Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: a snapshot, 2006
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/05/2007 First Issue

NOTES
INTRODUCTION
This snapshot presents an overview of Indigenous peoples' experiences of law and
justice as reported in the 2002 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social
Survey (NATSISS) as well as data from other relevant ABS collections. Unless
otherwise specified, data relate to Indigenous people aged 15 years and over.

DATA SOURCES
This article presents information from the 2002 NATSISS and some data from the 2006
National Prisoner's Census. Some comparable data for non-Indigenous people from the
2002 General Social Survey (GSS) are also presented, as well as selected results from
the 1994 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSIS).
INQUIRIES
For further information contact the Assistant Director, National Centre for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Statistics in Canberra on (02) 6252 6301 or visit www.abs.gov.au

EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE
The relative socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people is reflected in considerably high rates of victimisation (footnote 1).
Victims of violence may suffer serious injury, disability or death and, together with those
who witness violence, are more likely to experience debilitating stress and trauma (ABS
& AIHW 2005). Similarly, people who perceive their neighbourhood as unsafe may be
discouraged from accessing local services and recreational facilities, and from creating
social networks close to their homes.

VICTIMS OF PHYSICAL OR THREATENED VIOLENCE


In 2002, about one-quarter (24%) of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over
reported being a victim of physical or threatened violence in the 12 months prior
to the survey (26% of males and 23% of females), nearly double the overall rate
reported in 1994 (13%) (ABS 2004).

Victim of physical or threatened violence(a) - 1994, 2002











The Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia all reported
victimisation rates at or above 30% (ABS 2004).
One-third (33%) of young Indigenous people (aged 15-24 years) were a victim of
violence in 2002 (ABS 2004).
Indigenous people who had been removed from their natural family were almost
twice as likely as those who had not been removed from their natural family to
have been a victim of violence (38% compared with 23%).
Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had been a victim of
violence, the most commonly reported neighbourhood/community problem was
theft (51%) followed by illicit drugs (44%), alcohol (44%) and problems involving
youths (43%).
Indigenous people who reported victimisation were more likely than those who
had not reported being a victim of violence to have experienced one or more life
stressors (94% compared with 79%).
After adjusting for age differences (footnote 2) between the Indigenous and nonIndigenous populations, Indigenous people aged 18 years and over were twice
as likely as non-Indigenous people to have been a victim of physical or
threatened violence (ABS 2004).

LIFE STRESSORS
The four stressor categories (footnote 3) most closely related to crime and justice in the
2002 NATSISS were: witness to violence; abuse or violent crime; trouble with the
police; and member of family sent to jail/currently in jail. While respondents may have
reported that they, a friend or a family member had experienced one or more of these
life stressors, the survey did not collect information about specific events.
Stressor: Witness to violence


In 2002, 16% of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over reported that they, a
friend, or family member, had witnessed violence in the 12 months prior to the
survey (ABS 2004).



Indigenous people in remote areas (footnote 4) were three times as likely as
those in non-remote areas to have witnessed violence (30% compared with 10%)
(ABS 2004).
 Almost half (45%) of Indigenous people who had been a witness to violence also
reported being a victim of physical or threatened violence.
Stressor: Abuse or violent crime


Overall, 11% of Indigenous people reported abuse or violent crime as a life
stressor experienced in the 12 months prior to the survey (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous people living in remote areas were almost twice as likely as those
living in non-remote areas to have reported abuse or violent crime as a life
stressor (17% compared with 9%) (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous females were around one-and-a-half times more likely than
Indigenous males to have reported abuse or violent crime as a life stressor (13%
compared with 9%).
Stressor: Trouble with the police


Around one in five Indigenous people (18%) reported that they, a friend or family
member had experienced trouble with the police in the 12 months prior to the
survey (ABS 2004).
 Young Indigenous people (aged 15-24 years) were the most likely of any age
group to report that they, a friend or family member had experienced trouble with
the police (23%).
 Indigenous people who were unemployed were more likely than those who were
employed to report that they, a friend or family member had experienced trouble
with the police (24% compared with 17%).

Stressor: Family member sent to jail/currently in jail


Almost one in five Indigenous people (19%) reported a family member being sent
to jail/currently in jail (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous people in remote areas were one-and-a-half times more likely than
Indigenous people in non-remote areas to report that a family member had been
sent to jail or was currently in jail (25% compared to 17%) (ABS 2004).

Selected life stressors by remoteness(a) - 2002

NEIGHBOURHOOD/COMMUNITY PROBLEMS
An individual's perception that family violence, assault and sexual assault are problems
in their neighbourhood or community may provide some insights into the likely impact of
these events at the community level (footnote 5). However, while respondents were
asked whether they thought these situations or events were a problem in their
neighbourhood or community, the 2002 NATSISS did not collect information about
specific events. Information about neighbourhood/community problems was not
collected in the 2002 General Social Survey, therefore there are no available
comparisons for the non-Indigenous population.

Family violence


In 2002, one in five Indigenous people aged 15 years and over (21%) reported
family violence as a neighbourhood/community problem (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous people in remote areas were nearly three times more likely than
those in non-remote areas to report family violence as a neighbourhood or
community problem (41% compared with 14%) (ABS 2004).
 Among Indigenous people who reported family violence as a neighbourhood or
community problem, 38% also reported being victims of physical or threatened
violence.
 More than one-third (36%) of Indigenous people who reported family violence as
a community or neighbourhood problem had primary caring responsibility for a
child aged 12 years or less.
Assault and sexual assault



One in five Indigenous people (20%) reported assault as a community or
neighbourhood problem, while 8% reported sexual assault as a community or
neighbourhood problem (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous people living in remote areas were almost three-and-a-half times
more likely than Indigenous people living in non-remote areas to report assault
(41% compared with 12%) and sexual assault (17% compared with 5%) as a
community or neighbourhood problem (ABS 2004).
Selected neighbourhood/community problems by remoteness(a) - 2002

INVOLVEMENT IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Indigenous people tend to have relatively high rates of contact with the criminal justice
system and are over-represented in Australian prisons. These high rates may be both a
contributing factor to, and an outcome of, the disadvantage that Indigenous people
experience across a range of social dimensions (ABS 2004). Prisoners experience high
rates of substance use and mental health problems, and may have difficulty
reintegrating with their family and community following their release. They also tend to
experience high rates of unemployment and lower incomes (ABS 2005).

ARREST IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS


In 2002, one in six Indigenous people aged 15 years and over (16%) reported
having been arrested in the five years prior to the survey, down from 20% in
1994. Rates of arrest were similar in remote and non-remote areas (17% and
16% respectively) (ABS 2004).
 Western Australia had the highest proportion of people who reported having
been arrested of any state or territory (22%), followed by South Australia (19%)
and New South Wales (17%) (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous males were more likely than Indigenous females to report having
been arrested (24% compared with 9%) (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous people who had been arrested in the last five years were less likely
than those who had not been arrested to have access to support from someone
outside their household in a time of crisis (85% compared with 91%).



Indigenous people who had been arrested were also more likely than those who
had not been arrested to be unemployed (29% compared with 11%) and were
more likely to be living in households experiencing financial stress (72%
compared with 51%).

Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over, Selected characteristics by whether
arrested - 2002
Selected characteristics
Unemployed
Highest year of school completed year nine or
below(b)
Fair/poor self-assessed health
Has a disability or long term health condition
Relative removed from natural family
First formal charge at 15 years or below
Arrested more than once in the last five years
Victim of physical or threatened violence(c)
Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over

Arrested(a) Not arrested(a)

All persons

%

29.2

10.7

13.8

%

50.4

39.2

41.1

%
%
%
%
%
%
'000

26.2
44.3
43.6
30.5
56.4
47.1
46.3

22.8
34.9
34.1
4.8
..
19.9
235.9

23.3
36.5
35.6
9.0
9.3
24.3
282.2

. . not applicable
(a) In the last five years
(b) Excludes persons still attending secondary school. Includes persons who never attended school
(c) In the last 12 months
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2002

INCARCERATION IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS


In 2002, 7% of Indigenous people aged 15 years and over reported having been
incarcerated in the five years prior to the survey (11% of males and 3% of
females) (ABS 2004).
 Indigenous people who had been incarcerated were more likely than those who
had not been incarcerated to be unemployed (32% compared with 12%).
 Among Indigenous people who had been incarcerated, almost one-third (30%)
reported risky/high risk levels of long-term alcohol consumption (footnote 6) in
the 12 months prior to the survey, compared with 14% of those who had not
been incarcerated.
 In non-remote areas, more than half (56%) of Indigenous people who had been
incarcerated reported using an illicit substance (footnote 7) in the 12 months prior
to the survey compared with around one in five (21%) of those who had not been
incarcerated.
Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over, Selected characteristics by whether
incarcerated - 2002
Incarcerated(a) Not incarcerated(a)

Total

Unemployed
Highest year of school completed year nine or
below(b)
Fair/poor self-assessed health
Has a disability or long term health condition
Relative removed from natural family
First formal charge at 15 years or below
Arrested more than once in the last five years
Victim of physical or threatened violence(c)
Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over

%

31.7

12.4

13.8

%

57.9

39.7

41.1

%
%
%
%
%
%
'000

25.6
45.3
49.1
35.5
63.7
44.1
20.0

23.1
35.8
34.6
7.0
5.1
22.8
262.1

23.3
36.5
35.6
9.0
9.3
24.3
282.2

(a) In the last five years
(b) Excludes persons still attending secondary school. Includes persons who never attended school
(c) In the last 12 months
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2002

INDIGENOUS IMPRISONMENT
The following data is taken from the administrative data collection 2006 National
Prisoner's Census. Data is for prisoners aged 18 years and over in every jurisdiction
except Queensland, where it is for prisoners aged 17 years and over (ABS 2006).


At 30 June 2006, there were 6,901 Indigenous prisoners in Australia,
representing 24% of the total prisoner population (ABS 2006).
 Nine out of ten Indigenous prisoners (91%) were male (ABS 2006).
 Nationally, the Indigenous crude imprisonment rate was 2,127 per 100,000, with
the highest jurisdictional rates in Western Australia (3,385 per 100,000), New
South Wales (2,382 per 100,000) and Queensland (1,877 per 100,000)(ABS
2006).
 After adjusting for differences in age structure between the Indigenous and nonIndigenous populations, Indigenous people were 13 times more likely than nonIndigenous people to have been incarcerated in 2006 (ABS 2006).

FOOTNOTES
1. In both the 2002 NATSISS and 1994 NATSIS, 'victim of physical or threatened
violence' refers to a person who had physical force or violence used against them, or
who was threatened with physical violence, in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Differences in the wording of victimisation questions used in the 1994 and 2002 surveys
may account, in part, for higher levels of victimisation in 2002 when compared with
1994. Back

2. Some results presented in this paper have been adjusted to account for differences in
the age structure between the Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.
For further information see the Glossary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Social Survey 2002 (cat. no. 4714.0) Back

3. In the 2002 NATSISS, Indigenous people aged 15 years and over were asked about
a range of specified events or circumstances that may have been a problem for them,
their family, or close friends in the previous 12 months. These included being a witness
to violence, abuse or violent crime, trouble with the police and having a family member
sent to jail/currently in jail. These four stressors have been included in this analysis.
Back

4. In this article, remote areas include the Remoteness categories Remote Australia and
Very Remote Australia, while non-remote areas include Major Cities of Australia, Inner
Regional Australia and Outer Regional Australia. For further information see Statistical
Geography: Volume 1 - Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC)
2006 (ABS cat. no. 1216.0). Back

5. In the 2002 NATSISS, Indigenous people aged 15 years and over were asked
whether or not they thought that one or more specified situations or events were a
problem in their neighbourhood or community. This snapshot includes some analysis of
three of these problems - family violence, assault and sexual assault. Back

6. Measurement of long-term risk of alcohol consumption was based on a person's
usual daily consumption of alcohol and the frequency of consumption in the 12 months
prior to the survey. Risk levels were based on the National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for risk of harm in the long-term. Risky/high risk
equates to 50ml or more of alcohol per day for men and 25ml or more per day for
women. Back
7. The use of substances for non-medical purposes. Includes: analgesics; tranquillisers;
amphetamines; marijuana; heroin; cocaine; hallucinogens (both synthetic and naturally
occurring); ecstasy and other designer drugs; petrol and other inhalants; and kava. The
NATSISS collected information on a person's substance use in the 12 months prior to
the interview and their substance use to date. This data is available for non-remote
areas only. Back

LIST OF REFERENCES
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2006, Prisoners in Australia, cat. no. 4517.0,
ABS, Canberra

ABS 2005, 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: contact with the law',
Australian Social Trends, cat. no. 4102.0, ABS, Canberra

ABS 2004, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, cat. no.
4714.0, ABS, Canberra

ABS & AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2005, The Health and
Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, ABS cat. no.
4704.0 & AIHW cat. no. IHW14, Canberra