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VICTIMS OF CRIME, INDIGENOUS STATUS

This chapter presents statistics about the Indigenous Status of victims for New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Based on an ABS assessment, Indigenous Status data for other states and territories are not of sufficient quality and/or do not meet ABS standards for national reporting in 2016.

For the data presented here, there remained a small proportion of victims whose Indigenous Status was "not stated/unknown". The proportion of unknown Indigenous Status for person offences varied by offence type and from year to year. For this reason, caution should be exercised when interpreting movements in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data. For further information, refer to paragraphs 22–24 and 34–37 of the Explanatory Notes.

ASSAULT

From the beginning of the time series in 2010 to 2016 the Assault victimisation rate:

• Decreased in NSW by 25% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and by 27% for non-Indigenous victims
• Increased in SA by 7% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and decreased by 1% for non-Indigenous victims
• Decreased in the NT by 5% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and by 13% for non-Indigenous victims (Table 16)

In 2016, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons were more likely to be the victim of Assault than non-Indigenous persons by a ratio of:

• 2.6 in NSW (1,808 victims per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons compared to 683 victims per 100,000 non-Indigenous persons)
• 6.0 in SA (5,128 compared to 858)
• 5.9 in the NT (6,243 compared to 1,058) (Table 16)

Sex

Females accounted for a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander than non-Indigenous victims of Assault in each of these states and territories:

• 65% compared to 45% in NSW
• 72% compared to 50% in SA
• 77% compared to 38% in the NT (Table 17)

Age

The most prevalent age group for victims of Assault was between 25 and 34 years. In NSW this age group accounted for a quarter of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous victims (26% and 25%); in SA 32% and 26%; in the NT 32% and 30%. (Table 17)

Relationship of offender to victim

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of Assault were more likely than non-Indigenous victims to know the offender, with:

• Nearly nine out of ten (88%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims compared to nearly two-thirds (66%) of non-Indigenous victims in NSW
• 89% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims compared to 66% of non-Indigenous victims in SA
• 85% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims compared to 50% of non-Indigenous victims in the NT (Table 18)

SEXUAL ASSAULT

From the beginning of the time series in 2010 to 2016 the Sexual assault victimisation rate in NSW has decreased by 20% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and increased by 12% for non-Indigenous victims. Movements for the rates in Qld, SA and the NT were smaller, apart from a 12% decrease in the NT non-Indigenous victimisation rate. (Table 16)

In 2016, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons were more likely to be the victim of Sexual assault than non-Indigenous persons by a ratio of:

• 2.4 in NSW (231 victims per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons compared to 98 victims per 100,000 non-Indigenous persons)
• 3.4 in Qld (261 compared to 77)
• 3.4 in SA (275 compared to 80)
• 2.7 in the NT (235 compared to 86) (Table 16)

Sex

The proportion of female victims of Sexual assault is very similar for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous victims for each of the states and territories for which data are available. (Table 17)


ROBBERY

From 2015 to 2016 the number of Robbery victims in NSW remained unchanged for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims, but non-Indigenous victims decreased by 16%. The number of non-Indigenous victims have decreased every year since the beginning of the time series in 2010.

For the other states and territories from 2015 to 2016 the number of:

• Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims decreased by 11% and non-Indigenous victims increased by 34%.
• SA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims increased by 20% (three victims). A small (less than 1% of victims) decrease in the number of non-Indigenous victims continued the trend of annual decreases every year since the beginning of the time series.
• NT victims decreased for both populations (23% and 30% respectively).

Over the period from the beginning of the time series in 2010 to 2016 the Robbery victimisation rate:

• Decreased by similar amounts for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous victims in Qld (18% and 17%) and SA (55% and 50%)
• In NSW has decreased by 39% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims and 67% for non-Indigenous victims.
• In the NT has decreased by 24% and 8% (Table 16)

Unlike the majority of the selected offences Robbery is an offence where non-Indigenous persons are often more likely to be a victim than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons. In 2016 the ratio of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to non-Indigenous victimisation rates was:

• 0.8 in NSW (20 victims per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons compared to 26 victims per 100,000 non-Indigenous persons)
• 0.7 in Qld (15 compared to 23)
• 1.7 in SA (43 compared to 26)
• 0.3 in the NT (13 compared to 43) (Table 16)