22 January 2018

Statistical clarification: inaccuracy in alleged offender country of birth data attributed to the

Crime Statistics Agency



A number of journalists and media outlets have been reporting a figure in recent weeks that has been attributed to the Crime Statistics Agency, which we have discovered is incorrect.

The original figure has been sourced from the ‘No one teaches you to become an Australian’ report published by the Commonwealth Joint Committee on Migration’s Inquiry into Migrant Settlement Outcomes in December 2017. On page 131 of the report, in paragraph 7.58, a number of statistics are provided relating to alleged Victorian offenders by country of birth. The paragraph is attributed to evidence provided by the Chief Statistician of the Crime Statistics Agency. Whilst the whole numbers in this paragraph of the report are correct and align with the evidence provided by the Crime Statistics Agency, the proportions were calculated by the authors of the report and are not correct.

Regretfully, some of the proportions quoted in this section of the report have been reproduced in a number of media reports in recent times and may have been misleading. The correct figures for the year ending December 2016 are:

Australia 59,476 or 72.7% of the unique offender population

New Zealand 1,850 or 2.3% of the unique offender population

India 1,028 or 1.3% of the unique offender population

Vietnam 949 or 1.2% of the unique offender population

Sudan 807 or 1.0% of the unique offender population

It should also be noted that these statistics are also now quite out of date. The same statistics for the most recent reference period published by the Crime Statistics Agency, the year ending September 2017 are:

Australia 59,048 or 71.7% of the unique offender population

New Zealand 1,826 or 2.2% of the unique offender population

India 1,155 or 1.4% of the unique offender population

UK and Ireland 1,063 or 1.3% of the unique offender population

Vietnam 920 or 1.1% of the unique offender population

Sudan 846 or 1.0% of the unique offender population

Should you have any queries about these or any other Victorian crime statistics, please do not hesitate to contact us via info@crimestatistics.vic.gov.au (External link) and we will be happy to assist.

For further information please contact:

Crime Statistics Agency

Phone: 8684 1808

Email: info@crimestatistics.vic.gov.au (External link)