Longitudinal data on gender-based violence to improve policy approaches

Australia will get its own intergovernmental crime database to provide more evidence about perpetrators of family, domestic and sexual violence and their involvement in the justice system.

Four ministers have announced that the Government will invest in country-linked criminal justice data resources hosted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The facility was created as a result of a joint initiative of ABS and the Department of Social Welfare.

In a joint statement on Thursday, Social Affairs Minister Amanda Rishworth, Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher, Associate Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Social Care Justine Elliot and Assistant Secretary to the Exchequer Andrew Leigh said the initiative would complement other efforts to stop violence against women and children.

The data will also support numerous initiatives under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 and the National Compact to Close the Gap.

The Minister for Social Affairs noted that its results would create a more robust evidence base that would inform policy and research, as well as help in evaluation. It would also support reporting and monitoring efforts, she added.

“Current statistics do not fully capture the extent of family, domestic and sexual violence that occurs in our communities,” Rishworth said.

“A national crime database will expand available data on perpetrators and enable us to better target programs and interventions, especially prevention and early intervention initiatives.”

The new database is in line with the priority set by the National Council of Ministers for Data and Digitization for jurisdictions to improve the exchange of information on perpetrators across different systems.

It will be set up in partnership with the police, criminal courts and adult corrections services, as well as government departments.

Some of the multi-jurisdictional programs that the database is designed to support include providing more evidence for trials of innovative offender responses, behavior change programs, and improved approaches to offender risk assessment.

“The Commonwealth is working closely with states and territories on how we can improve the sharing of information and data to support the National Plan and the work of all jurisdictions to end violence against women,” Gallagher said.

“This is an important tool to support this work.”

The federal government hopes the new database will inform key issues including:

• the number and percentage of offenders who come into contact with the criminal justice system and use violence.
• the number of perpetrators held accountable
• risk factors associated with committing a crime
• recidivism rates and time to return to justice
• paths through the justice system
• what works to keep people out of the system
• overrepresentation of First Nations peoples in the justice system.

Elliot said the database would also reveal where information gaps exist and what needs to be focused on to end domestic and family violence.

“This national crime database, as well as the AIC statistical dashboard we announced last year, will further enable governments, policymakers and law enforcement agencies to develop the most effective measures and responses,” she said.

Deputy Minister Leigh further noted that the ABS had stringent criteria in place around governance, capacity and data management for this government asset.

“By expanding data on perpetrators, the national crime database will contribute to the development and evaluation of policies that will help protect our communities from the scourge of domestic, domestic and sexual violence,” he said.