the survey. For more information about how disability was defined and potential under-representation of persons with a disability in the sample, refer to the Disability page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

Women with a disability or long-term health condition were more likely to have experienced violence than women without a disability or long-term health condition. In 2016, an estimated 5.9% (172,800) of women with a disability or long-term health condition experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared to 4.3% (274,400) of those with no disability or long-term health condition.

The proportion of men who experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey was similar for men with a disability or long-term health condition (5.6% or 158,100) and men without a disability or long-term health condition (6.2% or 383,200).

The PSS collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence. Note that this is not necessarily the state or territory in which the violence took place.

For women, the Northern Territory was the only jurisdiction where the proportion of women who had experienced violence during the last 12 months differed from the national estimate. In 2016, an estimated 6.3% of women in the Northern Territory (4,300) experienced violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared to the national estimate for women of 4.7% (444,700). Refer to Table 6.

Although the PSS was not designed to produce violence prevalence data at the state/territory level for men, some data was able to be produced for the larger states (for more information on Sample Design refer to the Methodology page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003)). There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of violence for men in New South Wales (6.9%), Victoria (5.7%) and Queensland (4.7%), when compared to the national estimate (6%). Endnote 1 Refer to Table 7.

All comparisons made in this publication are tested to see whether or not the differences are statistically significant. For more information on significance testing, refer to the Technical Note page of this publication.

The 2016 PSS collected information from men and women aged 18 years and over about their experience of violence since the age of 15 by different types of male and female perpetrators.

Perpetrator types include current partner, previous partner, boyfriend/girlfriend or date, other known man/woman and stranger. Refer to the Glossary for definitions of perpetrator types.

This section analyses men’s and women’s experience of physical, sexual and total violence since the age of 15 by main perpetrator types. For more detailed information refer to Tables 3 and 4.

For more detailed information about current and previous partner violence refer to the Experience of Partner Violence page of this publication.

Men were approximately three times as likely as women to have experienced violence by a stranger. Over one in four men (27% or 2.5 million) experienced violence by a stranger, compared to almost one in ten women (9.4% or 880,800).

Women were more likely than men to have experienced violence by a current partner. An estimated 2.9% of women (275,000) experienced violence by a current partner, compared to 1.7% of men (150,300).

Women were more than three times as likely as men to have experienced violence by a previous partner. Just over one in seven women (15% or 1.4 million) experienced violence by a previous partner, compared to almost one in twenty men (4.4% or 397,300).

Women were nearly four times as likely as men to have experienced violence by a boyfriend, girlfriend or date. About 7.4% of women (694,200) experienced violence by a boyfriend/girlfriend/date, compared to 1.9% of men (174,000).

Men and women were equally likely to have experienced violence by an other known person (20% or 1.8 million for both males and females). The most common perpetrator type in this category was acquaintance or neighbour, for both men (7.4% or 666,900) and women (7% or 653,800).

Note: Where a person has experienced violence by more than one perpetrator type or experienced violence by the same perpetrator type for more than one type of violence (e.g. physical assault and sexual assault), they are counted separately for each type of perpetrator or violence but are only counted once in the aggregated totals. Components therefore may not add to the totals and cannot be summed to produce totals where they are not presented. For more detailed information refer to Tables 3 and 4.

For example:

• if a person has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner and an other known person, they would be counted against each perpetrator (ie. physical violence by an intimate partner and physical violence by an other known person) but they would only be counted once in the total for those who had experienced physical violence.
• if a person has experienced physical violence by stranger and sexual violence by a stranger, they would be counted against each type of violence by perpetrator (ie. physical violence by a stranger and sexual violence by a stranger) but they would only be counted once for those who had experienced violence by a stranger.
   

Men were more likely to have experienced physical violence by a stranger than a known person. An estimated 27% of men (2.4 million) experienced physical violence by a stranger compared with 23% of men (2.1 million) who experienced physical violence by a known person. Men who experienced physical violence by a known person most commonly reported that the perpetrator was an acquaintance or neighbour (6.9% or 627,100), followed by a previous partner (4.2% or 383,000), and friend or housemate (4.2% or 380,500).

Men were more likely to have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15 by a known person than a stranger. An estimated 3.7% of men (330,300) had experienced sexual violence by a known person, compared to 1.4% (128,300) who had experienced sexual violence by a stranger.

Women were more likely to have experienced physical violence by a known person than a stranger. More than one in four women (27% or 2.6 million) had experienced physical violence by a known person, compared to 6% of women (561,700) who experienced physical violence by a stranger.

Nearly one in five women (19% or 1.8 million) had experienced physical violence by an intimate partner, with the most commonly reported perpetrator being a previous partner (13% or 1.3 million).

Women were also more likely to have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15 by a known person than a stranger. Approximately one in six women (16% or 1.5 million) had experienced sexual violence by a known person, compared to 4.6% (433,300) who had experienced sexual violence by a stranger.

An estimated 9.2% of women (864,000) had experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner, the most commonly reported being a previous partner (4.5% or 422,300), and a boyfriend/girlfriend or date (4.3% or 399,000).

Both men and women were more likely to have experienced violence since the age of 15 by a male perpetrator than a female perpetrator:

• Nearly two in five men (39% or 3.5 million) experienced violence by a male perpetrator, compared to around one in eight (12% or 1.1 million) who experienced violence by a female perpetrator.
• Just over one in three women (34% or 3.2 million) experienced violence by a male perpetrator, compared to almost one in ten (9.2% or 866,500) who experienced violence by a female perpetrator.
   

Note: Where a person has experienced violence by more than one type of perpetrator of the same sex (e.g. female stranger and female known person), or experienced violence by the same type of perpetrator for each sex (e.g. female known person and male known person), they are counted separately for each type of perpetrator but are only counted once in the aggregated totals. Components therefore may not add to the totals and cannot be summed to produce totals where they are not presented. For more detailed information refer to Tables 3 and 4.

For example:

• if a person has experienced physical violence by a male stranger and a male known person, they would be counted against each perpetrator (ie. physical violence by a male stranger and physical violence by a male known person) but they would only be counted once in the total for those who had experienced physical violence by a male
• if a person has experienced physical violence by male stranger and sexual violence by a female stranger, they would be counted against each type of violence by perpetrator (ie. physical violence by a male stranger and sexual violence by a female stranger) but they would only be counted once for those who had experienced violence by a stranger.
   

Men were most likely to have experienced physical violence by a male stranger. Over a quarter of men (26% or 2.4 million) had experienced physical violence by a male stranger, compared to 2.3% (205,500) who experienced physical violence by a female stranger.

Men were approximately twice as likely to have experienced physical violence by a male known person (18% or 1.6 million) as by a female known person (9.4% or 849,600). An estimated 6.5% (587,900) of men experienced physical violence by a male acquaintance or neighbour. Approximately 4% (361,200) of men experienced physical violence by a female previous partner.

Men were as likely to have experienced sexual violence by a male (2.4% or 219,000) as by a female (2.6% or 236,700). Men were more likely to have experienced sexual violence by a known female (2.3% or 206,000) than a known male (1.6% or 142,500). However, men were more likely to have experienced sexual violence by a male stranger (1% or 89,000) than a female stranger (less than 1% or 40,800).

A quarter of women (25% or 2.3 million) had experienced physical violence by a male known person, compared to 6.9% (642,400) who had experienced physical violence by a female known person. Women were most likely to have experienced physical violence by a male previous partner (13% or 1.2 million).

Women were also more likely to have experienced physical violence by a male stranger than a female stranger. An estimated 4.2% of women (397,800) had experienced physical violence by a male stranger, compared to 2.4% (228,800) who experienced physical violence by a female stranger.

Approximately one in six women (16% or 1.5 million) had experienced sexual violence by a male known person, compared to less than 1% (57,400) who had experienced sexual violence by a female known person. An estimated 4.5% of women (418,900) had experienced sexual violence by a male previous partner, and 4.3% (398,700) had experienced sexual violence by a boyfriend/date.

Details below refer to the most recent incident that occurred since the age 15 and less than 10 years prior to the survey.

For the most recent incident of physical assault by a male, men were more likely to experience physical assault by a stranger. In contrast, women were more likely to experience physical assault by a male that they knew. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

• Approximately two-thirds of men who experienced physical assault by a male were assaulted by a stranger in their most recent incident (66% or 873,100).
   

• About nine out of ten women who experienced physical assault by a male were assaulted by someone that they knew in their most recent incident (92% or 977,600).
• The most common known perpetrator type was a previous partner (41% or 437,600).
   

Men were more likely than women to have experienced physical assault by a male at a place of entertainment or recreation or at an outside location. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

• An estimated 28% of men, who experienced physical assault by a male, experienced their most recent incident at a place of entertainment or recreation venue (370,700) compared to 5% of females (55,800).
• Similarly, an estimated 28% of men who experienced physical assault by a male, experienced their most recent incident at an outside location (370,500) compared with 5% of women (47,900).
   

Women were more likely than men to have experienced physical assault by a male in their home.

• Approximately 65% of women, who experienced physical assault by a male (689,800), experienced their most recent incident in their home, compared with 11% of men (138,900).
   

Men and women, who experienced physical assault by a male, reported being pushed, grabbed or shoved as the predominant physical assault behaviour during the most recent incident. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

Women, who experienced physical assault by a male, experienced the following assault behaviours during their most recent incident:

• pushed, grabbed or shoved (71% or 761,000)
• had something thrown at them (36% or 380,800)
• kicked, bitten or hit with a fist (23% or 248,400).
   

Men, who experienced physical assault by a male, experienced the following assault behaviours during their most recent incident:

• pushed, grabbed or shoved (56% or 738,100)
• kicked, bitten or hit with a fist (43% or 572,000).
   

Men who experienced physical assault by a male were more likely than women to perceive alcohol or another substance as a contributing factor to the most recent incident. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

Just under two-thirds of men who experienced physical assault by a male perceived alcohol or another substance to be a contributing factor to the most recent incident (61% or 804,000).

Approximately half of all women who experienced physical assault by a male perceived alcohol or another substance to be a contributing factor to the most recent incident (49% or 519,700).

The majority of men and women who experienced physical assault by a male did not contact the police about the most recent incident. There was no difference between men and women in the likelihood of contacting the police. Refer to Tables 10 and 11.

Approximately two-thirds of men who experienced physical assault by a male did not contact the police (69% or 908,100). Common reasons for not contacting the police included not regarding the incident as a serious offence (41% or 369,600), and feeling they could deal with it themselves (39% or 353,900).

Of those that contacted the police (32% or 428,600), 31% advised that the perpetrator was charged by the police (131,500).

Between 2012 and 2016, there was no significant change in men reporting the most recent incident to police, where the incident occurred in the 12 months prior to the survey. In 2012, an estimated 33% of men reported their most recent incident of physical assault by a male to police, compared to 42% in 2016. Refer to Table 12.

An estimated two out of three women who experienced physical assault by a male (69% or 734,500) did not contact the police. Common reasons for not contacting the police included feeling they could deal with it themselves (38% or 278,600), and did not regard the incident as a serious offence (32% or 233,200).

Of those that contacted the police (31% or 328,400), 43% advised that the perpetrator was charged by the police (140,200).

Between 2012 and 2016, there was no change in women reporting the most recent incident to police, where the incident occurred in the 12 months prior to the survey. In 2012, an estimated 28% of women reported their most recent incident of physical assault by a male to police, compared to 29% in 2016. Refer to Table 12.

Less than half of men and women who experienced physical assault by a male perceived the most recent incident as a crime at the time that the incident occurred. Refer to Tables 13 and 14.

Of persons who experienced physical assault by a male, the proportion who perceived the most recent incident as a crime was similar for both men (37% or 495,700) and women (40% or 425,400). However, women were more likely than men to perceive the incident as something that was wrong but not a crime (40% or 425,000 women compared with 26% or 347,700 men) and men were more likely than women to perceive the incident as something that just happens (31% or 405,000 men compared with 13% or 133,100 women).

Women who experienced physical assault by a male were more likely than men to have sought advice or support about the most recent incident. Refer to Tables 15 and 16.

The majority of men did not seek advice or support about the most recent incident.

• Approximately two out of three men, who experienced physical assault by a male (63% or 840,100), did not seek advice.
• Of the estimated 486,400 men who had sought advice or support, just under half sought advice or support from a friend or family member (47% or 228,800).
   

The majority of women did seek advice or support about the most recent incident.

• An estimated 62% of women who experienced physical assault by a male had sought advice or support (659,000).
• Of these women, approximately 63% sought advice or support from a friend or family member (417,500).
   

Women who experienced physical assault by a male were twice as likely as men to have experienced anxiety or fear for their personal safety in the 12 months after the most recent incident. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

An estimated three in five women who experienced physical assault by a male (59% or 623,600) had experienced anxiety or fear in the 12 months after the most recent incident.

Approximately one in four men who experienced physical assault by a male (24% or 316,600) had experienced anxiety or fear after their most recent incident.

To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, perturbation has been applied. Perturbation involves a small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. However as a result, these random adjustments of estimates may result in the sum of components not equalling the total or subtotal. For more details, refer to the Methodology page of this publication.

For more information on significance testing, refer to the Technical Note of this publication.

Details below refer to the most recent incident that occurred since the age 15 and less than 10 years prior to the survey.

In the most recent incident of physical assault by a female, both men and women were most likely to experience physical assault by a known person. However women were more likely than men to experience physical assault by a female stranger. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

Approximately five in six men who experienced physical assault by a female were assaulted by someone that they knew in their most recent incident (84% or 438,600). The most common known perpetrator type was a previous partner, with three in ten men being physically assaulted by a previous partner in their most recent incident (30% or 156,200).

Approximately three-quarters of women who were physically assaulted by a female were assaulted by someone they knew in the most recent incident (74% or 240,900). The most common known perpetrator type was an acquaintance or neighbour, with one in five women being physically assaulted by an acquaintance or neighbour in their most recent incident (20% or 65,300).

For both men and women who were physically assaulted by a female, the most common location where the most recent incident occurred was in their home. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

Over half of men who were physically assaulted by a female experienced the most recent incident in their home (55% or 286,200), compared to 30% of women (98,700).

Approximately one in six women who experienced physical assault by a female experienced their most recent incident at a place of entertainment or recreation (16% or 53,200), compared to less than one in 10 men (9.4% or 49,300).

The majority of both men and women, who experienced physical assault by a female, were pushed, grabbed or shoved during the most recent incident (53% or 275,600 and 63% or 204,000 respectively). Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

Men and women were equally likely to perceive alcohol or another substance as contributing to the most recent incident of physical assault by a female, with just under a half of men (46% or 240,900) and women (45% or 144,600). Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

The majority of men and women who experienced physical assault by a female did not contact the police about their most recent incident. There was no difference between men and women in the likelihood of contacting the police. Refer to Tables 10 and 11.

• Four in five men who experienced physical assault by a female did not contact the police about their most recent incident (80% or 415,800).
• Of those that did not contact police, the most common reasons included feeling like they could deal with the incident themselves (42% or 173,000), and not regarding the incident as a serious offence (38% or 158,600).
   

• Three-quarters of women who experienced physical assault by a female did not contact the police about their most recent incident (75% or 243,800).
• Of those that did not contact police, the most common reasons included feeling like they could deal with the incident themselves (37% or 90,000), and not regarding the incident as a serious offence (31% or 74,300).
   

Less than half of men and women who were physically assaulted by a female perceived the most recent incident as a crime at the time the incident occurred. Refer to Tables 13 and 14.

Of persons who experienced physical assault by a female, the proportion who perceived the most recent incident as a crime was similar for both men (22% or 113,900) and women (27% or 87,400). The proportion who perceived the incident as wrong but not a crime was also similar for men (46% or 240,900) and women (42% or 137,500).

Women who experienced physical assault by a female were more likely than men to have sought advice or support about the most recent incident. Refer to Tables 15 and 16.

• Approximately two in three men who experienced physical assault by a female did not seek advice or support about the most recent incident (67% or 352,700).
• Of those men who had sought advice or support, the most common source of support was a friend or family member (39% or 66,500).
   

• Just over half of women who experienced physical assault by a female had sought advice or support about the most recent incident (54% or 174,400).
• Of those women who had sought advice or support, just over half (54% or 93,700) had sought advice or support from a friend or family member.
   

The majority of men and women who experienced physical assault by a female did not experience anxiety or fear for their personal safety in the 12 months after the most recent incident. However, women were still more likely than men to experience anxiety or fear. Refer to Tables 8 and 9.

Approximately one in five men who were physically assaulted by a female experienced anxiety or fear in the 12 months after their most recent incident (20% or 102,000). For women, about one-third experienced anxiety or fear following their most recent incident of physical assault by a female (36% or 116,100).

To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, perturbation has been applied. Perturbation involves a small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. However as a result, these random adjustments of estimates may result in the sum of components not equalling the total or subtotal. For more details, refer to the Methodology page of this publication.

Details below refer to the most recent incident that occurred since the age 15 and less than 10 years prior to the survey.

Due to the relatively small numbers of men who have experienced sexual assault by a male, estimates for males experience of sexual assault are subject to very high sampling error (for further details on sampling error refer to the Technical Note of this publication). For this reason, only information on women’s experience of sexual assault by a male are included here.

The 2016 PSS found that the majority of women who experienced sexual assault by a male were sexually assaulted by a known person in the most recent incident. Refer to Table 8.

Just under nine out of ten women who experienced sexual assault by a male (87% or 553,700) were sexually assaulted by a known person in the most recent incident. The most common known perpetrator type was a previous partner (26% or 163,100) in the most recent incident of sexual assault by a male.

The majority of women who experienced sexual assault by a male were assaulted in a home (either their own or someone else’s) in the most recent incident. Refer to Table 8.

An estimated 40% of women who experienced sexual assault by a male were assaulted in their own home in the most recent incident (252,400). A further 17% were sexually assaulted in the perpetrator’s home (109,400) and a further 13% were assaulted in another person’s home (84,600).

The majority of women, who experienced sexual assault by a male, did not contact the police, about the most recent incident. Refer to Table 10.

Approximately nine out of ten women who experienced sexual assault by a male (87% or 553,900) did not contact the police about the most recent incident. Reasons for not contacting the police included feeling like they could deal with it themselves (34% or 189,400) and not regarding the incident as a serious offence (34% or 187,400).

Of the 85,700 women, who did contact the police, approximately one quarter advised that the perpetrator was charged (27% or 23,500).

Between 2012 and 2016, there was no significant change in women reporting the most recent incident to police, where the incident occurred in the 12 months prior to the survey. In 2012, an estimated 17% of women reported their most recent incident of sexual assault by a male to police, compared to 15% in 2016. Refer to Table 12.

Less than half of all women who experienced sexual assault by a male perceived the most recent incident as a crime at the time that the incident occurred. Refer to Table 13.

Women who experienced sexual assault by a male were more likely to perceive the most recent incident as wrong but not a crime (42% or 268,000), compared with something that just happens (22% or 138,900) or as a crime (26% 165,600).

Half of all women who experienced sexual assault by a male sought advice or support about the most recent incident (50% or 316,900). Of these women, 71% sought advice or support from a friend or family member (224,500). Refer to Table 15.

Over half of women who experienced sexual assault by a male felt anxiety or fear for their personal safety in the 12 months after the most recent incident (57% or 365,700). Refer to Table 8.

For more information on significance testing, refer to the Technical Note page of this publication.

Refer to Table 3.

Women aged 18 years and over were more likely than men to have experienced either physical violence and/or sexual violence, by a partner since the age of 15.

• An estimated 17% of women (1.6 million) and 6.1% of men (547,600) had experienced violence by a partner since the age of 15.
• Around one in six women (16% or 1.5 million) experienced physical violence by a partner, compared with one in seventeen men (5.9% or 528,800).
• Women were eight times more likely to experience sexual violence by a partner than men. Approximately 5.1% of women (480,200) experienced sexual violence by a partner, compared with approximately 0.6% of men (53,000).
   

Women were more likely to have experienced violence by a previous partner than a current partner.

• An estimated 2.9% of women (275,000) experienced violence by a current partner.
• Approximately 14.6% of women (1.4 million) experienced violence by a previous partner.
   

Women were also more likely to have experienced physical violence than sexual violence by either a current or previous partner.

• An estimated 2.6% of women (245,800) experienced physical violence by a current partner compared to 0.7% (61,000) who experienced sexual violence.
• Approximately 13.4% of women (1.3 million) experienced physical violence by a previous partner compared to 4.5% (422,300) who experienced sexual violence.
   

1. Definitions of current and previous partner are based on the living arrangements at the time of the survey.
2. Due to rounding and the effect of perturbation, components may not add to totals. For more details, refer to Endnote1.
3. People may have experienced violence by both a current and previous partner. Components therefore may not add to the totals.
4. People may have experienced multiple types of violence. Components therefore may not add to the totals.
5. Includes physical assault and/or physical threat.
6. Includes sexual assault and/or sexual threat.

Men were more likely to have experienced violence by a previous partner than a current partner.

• An estimated 1.7% of men (150,300) experienced violence by a current partner.
• Approximately 4.4% of men (397,300) experienced violence by a previous partner.
   

1. Definitions of current and previous partner are based on the living arrangements at the time of the survey.
2. Due to rounding and the effect of perturbation, components may not add to totals. For more details, refer to Endnote1.
3. People may have experienced violence by both a current and previous partner. Components therefore may not add to the totals.

To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, perturbation has been applied. Perturbation involves a small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. However as a result, these random adjustments of estimates may result in the sum of components not equalling the total or subtotal. For more details, refer to the Methodology page of this publication.

The PSS has previously been conducted in 2005 and 2012. For more information on comparability of prevalence of partner violence over time, refer to the Partner Violence chapter of the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of women who experienced partner violence in the previous 12 months has remained relatively stable. In 2005, approximately 1.5% of women aged 18 years and over experienced partner violence in the previous 12 months, whilst in 2016 the figure was 1.7%. Since the survey was last conducted in 2012, there was also no significant difference in the proportion of women who experienced partner violence (1.5%).

The proportion of men who experienced partner violence in the previous 12 months increased between 2005 and 2016. In 2005, approximately 0.4% of men aged 18 years and over experienced partner violence in the previous 12 months, whilst in 2016 the figure was 0.8%. However since the survey was last conducted in 2012, there was no significant change in the proportion of men who experienced partner violence (0.6%). Refer to Table 2.

Where a person reported experiencing any type of violence by a partner since the age of 15, additional information was collected about the actions taken and consequences of violence over the course of the relationship. This provides a detailed dataset with comprehensive information for what happens when a person experiences:

• Violence by a current partner who the respondent was living with at the time of the interview.
• Violence by a previous partner the respondent was no longer living with or no longer in a relationship with at the time of interview. Where a person experienced violence by more than one previous partner, they were asked to focus on their most recently violent previous partner and what happened during and after that relationship.
   

Note: If a respondent experienced violence by more than one previous partner, detailed information was only collected for their most recently violent previous partner.

Note: The characteristics of current partner and previous partner violence cannot be added together to produce a total for characteristics of "partner violence". This is because persons may have experienced violence by both a current partner and a previous partner and therefore could be double counted if the data are combined. For more details, refer to the Partner Violence page of the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

Men and women who experienced violence by a current partner were equally likely to experience multiple incidents of violence. Refer to Table 17.

• An estimated 54% of women (149,600) who experienced violence by a current partner experienced more than one incident of violence by that partner.
• An estimated 65% of men (97,600) who experienced violence by a current partner experienced more than one incident by that partner.
   

Note: Whilst it may appear that men were more likely than women to experience multiple incidents of current partner violence, when the sampling error of these estimates is taken into consideration, the differences in these estimates are not statistically significantly. For more details regarding significance testing, refer to the Data Quality and Technical Notes page of the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

Both men and women who experienced previous partner violence were more likely to experience multiple incidents of violence than a single incident. Refer to Table 18.

• An estimated 68% of women (931,800) who experienced violence by a previous partner experienced more than one incident of violence by that partner.
• An estimated 61% of men (241,600) who experienced violence by a previous partner experienced more than one incident by that partner.
   

Men were less likely than women to experience fear or anxiety due to violence by both a current partner and a previous partner. Refer to Tables 20 and 21.

Nearly half of all women who experienced current partner violence, experienced anxiety or fear due to the violence (46% or 126,100).

Approximately two in three women who experienced previous partner violence felt anxiety or fear due to the violence (65% or 887,900). Half of these reported feeling anxiety or fear most or all of the time (50% or 446,900) Endnote 1.

Refer to Table 21.

An estimated 32% of men (*47,300) who experienced current partner violence felt anxiety or fear due to the violence. * This estimate has a Relative Standard Error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.

One in three men (29% or 116,000) who experienced previous partner violence felt anxiety or fear due to the violence.

Frequency of anxiety or fear proportions provided in this section are produced from published figures in Table 21.

Note: this data refers to the respondent's help-seeking behaviours over the whole relationship with their current partner and/or most recent violent previous partner.

Women were more likely than men to seek advice or support about the violence which they experienced by either a current or previous partner (for definition of ‘advice or support’, refer to the Glossary). Refer to Tables 17 and 18.

• Just over half of women (54% or 149,700) who experienced current partner violence had sought advice or support about the violence they experienced. Of these women, approximately two thirds sought advice or support from a friend or family member (67% or 100,100).
• Of the women who did not seek advice or support (46% or 126,900) approximately half reported that one of the reasons for not seeking advice or support was because they felt they could deal with it themselves (50% or 63,100).
   

• An estimated 63% of women (864,100) who experienced previous partner violence, had sought advice or support about the violence they experienced. Of these women, approximately two thirds sought advice or support from a friend or family member (65% or 560,600).
• Approximately one third of women (37% or 506,800) who experienced previous partner violence had not sought advice or support about the violence they experienced. The most common reason for these women not seeking advice or support was because they felt they could deal with it themselves (47% or 238,400).
   

• Approximately 68% of men (102,400) who experienced current partner violence had not sought advice or support about the violence they experienced.
   

• Approximately two out of three men (59% or 235,300) who experienced previous partner violence had not sought advice or support about the violence they experienced. The most common reason for these men not seeking advice or support was because they felt they could deal with it themselves (60% or 141,800).
• Of those that sought advice or support (41% or 161,900), over half sought advice or support from a friend or family member (54% or 87,500).
   

A large proportion of men and women that experienced current or previous partner violence never contacted police. Refer to Table 19.

• An estimated 97% of men (146,100) who experienced current partner violence never contacted the police.
   

• An estimated 76% of men (299,900) who experienced previous partner violence never contacted the police.
• Of the estimated 99,100 men who had contacted the police approximately three quarters (73% or 72,300) reported that their partner was not charged.
   

• An estimated 82% of women (225,700) who experienced current partner violence never contacted the police.
• Of the estimated 47,900 women who had contacted the police, approximately half (55% or 26,200) reported that their partner was not charged.
   

• An estimated 65% of women (888,100) who experienced previous partner violence never contacted the police.
• Of the estimated 485,800 women who had contacted the police approximately half (56% or 271,900) reported that their partner was not charged.
• Of the estimated 189,300 women whose violent partner was charged, approximately 86% (162,200) reported that their partner went to court.
   

A small proportion of men and women had a restraining order issued against their violent previous partner. Refer to Tables 25 and 26. Women were more likely than men to have a restraining order issued against their violent previous partner.

• Approximately one in four women who experienced previous partner violence had a restraining order issued against their partner (24% or 329,500).
• Approximately one in ten men who experienced previous partner violence had a restraining order issued against their partner (10% of 41,100).
   

To minimise the risk of identifying individuals in aggregate statistics, perturbation has been applied. Perturbation involves a small random adjustment of the statistics and is considered the most satisfactory technique for avoiding the release of identifiable statistics while maximising the range of information that can be released. However as a result, these random adjustments of estimates may result in the sum of components not equalling the total or subtotal. For more details, refer to the Methodology page of this publication.

Different terminology is used across different states of Australia to label violence orders including apprehended violence orders, domestic violence orders, intervention orders (etc.). Information collected in the survey is based on respondent’s reporting of whether any of these types of orders, including interim orders, were issued by a court.

Note: the definition of partner violence for this section is restricted to only those who experienced violence by a partner while they were living together. A partner who was not violent during the relationship, but has been violent since the relationship ended is not included.

Men and women were equally likely to have children in their care at the time of experiencing partner violence.

An estimated 50% of women (60,300) who had children in their care when they experienced violence by a current partner reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.

An estimated 68% of women (418,200) who had children in their care when they experienced violence by a previous partner reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.

An estimated 60% of men (92,200) who had children in their care when they experienced violence by a previous partner reported that the children had seen or heard the violence.

The 2016 PSS collected information about whether women who experienced violence by a partner were ever pregnant during the relationship, and if so, whether violence occurred during their pregnancy. Refer to Table 19.

An estimated 187,800 women who experienced violence by a current partner were pregnant at some point during the relationship. Of these women, nearly one in five (18% or 34,500) experienced violence during their pregnancy.

An estimated 686,400 women who experienced violence by a previous partner were pregnant at some point during the relationship. Of these women, nearly half (48% or 325,900) experienced violence during their pregnancy.

Whether children had seen or heard violence proportions provided in this section are produced from published figures in Tables 17 and 18.

Note: the definition of partner violence for this section is restricted to only those who experienced violence by a partner while they were living together. A partner who was not violent during the relationship, but has been violent since the relationship ended is not included.

Refer to Table 23.

Men who experienced current or previous partner violence were less likely than women to temporarily separate from their partner.

An estimated 82% of men (123,400) who experienced violence by a current partner had never temporarily separated from their partner.

An estimated 38% of men (141,600) who experienced violence by a previous partner temporarily separated from their partner during the relationship. Of these men, around one in four separated from their partner just once (27% or 38,700), with the remaining separating more than once.

Refer to Table 22.

An estimated 70% of women (193,400) who experienced violence by a current partner had never temporarily separated from their partner.

An estimated 49% of all women (617,900) who experienced violence by a previous partner temporarily separated during the relationship. Of these women, 35% separated from their partner just once (218,400).

The Personal Safety Survey (PSS) collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence, although this is not necessarily the state or territory in which the emotional abuse took place. The reference period presented for all state and territory estimates is experiences of emotional abuse by a current and/or previous partner in the 12 months prior to interview.

The PSS was not designed to produce data at the state and territory level for men, however, some data was able to be produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia). Care should still be used when interpreting this data. Endnote 1 For more information on Sample Design, refer to the Methodology page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

A ‘current partner’ is a person who, at the time of the survey, was living with the respondent in a marriage or de facto relationship.

A ‘previous partner’ is a person who lived with the respondent at some point in a marriage or de facto relationship, but who was no longer living with the respondent at the time of the survey.

In 2016, across all states and territories, the proportion of women who had experienced current and/or previous partner emotional abuse in the last 12 months was similar to the national prevalence rate for women (4.8%). Refer to Table 1 of the State and Territory Tables.

Similarly, in states where data is available, the proportion of males who had experienced emotional abuse by a current and/or previous partner in the last 12 months was also similar to the national prevalence rate for men (4.2%).

Between 2012 and 2016, the proportion of women experiencing emotional abuse by a current and/or previous partner in the last 12 months remained stable for the majority of states and territories, except for Western Australia which increased from 3.3% in 2012 to 5.3% in 2016. Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

For the same period, in states where data is available, the proportion of men experiencing emotional abuse by a current and/or previous partner in the last 12 months remained stable in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. However, there was an increase in the proportion of men who experienced emotional abuse by a current and/or previous partner in New South Wales (2.4% in 2012 to 3.9% in 2016).

Between 2012 and 2016, there was an increase in women experiencing current partner emotional abuse in South Australia (from 2.1% to 3.5%) and Western Australia (from 1.7% to 3.6%). Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables

While data for men has been produced for some of the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), the reliability of this data may vary, and users should remain aware of RSEs and/or MoEs when interpreting this data.

In order to accurately capture emerging trends in experiences of emotional abuse (such as the use of information and communication technology), new emotional abuse behaviours have been specifically included in the 2016 PSS. Although these behaviours have been previously collected as part of other categories, this should be considered when comparing emotional abuse prevalence rates between 2012 and 2016 iterations of the survey.

The PSS collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence at the time of interview, although this is not necessarily the state or territory in which the sexual harassment took place.

The PSS was not designed to produce violence prevalence data at the state and territory level for men, however, some data was able to be produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia). Care should still be used when interpreting this data. Endnote 1 For more information on Sample Design, refer to the Methodology page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

In 2016, the proportion of women that experienced sexual harassment by a male perpetrator varied from 14% in New South Wales and South Australia, to 21% in the Northern Territory. Women were less likely to experience sexual harassment by a female, with the proportion varying from 3.5% in South Australia to 5.4% in the Northern Territory. Refer to Table 1 of the State and Territory Tables.

In 2016, the proportion of men that experienced sexual harassment by a female perpetrator varied from 5.6% in Victoria to 10% in South Australia. The proportion of men that experienced sexual harassment by a male perpetrator varied from 3.6% in Queensland to 6.3% in Victoria. Refer to Table 1 of the State and Territory Tables.

Between 2012 and 2016, Victoria and New South Wales were the only states that experienced a change in the proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment in the last 12 months. Refer to Table 2 of the State and Territory Tables.

• In Victoria, the proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment by a male perpetrator increased from 14% in 2012 to 19% in 2016, whilst the proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment by a female perpetrator increased from 3.0% in 2012 to 4.7% in 2016.
• In New South Wales, the proportion of women who experienced sexual harassment by a female perpetrator increased from 2.0% in 2012 to 4.0% in 2016.
   

Between 2012 and 2016, the following states experienced an increase in the proportion of men who experienced sexual harassment:

• In New South Wales, the proportion of men who experienced sexual harassment by a female perpetrator increased from 3.4% in 2012 to 6.6% in 2016.
• In South Australia, the proportion of men who experienced sexual harassment by a female perpetrator increased from 3.3% in 2012 to 10% in 2016.
• In Victoria, the proportion of men who experienced sexual harassment by a male perpetrator increased from 4.0% in 2012 to 6.3% in 2016.
   

While data for men has been produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), the reliability of this data may vary, and users should remain aware of RSEs and/or MoEs when interpreting this data.

In order to accurately capture the emerging trends in experiences of sexual harassment (such as the use of information and communications technology), new sexual harassment behaviours have been specifically included in the 2016 PSS. Although these behaviours may have previously been collected as part of other categories, this should be considered when comparing sexual harassment prevalence rates between the 2012 and 2016 iterations of the survey.

The 2016 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) collected information about men’s and women’s feelings of general safety, in the 12 months prior to the survey for the following situations:

• waiting for and using public transport alone after dark
• walking in their local area alone after dark
• being home alone after dark.
   

The 2016 Personal Safety Survey (PSS) collects information about a person’s state or territory of usual residence.

The PSS was not designed to produce data at the state and territory level for men, however, some data was able to be produced for the larger population states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia). Care should still be used when interpreting this data. Endnote 1 For more information on Sample Design refer to the Methodology page in the Personal Safety Survey, Australia: User Guide, 2016 (cat. no. 4906.0.55.003).

The following section relates to all persons. Refer to Table 5 (SA, WA, TAS, NT and ACT) and Table 6 (NSW, VIC and QLD) of the State and Territory Tables.

The proportion of men who waited for and used public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months increased, between 2005 and 2016, in the following states:

• New South Wales (from 36% to 45%)
• Victoria (from 37% to 46%)
• South Australia (from 24% to 42%).
   

The proportion of women who waited for and used public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months increased, between 2005 and 2016, for the majority of states:

• New South Wales (from 25% to 30%)
• Victoria (from 24% to 33%)
• South Australia (from 17% to 22%)
• Western Australia (from 16% to 20%).
   

The following section relates to all persons who waited for public transport alone after dark. Refer to Table 6 (SA, WA, TAS, NT and ACT) and Table 7 (NSW, VIC and QLD) of the State and Territory Tables.

The proportion of men who felt safe, waiting for public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months increased, between 2005 and 2016, in the following states:

• New South Wales (from 79% to 88%)
• Victoria (from 75% to 83%).
   

The proportion of women who felt safe waiting for public transport alone after dark increased, between 2005 and 2016, in the following states:

• New South Wales (from 55% to 70%)
• Victoria (from 53% to 68%)
• Queensland (from 58% to 71%)
• South Australia (from 49% to 59%)
• Tasmania (from #58% to 71%).
   

# Proportion has a margin of error >10 percentage points, which should be considered when using this information.

The following section relates to all persons who used public transport alone after dark. Refer to Table 6 (SA, WA, TAS, NT and ACT) and Table 7 (NSW, VIC and QLD) of the State and Territory Tables.

In 2016, the proportion of men who felt safe using public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months across all states and territories was similar to the proportion who felt safe nationally (91%) except in Queensland which was higher (95%).

For women, the proportion who felt safe using public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months across the states and territories was similar to the proportion who felt safe nationally (77%).

Between 2005 and 2016, the proportion of men who felt safe using public transport alone after dark in the last 12 months increased in the following states:

• New South Wales (from 83% to 91%)
• Queensland (from 88% to 95%).