How crime rates in NSW compare to the rest of Australia

Aim

To compare crime and safety in New South Wales (NSW) with other Australian states and territories for violent and property crime.

Method

Crime data is considered from both police administrative systems and crime victimisation surveys. Police-recorded crime statistics for the year 2023 were obtained from the national collection collated and standardised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Victimisation surveys gather self-reported experiences of crime from a representative sample of the population. ABS crime victimisation surveys include the Crime Victimisation Survey (2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24), the Personal Fraud Survey (2023/24), and the Personal Safety Survey (2021/22). In the case of some low prevalence offences, survey data was pooled across multiple years to improve victimisation estimates.

NSW victimisation rates and recorded crime rates were compared with other states and territories, and the national average. Comparisons were produced for a range of violent and property crime offences available in the various sources. Statistical significance for the survey data was determined at the 95% confidence level.

Results

NSW consistently records some of the lowest crime victimisation rates nationally for many violent and property offences. The specific offences for which NSW shows very low comparative crime rates are: murder, physical assault, robbery, break and enter, motor vehicle theft, malicious damage and theft from motor vehicle.

Sexual assault, however, stands out as an offence of concern. NSW rates from police-recorded crime statistics and the Personal Safety Survey suggest NSW is at the higher end of the national range, though not significantly different from the national average.

Rates of domestic violence and fraud in NSW appear to be comparable to the national average, with no significant differences detected.

Conclusion

Overall, the analysis demonstrates that crime rates in NSW are generally low compared to other Australian states and territories. Sexual assault rates in NSW are the main area of concern. These findings suggest that while NSW is generally safer than elsewhere in Australia, ongoing attention to sexual assault prevention and support is warranted.