Search

Foreword | The clandestine nature of trafficking in persons means that there is little reliable data about the nature and extent of the crime; however, a picture is emerging of the nature of people trafficking as the number of prosecutions grows.

Foreword | Australia has a long tradition of providing welfare payments to vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens. The Australian Government introduced the aged pension in 1909 and the invalid pension in 1910. During World War II, and in the decades since, numerous additional benefits have been made available to a wide range of recipients. Almost one-third of Australians now receive some kind of direct welfare payment. For many, welfare provides a permanent, secure source of income.

Fraud against the Commonwealth is defined as ‘dishonestly obtaining a benefit or causing a loss, by deception or other means’. This definition is set out in the current Commonwealth Resource Management Guide (no. 201) Preventing, detecting and dealing with fraud, issued by the Australian Government Minister for Justice (2014).

Many crime prevention and criminal justice responses involve interventions with people who are in contact with a number of justice or welfare agencies. CRM 38 and 41 both address evaluation and outline how to set up measures, indicators and outcomes for the evaluation of programs. Intended outcomes of programs may not be manifest in the short term, but seek to prevent involvement in the justice system or to reduce recidivism in the longer term.

Improving the quality of programs to prevent youth crime is important to enhance outcomes for children and adolescents, to increase community perceptions of safety, and reduce crime. Diversion and community corrections programs are one form of early intervention designed to protect young offenders from the negative effects of incarceration, and to reduce stigma and negative peer influence. However, only high-quality programs will produce the best results.

Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) is a method for improving police effectiveness through examining and acting on the underlying conditions that give rise to community problems. Responses emphasise prevention, go beyond the criminal justice system alone, and engage with other public agencies, the community and the private sector, where practical.

The Victorian Parliamentary Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee (2005) has recently examined the problem of violence associated with motor vehicle use. Statistics on road user violence obtained from Victoria Police were examined for the period 1 July 2002 to 31 May 2004. Road user violence was defined as 'a violent offence committed by strangers based on their behaviour as drivers, cyclists or pedestrians'. The committee found that the number of recorded incidents has remained relatively stable over this period, varying between 50 and 90 incidents in any given month.

There are two reports in this volume. They are divided into sections, as follows:

Australian Institute of Criminology

Year in review

The Chair of the Board of Management and the Director of the AIC review the significant issues and achievements for the year, provide a snapshot of performance and highlight expected developments for the coming year.

Proceedings of a seminar held 1-2 October 1986

Contents

• Introduction
  
  David Biles
• The role of an ombudsman in curbing government illegality
  
  Professor Jack Richardson
• Role of Auditors General
  
  Peter L. Lidbetter
• Government illegality and public service boards
  
  Emeritus Professor D.C. Corbett
• Royal commissions
  
  Terry Higgins
• Parliamentary committees
  
  Senator Janine Haines

Ngarra Jarranounith Place today received a gold award in the community-led category of the 2021 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards (ACVPA).

The ACVPA recognise best practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crime in Australia and play a vital role in highlighting effective community-based initiatives to prevent crime and violence.