New ABS database to track information on domestic and sexual violence perpetrators

Data on perpetrators of family, domestic and sexual violence and their interaction with the justice system will be collated and tracked in a new database co-­ordinated through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A new ABS database is being built to capture information about domestic, family and sexual violence from sources including the courts and prisons.

Data on perpetrators of family, domestic and sexual violence and their interaction with the justice system will be collated and tracked in a new database co-­ordinated through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The cross-government data asset will draw on information from police, criminal courts and corrective services departments in federal, state and territory jurisdictions. It will be known as the ABS Criminal Justice Data Asset, and will be funded by the Albanese government as part of its 10-year national plan to end violence against women and children.

The longitudinal data can provide state and federal governments with critical evidence about what is and isn’t working across their justice systems.

It will hold information on the number and rate of offenders, common risk factors associated with perpetrators, recidivism rates and success rates for programs trying to keep people out of the system.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the new data asset would help both to evaluate current practice and inform future policy. “We know that current statistics don’t fully capture the extent of family, domestic and sexual violence happening in our communities,” she said.

“The national criminal database will expand the available data on perpetrators and mean we can improve the targeting of programs and interventions, particularly prevention and early intervention initiatives.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth. Picture: Newswire / Gaye Gerard

“It will also support reporting and monitoring on our progress towards our goal of ending ­gender-based violence in a generation as set out in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.”

The new data set is not the only state-federal collaboration underway as part of a co-ordinated effort to stop violence against women and children. Other programs include bolstering perpetrator risk assessment and behaviour change programs.

Governments are already looking to improve information-sharing about perpetrators, with state and federal data and digital ministers working together through national cabinet. The new Criminal Justice Data Asset will support that work.

ABS data on sexual violence published last year finds prevalence increasing in recent years. In 2021, 1.9 per cent of women said they had experienced sexual violence, up from 1.2 per cent in 2012 and 1.8 per cent in 2016.

Overall, 2.2 million women in Australia, more than one in five, experienced one or more incidents of sexual violence, defined as any incident involving the occurrence, attempt, or threat of sexual assault, since the age of 15.

Young women aged 18-24 were the most likely to report being subjected to sexual violence and harassment, with 35 per cent saying they had been sexually harassed in the past year. Women who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or queer were five times more likely to have experienced sexual violence than heterosexual women.

If you or someone you know is experiencing or at risk of domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via www.1800RESPECT.org.au, or text 0458 737 732.