Safety and justice for First Nations people
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Section: First Nations people
Citation
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2025) Safety and justice for First Nations people, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 11 June 2026.
Safety and justice for First Nations people
is an Australia's welfare
topic
Safety for individuals and communities is important for physical and mental wellbeing. When people feel protected from harm within their home, workplace and community, it enables a better quality of life and the capacity to be involved in the community in a positive way, both of which are protective factors for social and emotional wellbeing (AIHW and NIAA 2022; Commonwealth of Australia 2017).
Many factors influence safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people. For First Nations people, communities, family and kin are an integral part of life and strengthen overall social and emotional wellbeing. Family support can strengthen wellbeing by providing connections to community and culture and the provision of emotional support, particularly in times of stress (Gee et al. 2014; Milroy et al. 2014).
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a holistic way of looking at relationships between individuals, family, kin and community in the context of land, culture, spirituality and ancestry (Gee et al. 2014). The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017–2023 proposes a model of SEWB with 7 overlapping domains comprising: body; mind and emotions; family and kin; community; culture; country; and spirituality and ancestors. Two of the 7 domains of the SEWB model, connection to family and kinship and connection to community, are central to the lives of many First Nations peoples. Strong family and kinship systems can provide a sense of belonging, identity, security, and stability for First Nations people (Gee et al. 2014). Connections to community are an important source of resilience for First Nations people (Dudgeon et al. 2022). An important protective factor for families, communities and identity is cultural continuity (Dudgeon et al 2022). These connections, however, are disrupted by complex forms of trauma from colonisation that are compounded by socioeconomic marginalisation, child removal, family violence, incarceration, the pervasive effects of intergenerational poverty and the persistent impacts of racism (Commonwealth of Australia 2018; Dudgeon et al 2022; Healing Foundation 2023).
This page focuses on First Nations people and their experiences of safety in the home, contact with child protection services, and contact with criminal justice systems.
Experiences of family violence
First Nations people are overrepresented as both victim-survivors and/or perpetrators of family domestic and sexual violence (that is, violence that occurs within family or intimate relationships) (Cripps 2023). ‘Family violence’ is the preferred term for family and domestic violence within First Nations communities, as it covers the extended families, kinship networks and community relationships in which violence can occur (Cripps and Davis 2012). Family violence can lead to severe social, cultural, spiritual, physical and economic impacts for First Nations communities, especially for women and children (HRSCSPLA 2021).
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) 2018–19, which is the most recent data available related to family violence prevalence for First Nations people, found that an estimated 30,900 First Nations people aged 15 and over had experienced physical harm in the previous 12 months (ABS 2019). Of those, 2 in 3 (67% or 20,800) reported the perpetrator was a family member (a former or current intimate partner or other family member); more than half (57% or an estimated 11,900) were female. Nationally in 2018–19, 8.4% of First Nations females aged 15 years and over experienced domestic physical harm or face-to-face threatened physical harm (PC 2024b).
The ABS Recorded Crime – Victims data collection, found that in 2023 across jurisdictions with published data, the number of First Nations victims of assault were:
- 13,542 in Queensland
- 8,600 in New South Wales
- 8,316 in the Northern Territory
- 3,532 in South Australia.
Most First Nations victims of assault were female (61–76%) and knew the offender (81–91%). Family and domestic violence (FDV) related incidents accounted for 66–82% of assaults of First Nations victims in 2023 (ABS 2024a).
Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) provide a crisis response service for people who need to leave their home due to violence. First Nations people are over-represented among SHS clients. In 2023–24, nearly 1 in 3 (28% or almost 78,292 clients) of the 272,000 clients who accessed SHS, identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin. Of all First Nations clients, 40% (31,232) had experienced FDV, and 75% (23,534) of them were female (AIHW 2024a).
Between 2016–17 and 2023–24, the rate of First Nations SHS clients who had experienced FDV increased from 277 per 10,000 people in 2016–17 to 306 per 10,000 people in 2023–24 (AIHW 2024a).
For more information about SHS and First Nations people, see Specialist homelessness services annual report 2023–24.
Many First Nations women experiencing family violence do not disclose family violence due to various social and systemic factors. These include fear of having their children removed, lack of confidence in police and community support, language and cultural barriers and the absence of culturally safe and accessible support services (AHRC 2020: 189-190; ANROWS 2020a; DSS 2022; Willis 2011).
First Nations women and children with disability are at heightened risk of victimisation from FDV, including sexual violence (Jones et.al 2023).
For more information about family violence, see Family, domestic and sexual violence.
Contact with child protection services
Child protection agencies aim to address the safety needs of children. These agencies and services intervene within family settings to support children who are at risk of harm (Titterton 2017). The reasons for the overrepresentation of First Nations children in child protection and out-of-home care systems are complex and include the intergenerational effects of previous separations from family and culture and the legacy of past policies of forced removal (AIHW 2025a; HREOC 1997).
Children and young people with disabilities are also overrepresented in both the out-of-home care and youth justice systems (AIHW 2019; Jones et. al. 2023). For more information see Wangkiny Yirra “Speaking Up” Project: First Nations women and children with disability and their experiences of family and domestic violence and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are not overrepresented in the child protection system - Dashboard | Closing the Gap Information Repository (disaggregation by disability status).
Historical child welfare policies targeting First Nations people led to the Stolen Generations, and the trauma experienced by survivors and their descendants is ongoing (AIHW 2018, 2021). The consequences of these removal policies have long-term effects, including social, physical and psychological impacts for those directly involved, as well as for their families and communities (Atkinson 2013). Child protection issues continue to be very significant for First Nations people, reflecting this history of trauma and stressors that have impacted on parents and communities.
Research has shown that children who are abused or neglected are at greater risk of future contact with the criminal justice system (AIHW 2024b; AIHW and NIAA 2024a). In addition, most young people under youth justice supervision have had an interaction with the child protection system in the last 10 years (AIHW 2024b).
From July 2022 to June 2023:
- 58,218 First Nations children were receiving child protection services, accounting for 32% of all children in Australia receiving such services. This was a rate of 169 per 1,000
- 13,703 First Nations children were the subject of substantiated notifications, a rate of 40 per 1,000 First Nations children (AIHW 2025a; Figure 1).
As at 30 June 2023:
- 24,883 (72 per 1,000) First Nations children were on care and protection orders.
- Between 30 June 2019 to 30 June 2023, there was a 9% increase, from 66 per 1,000 to 72 per 1,000.
- 19,731 (57 per 1,000) First Nations children were in out-of-home care.
- Between 30 June 2019 to 30 June 2023 there was a 5% increase, from 54 per 1,000 to 57 per 1,000 (AIHW 2025a; Figure 1).
Figure 1: First Nations children in the child protection system, 2018–19 to 2022–23
This bar chart shows that in 2023, there were 40 per 1,000 First Nations children in substantiations, 72 per 1,000 First Nations children on care and protection orders, 57 per 1,000 First Nations children in out-of-home care and 169 per 1,000 First Nations children receiving child and protection services.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) sets out a placement hierarchy for First Nations children being placed in out-of-home care. The intention of the ATSICPP is to ensure culture, human rights and self-determination are embedded in child welfare decisions (SNAICC 2017). Placements must be made in consultation with the child’s family and community representatives, and must be geographically close to the child’s family, unless the child is placed with extended First Nations family (SNAICC 2017).
In order, priority is given to placement with:
- First Nations or non-Indigenous kin
- other First Nations members of the community
- First Nations family-based carers
- a non-Indigenous carer or in a residential setting.
As at 30 June 2023, of the 19,731 First Nations children in out-of-home care, nearly 2 in 3 (63% or 12,509) were placed with First Nations or non-Indigenous kin or with another First Nations carer, in accordance with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle to ensure First Nations children remain connected to their family, community, culture, and Country (AIHW 2025a). This proportion has remained steady since 2017–18. In 2022–23, when entering out-of-home care, 46% of First Nations children were placed with relatives or kin, an increase from 25% in 2016–17 (AIHW 2025a).
At 30 June 2023, of the 17,228 First Nations children in out-of-home care who were required to have a cultural support plan, 83% (14,356) had a current cultural support plan. Since 2017 there has been an increase of 5,773 First Nations children with a current cultural support plan (AIHW 2025a).
Reunification with the family was the most common (39%) pathway for leaving out-of-home care in 2022–23 (AIHW 2025a).
Contact with criminal justice systems
Criminal justice systems are intended to be used to protect individuals and communities. This includes incarcerating people who commit serious crimes. However, imprisonment can compound existing social and economic disadvantage and affects family, children, and the broader community with intergenerational effects (AIHW and NIAA 2024b).
People in contact with the criminal justice system are at risk of poorer health and wellbeing outcomes for themselves, their family and their broader community. First Nations people experience contact with criminal justice systems, as both offenders and victims, at much higher rates than non-Indigenous Australians (AIHW and NIAA 2024b).
In the ABS 2022–23 NATSIHS, an estimated 144,000 (24%) First Nations people reported experiencing unfair treatment because they were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Of those who reported experiencing unfair treatment, 9.3% (an estimated 13,400 people) said they were unfairly arrested or charged (ABS 2024b).
Studies have found that structural and systemic factors can also contribute to the high rates of offending by First Nations people, including laws, policies and practices that can unintentionally operate to the detriment of First Nations people (Allard 2010; Blagg et al. 2005).
The National Anti-Racism Framework Scoping Report 2022 (AHRC 2022) found that First Nations people have unique dealings with the justice system because of ongoing over-policing, removal of children and disproportionate conviction rates. Justice oversight and accountability within the criminal justice system, particularly in relation to the systemic discrimination experienced by First Nations people was called for by many organisations, service providers, government departments and agencies as well as community members. Participants advocated for the provision of safe complaint mechanisms, community-centred supports, and services for those caught in the criminal justice system, as well as culturally safe and unhindered legal assistance (AIHW and NIAA 2024b). For further information see 2.11 Contact with the criminal justice system - AIHW Indigenous HPF.
Youth justice
A major feature of any youth justice system is the supervision of young people on legal orders. Young people in Australia who have been sentenced, or are awaiting sentencing, may be placed under supervision within the community or in detention facilities.
Raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR)
In Australia, young people are deemed to have criminal responsibility if they are aged 10 or over. Australia’s age of criminal responsibility was reviewed by the Meeting of Attorneys-General (MAG) in 2022. Particular attention was paid to the overrepresentation of First Nations children in the criminal justice system. The MAG noted at that time, that there were various commitments to raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility as well as support for the development of proposals to raise the age by states and territories (MAG 2022). This followed on from the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory (Royal Commission, Australian Government 2017), which resulted in recommendations for Australia to:
- raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12
- keep young people aged 14 and under out of detention unless they have committed a serious crime or pose a serious risk to the community.
The states and territories are responsible for implementing these recommendations. In 2023–24, the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory increased their minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 years old. However, the Northern Territory has since reversed this. For more information see Youth detention population in Australia 2024, Raising the age of criminal responsibility.
As noted earlier, there are links between interactions with the youth justice system and the child protection system. On an average day in 2023–24, 2,226 First Nations young people aged 10-17 were under youth justice supervision in Australia, and 4,953 were supervised at some time during the year (AIHW 2025b). On an average day, most First Nations young people aged 10-17 who were under supervision were supervised in the community (1,786, 80%) – the remainder (499, 22%) were in detention (sum of the proportions exceeds 100% as some young people were supervised in both the community and detention on the same day). Rates of supervision for First Nations young people aged 10–17 have trended downwards for both community-based supervision and detention since 2016–17 (AIHW 2025b). Rates of community-based supervision have always been higher than rates of detention (Figure 2).
The rate of First Nations people aged 10–17 under supervision on an average day declined from 150 per 10,000 in 2016–17 to 113 per 10,000 in 2023–24 (Figure 2). In this time, the largest declines occurred in 2019–20 and 2020–21; the lowest rates were in 2020–21 (105 per 10,000) and 2021–22 (106 per 10,000) (AIHW 2025b). This may be partly related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a substantial impact on the operation of courts. However, rates of supervision of First Nations people aged 10–17 have increased since 2020–21.
For more information, see Youth justice.
There are no national data available on the principal (most serious) offences among young First Nations people under supervision.
Figure 2: Youth justice rates, First Nations people aged 10–17 under sentenced supervision on an average day, by supervision type, 2016–17 to 2023–24
| Year | All supervision | Community supervision | Detention |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | 150 | 122 | 29 |
| 2017–18 | 149 | 120 | 30 |
| 2018–19 | 145 | 118 | 28 |
| 2019–20 | 127 | 105 | 23 |
| 2020–21 | 105 | 86 | 20 |
| 2021–22 | 106 | 84 | 25 |
| 2022–23 | 109 | 86 | 26 |
| 2023–24 | 113 | 88 | 27 |
Notes:
- Trend data may differ from those previously published due to data revisions.
- Rates are number of people (aged 10–17) per 10,000 relevant population.
- Rates are not published where there were fewer than five people aged 10–17.
- Age on an average day is calculated based on the age a young person is each day that they are under supervision. If a young person changes age during a period of supervision, the average daily number under supervision will reflect this. Average daily data broken down by age will not be comparable with data in Youth justice in Australia releases before 2019–20.
- Closing the Gap Target 11 focusses on rates of youth in detention only.
- The number and rate of young people on an average day was not available for the Northern Territory in 2023–24 for all supervision and community-based supervision.
- Rates for the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory in 2023–24 are for young people aged 12–17 due to the increase to the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 in those jurisdictions.
Source:
AIHW Youth justice in Australia 2023–24.
Adults in prison
As discussed above, there are historical, structural and systemic factors underlying the overrepresentation of First Nations adults in prisons.
As at 30 June 2024:
- there were 15,871 First Nations adults in prison, representing 36% of the total prison population (44,400), up from 27% in 2014, though the total First Nations population constitute 3.8% of the total Australian population
- the majority (90% or 14,270 people) of First Nations people in prison were male
- around 3 in 4 (76% or 12,120 people) First Nations people in prison had previously experienced adult imprisonment (ABS 2024c).
Between 30 June 2014 and 30 June 2024, the age-standardised imprisonment rate of for adult First Nations imprisonment people increased from 1,754 to 2,559 per 100,000 adults (ABS 2024c; Figure 3).
Among adult First Nations people in prison, the most commonly recorded most serious offences/charges were acts intended to cause injury (40%), unlawful entry with intent (11%), sexual assault and related offences (10%), offences against justice (9%) and robbery/extortion (8%) (ABS 2024c).
Imprisonment for First Nations females is increasing faster than for First Nations males and non-Indigenous males and females (AIHW & NIAA 2024b). As at 30 June 2024, there were 44,403 adult prisoners in Australia, of which, 92% (40,967) were male and 8% (3,432) were female (ABS 2024d). From 30 June 2023 to 30 June 2024, the number of male prisoners increased by 6% (2,210) to 40,967, and the number of female prisoners increased by 8% (264) to 3,432.
On 30 June 2024, there were 15,871 First Nations adults in prison, 90% (14,270) were male and 10% (1,605) were female. From 30 June 2023 to 30 June 2024, male prisoners increased by 14% (1,730) to 14,270. Female prisoners increased by 23% (296) to 1,605 (ABS 2024c). For further information see Prisoners in Australia, 2024.
Females in prison (First Nations and non-Indigenous) are often the victims and survivors of violence and may use violence as a strategy to respond to their victimisation. In addition, structural factors related to bail and sentencing laws may be contributing to higher female imprisonment rates (AIHW & NIAA 2024b; ANROWS 2020b; Heffernan et al. 2012; Wilson et al. 2017).
First Nations people with disability are likely to be overrepresented in prisons. However, the experiences of First Nations people with disability in their interactions with the justice system are poorly documented. For more information see, Final Report | Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
Figure 3: Age-standardised adult imprisonment rates, by Indigenous status and sex, 2014 to 2024
This time trend chart shows that the rate of First Nations adults under imprisonment has increased over the period, from 1,754 to 2,559 per 100,000, and was higher than the rate for non-Indigenous adults. The rate for First Nations men has been higher than that for First Nations women over the period, the male rate was highest at 4,620 per 100,000 at 30 June 2024, while the female rate peaked also at 30 June 2024, at 519 per 100,000.
| Year | First Nations people | Non-Indigenous Australians |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,754 | 144 |
| 2015 | 1,848 | 153 |
| 2016 | 1,936 | 162 |
| 2017 | 2,038 | 169 |
| 2018 | 2,105 | 174 |
| 2019 | 2,143 | 171 |
| 2020 | 2,087 | 159 |
| 2021 | 2,223 | 164 |
| 2022 | 2,151 | 151 |
| 2023 | 2,266 | 149 |
| 2024 | 2,559 | 146 |
| Year | First Nations people | Non-Indigenous Australians |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3,207 | 269 |
| 2015 | 3,353 | 285 |
| 2016 | 3,523 | 303 |
| 2017 | 3,716 | 316 |
| 2018 | 3,808 | 323 |
| 2019 | 3,906 | 319 |
| 2020 | 3,817 | 298 |
| 2021 | 4,042 | 309 |
| 2022 | 3,943 | 283 |
| 2023 | 4,129 | 280 |
| 2024 | 4,620 | 275 |
| Year | First Nations people | Non-Indigenous Australians |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 341 | 20 |
| 2015 | 384 | 22 |
| 2016 | 387 | 24 |
| 2017 | 398 | 25 |
| 2018 | 437 | 27 |
| 2019 | 413 | 26 |
| 2020 | 387 | 22 |
| 2021 | 434 | 22 |
| 2022 | 386 | 20 |
| 2023 | 425 | 20 |
| 2024 | 519 | 19 |
Notes:
- Data include all persons in the legal custody of adult corrective services in all states and territories as at midnight 30 June of the reference year.
- From 2019, in all states and territories persons remanded or sentenced to adult custody are aged 18 years and over.
- In Queensland, prior to 2018, 'adult' referred to persons aged 17 years and over.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rates were revised using updated numbers based on the 2016 Census.
Source:
ABS Prisoners in Australia.
Deaths in custody
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) 1987–1991 was established in response to growing public concerns that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody were too common and poorly explained. The Commission examined all deaths in custody in each state and territory which occurred between 1 January 1980 and 31 May 1989, and the actions taken in respect of each death. The Commission’s terms of reference enabled it to take account of social, cultural and legal factors which may have had a bearing on the deaths under investigation. The final report made 339 recommendations, mainly concerned with procedures for persons in custody, liaison with First Nations groups, police education and improved accessibility to information.
The National Deaths in Custody Program (NDICP) has monitored the extent and nature of deaths occurring in prison, police custody and youth detention in Australia since 1980. Following the recommendation made by the RCIADIC, the Australian Institute of Criminology has coordinated the program since its establishment in 1992.
Between 1 July 1991 and 30 June 2024, the NDICP recorded 568 First Nations deaths in custody (that is, prison custody, police custody and custody-related operations and youth detention). In 2023–24, 24 First Nations people died in custody, accounting for 23% of all deaths in custody. Of the 24 deaths of First Nations people, 18 were in prison custody, one in youth detention, and 5 deaths in police custody (Miles et al 2024).
The NDICP real-time dashboard monitors deaths in custody for the most recent year. Since the RCIADIC, there have been 598 deaths of First Nations people in custody (as at 20 June 2025).
Comparisons with non-Indigenous Australians
Experience of family violence
The main source of data on family, domestic and sexual violence for all Australians is the ABS Personal Safety Survey (PSS). Information on Indigenous status is not collected in the PSS. Based on the 2021–22 PSS, an estimated 8 million Australians (41%) have experienced violence (physical and/or sexual) since the age of 15 (ABS 2023). An estimated 3.85 million Australians (20%) have experienced violence from an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15; and more than 1 in 4 women (27% or estimated 2.7 million) experienced violence from an intimate partner or family member since the age of 15.
The most recent data available about experiences of family violence for First Nations people is the 2018–19 NATSIHS. As the NATSIHS is designed to collect data on a broad range of health-related topics, it is unable to produce the breadth of data on family violence available in the ABS PSS. Nationally in 2018–19, 8.4% of First Nations females aged 15 years and over experienced domestic physical harm or face-to-face threatened physical harm (PC 2024b).
Contact with child protection services
In 2022–23, around 1 in 32 (180,000) Australian children aged under 18 came into contact with the child protection system. As at 30 June 2023, 45,300 children were in out-of-home care (7.9 per 1,000). Of these:
- 19,700 were First Nations children (57 per 1,000 First Nations children)
- 25,500 were non-Indigenous children (4.7 per 1,000 non-Indigenous children) (AIHW 2025a).
Youth justice
Though the rate of First Nations people aged 10–17 in supervision has decreased over time, in 2023–24 First Nations people were 20 times as likely as non-Indigenous Australians aged 10–17 to be under supervision on an average day (113 per 10,000, compared with 5.6 per 10,000, respectively) (AIHW 2025b).
Adult prisoners
In 2024, the age-standardised rate of imprisonment for First Nations adults was 18 times higher than non-Indigenous Australians (2,559 compared with 146 per 100,000 adult population respectively) (ABS 2024c). Among non-Indigenous people in prison, the most commonly recorded most serious offences/charges were acts intended to cause injury (21%), sexual assault and related offences (19%), sexual assault and related illicit drug offences (17%), unlawful entry with intent (7%) and offences against justice (7%).
Closing the Gap targets
In 2020, all Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations worked in partnership to develop the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the National Agreement), built around 4 Priority Reforms. The National Agreement also identifies 19 targets across 17 socioeconomic outcome areas. Four of these targets directly relate to safety and justice (Table 1).
Information on progress towards the targets can be found through the Closing the Gap Information Repository (PC 2024a, 2024b).
| Target measure | Baseline | Latest available measurement | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
Outcome 10: Reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults held in incarceration by at least 15 per cent | 1,906.1 per 100,000 (2019) | 2,304.4 per 100,000 (2024) | 1,620.2 per 100,000 (2031) |
Outcome 11: Reduce the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (10–17 years) in detention by at least 30 per cent | 28.3 per 10,000 (2018–19) | 26.1 per 10,000 (2023–24) | 19.8 per 10,000 (2031) |
Outcome 12: Reduce the rate of over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care by 45 per cent | 47.3 per 1,000 (2019) | 50.3 per 1,000 (2024) | 26.0 per 1,000 (2031) |
Outcome 13: The rate of all forms of family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children is reduced by at least 50%, as progress towards zero | 8.4% (2018–19) | No data since 2018–19 | 4.2% (2031) |
Key data gaps and data improvement activities
It is difficult to obtain robust data on experiences of family violence for First Nations people with the latest prevalence estimates for the relevant Closing the Gap (CtG) target being available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2018–19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS). The 2022-23 NATSIHS did not include questions on violence and it is unclear when such data will be collected again.
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) was a cross-sectional survey on the experience of child maltreatment conducted in 2021. While the ACMS did not exclude First Nations people, it was determined that it was not ethically or methodologically appropriate to disaggregate data by Indigenous status for the survey (Haslam et al. 2023).
As part of Closing the Gap data development plan, multiple data items for CtG outcomes 10,11,12 and 13 are being developed between 2022–2027. For example, specific data items to be developed include:
- rate of prevalence of all forms of family violence against First Nations children by disability status (outcome 13)
- access to services at first interaction with criminal justice system, by type and availability (outcome 11).
For details, see Data Development Plan – 2022–2030.
Ongoing work is being undertaken on the CP NMDS to broaden the scope of the national data collection and to improve quality and comparability of data across jurisdictions.
Where do I go for more information?
For more information on First Nations safety, see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework – Measure 1.13: Community functioning.
For more information on contact with the criminal justice system, see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework – Measure 2.11: Contact with the criminal justice system.
For more information on child protection, see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework – Measure 2.12: Child protection and Safe and Supported: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Action Plan 2023-2026.
For more information on the health impacts of family, domestic and sexual violence, see The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
For more information on people with disability, see Wangkiny Yirra “Speaking Up” Project: First Nations women and children with disability and their experiences of family and domestic violence and Final Report | Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability,
For more on this topic, see First Nations people.
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