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Violent crime statistics

Violent crimes, 1996-2006 (rate per 100,000 persons)

Note: Homicide and kidnapping occur at rates of less than 5 per 100,000 each, and are difficult to distinguish on this chart

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 1997-2007. Recorded crime, victims, Australia (various years; title varies). ABS cat. no. 4510.0. Canberra: ABS

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002-2006. Population by age and sex, Australian states and territories (various issues). ABS cat. no. 3201.0. Canberra: ABS

  • The trend in the rate of recorded assault increased steadily from 1996 to 2006. The rate in 2006 was 829, compared with 623 per 100,000 in 1996. The 2006 rate was the highest recorded since 1996.
  • The rate for robbery peaked in 2001. Following a subsequent decline, the rate has levelled out to 84 per 100,000 in 2006.
  • The rate of kidnapping remained between 3 and 4 per 100,000 between 1996 and 2006.
  • The homicide rate was 1.9 in 1996 (which includes the 35 victims of the Port Arthur massacre) and was at its highest in 1999 at 2.0 per 100,000. By 2004 it had dropped to 1.5 and has remained stable since then.
  • The rate of recorded sexual assault increased between 1996 and 2006 from 79 to 88 persons per 100,000. However, the increase has been much less marked in more recent years.

Violent crime statistics, by crime type

Key data sources