Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia

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)

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. 

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) 

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). 

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). 

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%)

The number of victims of homicide and related offences in New South Wales increased from 102 victims in 2018 to 116 victims in 2019. This was the second consecutive annual increase.

For victims of homicide and related offences in 2019:

• Around two-thirds (67%) were male (78 victims) 
• Over a third (35%) were aged between 20 and 34 years (41 victims)
• A third were FDV-related (38 victims)
• A higher proportion of females knew the offender (86%) than males (65%)
• The majority (72%) occurred at a residential location (83 victims)
• Almost two-thirds (64%) involved the use of a weapon (74 victims), most commonly a knife (47 victims)

In 2019 there were 67,661 victims of assault recorded in New South Wales, a 2% (1,550 victims) increase from the previous year. The victimisation rate for assault increased from 828 victims to 836 victims per 100,000 persons over this period, the first rate increase in the ten-year time series.

For victims of assault in 2019:

• Around a quarter (24%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (16,295 victims)
• Over half (53%) were male (36,146 victims)
• More than half (54%) occurred at a residential location (36,171 victims), while 16% occurred on a street/footpath (10,795 victims)
• A weapon was used in 4% of offences (2,992 victims), the lowest proportion of any state or territory where assault data is available

The number of victims of sexual assault recorded in New South Wales increased by 8%, from 10,241 victims in 2018 to 11,009 victims in 2019. This was the highest number of victims of sexual assault over the ten-year time series. Between 2018 and 2019 the victimisation rate increased from 128 victims to 136 victims per 100,000 persons.

For victims of sexual assault in 2019:

• One in five were male (2,173 victims), the highest proportion of male victims recorded across all states and territories 
• Half of all male victims were under the age of 15 years (1,083 victims)
• Over a quarter (29%) of female victims were aged between 15 and 19 years (2,543 victims)
• Most (76%) knew the offender (8,328 victims)
• Almost a third (32%) were FDV-related (3,533 victims)
• The majority (60%) occurred at a residential location (6,562 victims)
• Less than 1% involved the use of a weapon (31 victims)

There were 2,861 victims of robbery recorded in New South Wales in 2019. This was the third consecutive annual increase, up 2% (44 victims) from 2018. 

For victims of robbery:

• More than three-quarters (78%) were male (2,003 victims)
• The most common location was a street/footpath (42% or 1,206 victims)
• Under half (42%) of all offences involved a weapon (1,205 victims)

In 2019 there were 12,642 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in New South Wales, up 3% from 2018. An outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport or garage) was the most common location from which a motor vehicle was stolen (49% or 6,148 victims).

In 2019, there were 34,564 victims of unlawful entry with intent in New South Wales. This was down 6% or 2,120 victims from the previous year, and represented the ninth consecutive annual decrease since 2010.

Almost three-quarters (74%) of unlawful entry with intent occurred at a residential location (25,507 victims).

There were 133,666 victims of other theft recorded in New South Wales in 2019, an increase of less than 1% (757 victims) since 2018. Over one-third (38%) of all other theft offences occurred at a retail location (50,093 victims) and 32% occurred at a residential location (42,381 victims).

In 2019 there were 101 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in Victoria, an increase of 16 victims from the previous year.

For victims of homicide offences in 2019:

• The majority (69%) were male (70 victims)
• Most (56%) offences occurred at a residential location (57 victims)
• The offender was known to the victim in almost two thirds of incidents (61%, 62 victims)
• Over a third (36%) of incidents were recorded as FDV-related (36 victims)
• Around one in five (21%) involved the use of a firearm (21 victims) 
• The majority (65%) of cases resulted in an offender being proceeded against within 30 days (66 victims) 

The number of victims recorded for sexual assault offences decreased, down 2% (113 victims) from 2018 to 5,829 victims in 2019. This was the second consecutive annual decrease for this offence.

The victimisation rate was 88 victims per 100,000 persons, which was the third lowest recorded rate across Australia in 2019 (behind Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory). 

For victims of sexual assault in Victoria: 

• There were over six times as many females (5,015 victims) than males (797 victims)
• Over a third (37%) were FDV-related (2,149 victims)
• Of these FDV-related sexual assaults, close to half (45%) were committed by an intimate partner (967 victims)
• The majority (67%) occurred at a residential location (3,879 victims)
• Most (97%) did not involve a weapon 

For victims of kidnapping/abduction in 2019: 

• There were 158 victims
• The majority (56%) were female (89 victims)
• Over half (51%) of female victims were aged between 20 and 34 years (45 victims)
• Most (54%) knew the offender (86 victims)
• Almost a third (30%) were FDV-related (48 victims)
• Around two-fifths (41%) occurred at a residential location (65 victims), with a further 35% at a community location (55 victims) 

In 2019 victims of robbery increased to the largest number recorded in ten years, up 29% (861 victims) from 2018 to 3,849 victims in 2019. This was the largest increase recorded across all states and territories for this offence between 2018 and 2019 and resulted in the highest victimisation rate as well, at 56 victims per 100,000 persons. 

For robberies in 2019:

• The majority (80%) were male (2,979 victims) 
• Most were armed (53% or 2,024 victims) and of these over a third (35%) involved a knife
• Over half of armed robberies occurred at a community location (53% or 1,081 victims)

Police finalised around a third (32% or 1,237 victims) of cases within 30 days of the incident being recorded.

There was an increase in thefts recorded in Victoria in 2019 with:

• Motor vehicle theft up by 8% (1,121 victims) to 15,930 victims
• Other theft up by 9% (11,478 victims) to 136,887 victims

Almost half (49%) of all motor vehicles were stolen from a residential location, with a further quarter taken from a street or footpath location. 

Victoria recorded the highest percentage of all states and territories of other thefts occurring from a residential outbuilding/land (25%), while around a further third (32%) occurred at a retail location. 

The number of victims of homicide and related offences in Queensland increased by 32% to 103 victims in 2019. 

For victims of homicide and related offences:

• Most were male (70% or 72 victims) 
• A higher proportion (69%) of females knew the offender, compared to males (35%)
• 19% were recorded as FDV-related (20 victims)
• Two-thirds occurred at a residential location

There were 4,859 victims of sexual assault recorded in 2019. The victimisation rate for this offence was 95 victims per 100,000 persons. 

For victims of sexual assault: 

• There were over five times more females than males (4,115 and 748 victims respectively)
• Almost a quarter (23%) were aged between 15 and 19 years (1,124 victims)
• Over two-thirds (70%) occurred at a residential location (3,411 victims)
• The majority (73%) knew the offender (3,526 victims)
• More than a third (34%) were recorded as FDV-related (1,671 victims)
• Most did not involve the use of a weapon (91% or 4,427 victims)

There were 2,621 victims of robbery in 2019, which was the largest number recorded over the ten-year time series. This was the fifth consecutive annual increase. 

For victims of robbery in Queensland:

• There were more than twice as many males than females (1,436 and 602 victims respectively) 
• The majority did not know the offender (77% or 1,574 victims)
• Almost a third (32%) of incidents occurred on a street/footpath (847 victims)
• A knife was used in over half of all armed robberies (53% or 710 victims)

In 2019, there were 41,912 victims of unlawful entry with intent in Queensland. This was an 8% increase from 2018 and the fourth consecutive annual increase. 

The majority (73%) of these offences occurred in a residential location.

The number of victims of motor vehicle theft increased to 14,466 victims in 2019. This was the largest number of victims for this offence since 2010. 

For victims of motor vehicle theft: 

• Over half (58%) of motor vehicles were taken from a residential location (8,429 victims)
• Police finalised around two-fifths (41%) of cases within 30 days of recording the incident (5,876 victims)

The number of victims of other theft increased to 136,877 victims in 2019. This was the highest number of victims for this offence recorded in ten years. Nearly half (46%) of other thefts occurred at a retail location (63,382 victims) and a quarter occurred at a residential location (34,263 victims).

There were 29 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in South Australia in 2019. 

For victims of homicide and related offences:

• Over three quarters (76%) were male (22 victims)
• The majority (62%) of victims knew the offender (18 victims) 
• Almost half (48%) were recorded as FDV-related (14 victims)
• 62% occurred at a residential location (18 victims)
• A weapon was used in the majority of incidents (83% or 24 victims) 

In 2019 there were 16,165 victims of assault recorded in South Australia. 

For victims of assault: 

• Over half (54%) were female (8,648 victims)
• 37% of males were assaulted by a stranger (2,768 victims) compared to 12% of females (1,001 victims)
• Half were recorded as FDV-related (8,009 victims)
• Over a quarter (27%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (4,349 victims)
• More than half (58%) occurred at a residential location (9,357 victims)

There were 1,550 sexual assault victims recorded in South Australia in 2019. 

For victims of sexual assault:

• The majority (88%) were female (1,365 victims)
• A quarter were aged between 15 and 19 years (389 victims)
• Around two thirds (67%) occurred at a residential location (1,039 victims)
• Most (78%) knew the offender (1,208 victims)
• 38% were recorded as FDV-related (585 victims)

In 2019 there were 603 victims of robbery recorded in South Australia. 

For victims of robbery in 2019:

• The majority (73%) were male (389 victims)
• A quarter were aged between 25 and 34 years (132 victims)
• Over half (52%) occurred at a community location (312 victims) 
• 57% involved a weapon (342 victims) 
• Half of armed robberies involved the use of a knife (170 victims)

There were 14,619 victims recorded in 2019 for unlawful entry with intent: 

• Two-thirds involved the taking of property (9,690 victims)
• The majority (80%) occurred at a residential location (11,618 victims)

In 2019 South Australia recorded:

• 4,175 victims of motor vehicle theft
• 49,596 victims of other theft

Victims of homicide and related offences in Western Australia decreased by 30% (19 victims) from 2018 to 44 victims in 2019.

The largest decrease was for victims of murder, which declined by 12 victims to 27 victims. 

For victims of homicide and related offences in 2019:

• The majority (59%) were male (26 victims)
• More than half (55%) occurred at a residential location (24 victims)
• Over a quarter (27%) were FDV-related (12 victims)
• Just under half (48%) involved the use of a weapon (21 victims) 

Victims of assault increased by 8% from the previous year to 31,097 victims in 2019. This also increased the victimisation rate to its highest level in three years to 1,186 victims per 100,000 persons. Western Australia had one of the highest victimisation rates recorded for this offence across the available states and territories. 

For victims of assault in Western Australia in 2019:

• The majority (60%) were female (18,718 victims)
• Over a quarter (28%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (8,765 victims)
• Over half (59%) occurred at a residential dwelling (18,461 victims)
• Most incidents (82%) did not involve the use of a weapon (25,337 victims)
• Three out of five incidents (63%) were FDV-related (19,437 victims) 
• Police finalised most cases (77% or 24,066 victims) within 30 days of recording the incident 

The number of victims of robbery increased for the second year, up 15% to 1,335 victims in 2019. This increased the victimisation rate to 44 victims per 100,000 persons. 

For victims of robbery:

• Almost half (47%) did not involve the use of a weapon (624 victims)
• The majority (72%) were male (837 victims)
• Just under a quarter (23%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (265 victims)
• Close to a third (31%) occurred on a street/footpath (409 victims), with a further quarter occurring at a retail location (339 victims)
• Around two-fifths (42%) of robberies resulted in an offender being proceeded against within 30 days of recording the incident (560 victims)

Armed robberies increased from the previous year across a number of weapons categories:

• Bat/bar/club up 48% to 46 victims
• Knife up 20% to 151 victims
• Firearm up 28% to 74 victims  

In 2019 the number of victims of other theft offences increased by 16% (12,456 victims) to 89,353. This was the first increase recorded for this offence in four years.  

Around two-fifths of other thefts occurred at a retail location (37%), followed by a further 35% occurring at a residential location. 

In 2019, there were 7 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in Tasmania, which remained stable from 2018. 

The number of assault victims recorded in Tasmania increased by 3% from 3,256 victims in 2018 to 3,359 in 2019. The victimisation rate for assault also increased from 616 victims to 629 victims per 100,000 over the same time period.

This was the fifth consecutive increase in victims since Tasmanian assault data was included in this collection. 

For victims of assault in Tasmania:

• More than half (52%) were female (1,740 victims)
• Over a quarter (28%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (948 victims)
• Almost a half (47%) were FDV-related (1,576 victims)
• A higher proportion of females (87%) knew the offender than males (58%)
• More than half (55%) occurred at a residential location (1,847 victims)
• About a fifth (18%) occurred on a street/footpath (613 victims)

The number of victims of sexual assault decreased for the second year to 194 victims in 2019. 

For victims of sexual assault in Tasmania:

• The majority (88%) were female (170 victims)
• A higher proportion of males (100%) knew the offender than females (91%)
• Over a fifth (22%) were aged between 15 and 19 years (42 victims)
• Almost half (46%) were FDV-related (90 victims)
• More than three-quarters (77%) occurred at a residential location (149 victims) 

There were 124 robbery victims recorded in Tasmania in 2019, an increase of 22 victims since 2018. 

This increase was driven by a rise in both armed and unarmed robbery, which increased by 19 and 6 victims respectively. 

For victims of robbery in Tasmania:

• Almost three-quarters (74%) were male (67 victims)
• A third occurred at a residential location (41 victims), followed by street/footpath (32% or 39 victims)
• The majority (69% or 86 victims) involved the use of a weapon, the highest proportion of all jurisdictions 
• A knife was the most common weapon used in armed robbery (43% or 37 victims), followed by a firearm (20% or 17 victims) 

In 2019, there were 3,376 victims of unlawful entry with intent recorded in Tasmania, an increase of 13% (382 victims) from 2018. 

Residential location was the most common location for this offence (63% or 2,112 victims). 

There were 1,295 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in Tasmania in 2019, an increase of 29% (291 victims) from the previous year. An outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport or garage) was the most common location from which a motor vehicle was stolen (53% or 684 victims). 

In Tasmania there were 8,032 victims of other theft in 2019, an increase of 11% (788 victims). Almost half (46% or 3,661 victims) of other theft offences occurred at a retail location. 

In 2019, there were 11 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in the Northern Territory. 

In 2019, the number of victims of assault recorded in the Northern Territory decreased by 9% (635 victims) from 2018 to 6,730 victims. The victimisation rate for assault decreased from 2,978 victims to 2,737 victims per 100,000 persons over the same period.

For victims of assault:

• The majority (65%) were female (4,352 victims)
• Almost a third (30%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (1,994 victims)
• A higher proportion of females (85%) knew the offender than males (56%)
• Almost two-thirds (60%) were FDV-related (4,030 victims)
• Over half (52%) occurred at a community location (3,485 victims)
• Just under a third (30%) occurred at a residential location (2,030 victims)
• A weapon was used in 40% of offences (2,716 victims), the highest proportion of any state or territory where assault data was available

In 2019, there were 354 victims of sexual assault recorded in the Northern Territory. The victimisation rate for this offence was 144 victims per 100,000 persons. 

For victims of sexual assault:

• The majority (89%) were female (315 victims)
• More than a third (35%) were aged between 10 and 19 years (125 victims)
• The majority of males (86%) and over half of females (52%) knew the offender 
• Over a fifth (22%) were FDV-related (79 victims)
• The majority (80%) occurred at a residential (141 victims) or community location (143 victims) 

There were 147 victims of robbery in the Northern Territory in 2019.

For victims of robbery:

• Three-quarters were male (103 victims)
• The majority (63%) occurred at a community location (93 victims)

In 2019, armed robbery increased by 18 victims to 66 victims. Over a third (35% or 23 victims) involved the use of a knife.

In 2019 there were 4,652 victims of unlawful entry with intent, a decrease of 7% (329 victims) from 2018. 

Around two-fifths (40%) of these offences took place at a residential location (1,846 victims).

In 2019 there were 700 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in the Northern Territory, a decrease of 9% (69 victims) from 2018. An outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport or garage) was the most common location from which a motor vehicle was stolen (36% or 255 victims). 

In 2019, the number of victims of other theft decreased by 2% (141 victims) to 6,285 victims. Over a third (35% or 2,190 victims) of other theft offences in the Northern Territory occurred in a community location, followed by a residential location (21% or 1,334 victims). 

There were six victims of homicide and related offences in the Australian Capital Territory in 2019.

In 2019 the number of victims of assault increased from the previous year by 2% (56 victims) to 2,399 victims. This increased the victimisation rate from 557 victims to 562 victims per 100,000 persons. 

For victims of assault in the Australian Capital Territory:

• Over half (52%) were male (1,240 victims)
• More than a quarter (26%) were aged between 25 and 34 years (630 victims)
• Around two-fifths (41%) were FDV-related (978 victims)
• A higher proportion of females (81%) knew the offender than males (51%)
• Almost half (47%) occurred at a residential location (1,118 victims) and just under a third (31%) occurred on a street/footpath (734 victims)

The number of victims of sexual assault in the Australian Capital Territory increased by 18% (49 victims) to 327 in 2019. Over the same time period, the victimisation rate increased from 66 victims to 77 victims per 100,000 persons.

For victims of sexual assault in 2019:

• The majority (87%) were female (283 victims)
• Most (73%) knew the offender (238 victims)
• Over a third (35%) were FDV-related (115 victims)
• Two-thirds occurred in a residential location (217 victims)

There were 236 victims of robbery in the Australian Capital Territory in 2019. Over half (51%) were armed robberies (121 victims), most commonly involving a knife (67 victims).

For victims of robbery:

• The majority (76%) were male (158 victims)
• Around half (51%) occurred on a street/footpath (120 victims) and almost a quarter (23%) occurred at a retail location (54 victims)

In 2019 there were 2,616 victims of unlawful entry with intent in the Australian Capital Territory, an increase of 19% (411 victims) from 2018.

Most of these offences took place at a residential location (63% or 1,649 victims) and around a fifth occurred at a retail location (19% or 499 victims).

In 2019 there were 1,145 victims of motor vehicle theft in the Australian Capital Territory, remaining relatively stable from 2018 (1,128 victims).

Just over half (51% or 581 victims) of all motor vehicles were stolen from a community location, the highest proportion of all jurisdictions. Of these:

• The majority occurred on a street/footpath (61% or 353 victims)
• Over a third occurred at a transport location (39% or 224 victims)

The number of victims of other theft remained relatively stable in 2019, increasing by 1% (82 victims) to 8,707 victims. Over a third (36% or 3,122 victims) of other theft offences occurred in a community location, the highest proportion of all jurisdictions.

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of assault recorded in 2019 were:

• 4,694 victims in the Northern Territory
• 4,435 victims in New South Wales
• 2,321 victims in South Australia

For this offence type, the number of victims in the Northern Territory decreased by 9% (438 victims) from the previous year.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of assault:

• The majority were female (64–76%)
• More than a quarter (26–34%) were aged between 25 and 34 years
• Around two-thirds occurred in a residential location in New South Wales (66%) and South Australia (63%)
• Half occurred in a community location in the Northern Territory
• Most knew the offender (87–92%)

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of sexual assault recorded in 2019 were:

• 929 victims in New South Wales
• 563 victims in Queensland
• 130 victims in the Northern Territory
• 95 victims in South Australia

New South Wales recorded a 32% increase in the number of victims of sexual assault since 2018 (227 victims), the only jurisdiction to record an increase over this time period. The victimisation rate increased from 255 victims to 331 victims per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons, the highest in the current time series. 

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of sexual assault:

• The majority were female (78–95%) 
• About a third were aged between 10 and 14 years in New South Wales (37%), Queensland (32%) and the Northern Territory (28%). In South Australia about a quarter (24%) were aged between 15 and 19 years
• Most knew the offender (62–84%)
• The most common location was residential, ranging from 49% in the Northern Territory to 75% in New South Wales 

In 2019 almost a third (30%) of all homicide and related offences were family and domestic violence (FDV) related (125 victims). Since 2018, the number of FDV-related homicides declined by 11% (15 victims). Western Australia recorded the largest decrease in victims over this period, down from 38 to 12 victims.

For victims of FDV-related homicide and related offences in 2019:

• Almost two-thirds (64%) were female (80 victims)
• Most (83%) occurred at a residential location (104 victims)
• The majority (62%) involved the use of a weapon (77 victims), most commonly a knife (45 victims)
• Over half were victims of murder (59% or 74 victims)

At least two out of five assaults were recorded as FDV-related in 2019, ranging from 41% in the Australian Capital Territory to 63% in Western Australia.

The number of FDV-related victims increased in most jurisdictions between 2018 and 2019:

• New South Wales (up 4% to 30,937 victims)
• Western Australia (up 10% to 19,437 victims)
• South Australia (up 10% to 8,009 victims)
• Tasmania (up 7% to 1,576 victims)
• Australian Capital Territory (up 12% to 978 victims)

The only jurisdiction to record a decline over this time period was the Northern Territory, down 8% to 4,030 victims.

The victimisation rates also increased in most states and territories in 2019 with: 

• The largest increase in Western Australia (from 684 to 741 victims per 100,000 persons) 
• The only decrease in the Northern Territory (from 1,762 to 1,639 victims per 100,000 persons)

For victims of FDV-related assault in 2019:

• Over two-thirds were female, ranging from 66% in New South Wales to 80% in the Northern Territory
• The most common age group across all jurisdictions was 25 to 34 years
• Most occurred at a residential location, ranging from 42% in the Northern Territory to 86% in New South Wales
• Offences involving a weapon varied from 4% in New South Wales to 42% in the Northern Territory 
• Females were most commonly offended against by an intimate partner. This ranged from 63% in New South Wales to 88% in Tasmania
• Males were most commonly offended against by an intimate partner in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, and by an ‘other family member’ (including parents, siblings or grandparents) in all remaining jurisdictions

There were 8,985 victims of FDV-related sexual assault in Australia in 2019. After accounting for population growth, the victimisation rate remained constant between 2018 and 2019 at 35 FDV-related victims per 100,000 persons.

Around a third (33%) of all sexual assaults in 2019 were FDV-related.

For victims of FDV-related sexual assault in 2019:

• Females were assaulted at a rate six times higher than males (60 and 10 victims per 100,000 females and males, respectively). 
• Most were under the age of 19 years (72% of males and 52% of females) 
• The majority (88%) of offences occurred at a residential location (7,928 victims)
• Almost all (94%) did not involve the use of a weapon (8,418 victims)
• Males were most commonly offended against by an ‘other family member’ (including parents, siblings or grandparents). This ranged from 60% in the Northern Territory to 100% in Tasmania.
• Females were most commonly offended against by an intimate partner in most jurisdictions (ranging from 47% in the Northern Territory to 54% in the Australian Capital Territory). Females were most commonly offended against by an ‘other family member’ (including parents, siblings or grandparents) in Queensland (71%) and New South Wales (57%)

There were 151 victims of FDV-related kidnapping/abduction in Australia in 2019.

For victims of FDV-related kidnapping/abduction:

• The majority (83%) were female (126 victims)
• Over two-fifths (44%) were aged between 20 and 34 years (66 victims)
• Most (76%) took place at a residential location (114 victims)
• Three-quarters did not involve the use of a weapon (113 victims)

This release previously used catalogue number 4510.0