Homicide and related offences
Between 2018 and 2019, the number of victims of homicide and related offences in Australia increased by 10% (39 victims) to 416 victims. This was the first national increase in four years.
The following states and territories contributed the most to this increase:
- Queensland (up 25 victims)
- Victoria (up 16 victims)
- New South Wales (up 14 victims)
All homicide and related offences increased in Australia between 2018 and 2019:
- Attempted murder (up 21 victims or 17%)
- Manslaughter (up 17 victims or 59%)
- Murder (up 6 victims or 3%)
For victims of homicide and related offences:
- Over two-thirds (70%) were male (290 victims)
- Most (63%) occurred at a residential location (262 victims)
- Almost a third (30%) were family and domestic violence (FDV) related (125 victims)
- A weapon was used in the majority of offences (66% or 273 victims), most commonly a knife (126 victims) or firearm (92 victims)
Sexual assault
In 2019 there were 26,892 victims of sexual assault in Australia, an increase of 2% from the previous year. This was the eighth consecutive annual increase and the highest number for this offence recorded in a single year. After accounting for population growth, the victimisation rate has also increased annually over this eight-year period from 83 to 106 victims per 100,000 persons.
For victims of sexual assault in 2019:
- The majority (83%) were female (22,337 victims)
- Around two-thirds (67%) occurred in a residential location (17,395 victims)
- A third were FDV-related (8,985 victims)
- Almost all (95%) did not involve a weapon (25,583 victims)
There were increases in:
- New South Wales (up 768 victims or 7%)
- Australian Capital Territory (up 49 victims or 18%)
There were decreases in:
- Victoria (down 113 victims or 2%)
- Western Australia (down 87 victims or 3%)
- South Australia (down 61 victims or 4%)
The numbers in Queensland (up 10 victims), Northern Territory (down 6 victims) and Tasmania (down 5 victims) remained relatively stable compared with 2018.
Robbery
In 2019 there were 11,775 victims of robbery in Australia, increasing by 16% from the previous year. This was the fourth consecutive annual increase and the highest recorded number of victims since 2012.
The number of victims of robbery increased across all states and territories in 2019, with the largest in:
- Victoria (up 861 victims or 29%)
- Queensland (up 426 victims or 19%)
- Western Australia (up 174 victims or 15%)
- South Australia (up 95 victims or 19%)
For victims of robbery in 2019:
- More than half (51%) occurred at a community location (6,002 victims)
- There were slightly more unarmed robberies (51%) than armed robberies (49%)
- Almost half (46%) of all armed robberies involved a knife (2,646 victims) and 12% involved a firearm (670 victims)
Unlawful entry with intent
In 2019 there were 173,344 victims of unlawful entry with intent, which was a 3% (5,294 victims) increase from the previous year.
The largest increases for this offence were recorded in:
- Queensland (up 3,079 victims or 8%)
- Victoria (up 1,157 victims or 3%)
- Western Australia (up 1,066 victims or 4%)
The majority (72%) of these offences occurred at a residential location (124,026 victims).
Motor vehicle theft
In 2019 there were 58,021 victims of motor vehicle theft in Australia, an increase of 9% or 4,697 victims from the previous year. This was the highest recorded number of victims for this offence since 2012.
Motor vehicle theft increased in most states and territories, including:
- Queensland (up 1,788 victims or 14%)
- Victoria (up 1,121 victims or 8%)
- Tasmania (up 291 victims or 29%)
Over half (53%) of all motor vehicles were stolen from a residential location (30,789 victims) and almost a third (32%) were stolen from a community location (18,551 victims).
Other theft
The number of victims of other theft offences increased by 8% between 2018 and 2019 to 569,404 victims. This was the highest recorded number of victims in the last ten years.
The number of victims of this offence increased in most states and territories with the largest occurring in:
- Western Australia (up 12,456 victims or 16%)
- Victoria (up 11,478 victims or 9%)
- Queensland (up 9,698 victims or 8%)
- South Australia (up 6,784 victims or 16%)