Domestic violence and sexual assault reports soar while prosecutions plummet — when will the government prioritise victim-survivors?

Today in Parliament, Abigail passed a motion noting alarming findings from recent BOCSAR reports showing sharp increases in reported domestic violence and sexual assault incidents alongside persistently low legal action rates.

Abigail said:

I move:

(1) That this House notes that:

on Wednesday 23 April 2025, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research [BOCSAR] released a report examining the proportion of recorded crimes that result in an offender being charged by the NSW Police Force;
the report examined 11 major offence categories using data extracted from the NSW Police Force's Computerised Operational Policing System [COPS] for incidents reported between 2009 and 2023, including the total number of incidents reported, the number of persons of interest legally proceeded against, and the percentage of incidents where police commenced legal action against at least one person within 90 days of reporting; and
according to the BOCSAR report:
- the number of domestic violence [DV] related assault incidents recorded in COPS increased by 37.8 per cent from 26,265 incidents in 2009 to 36,199 in 2023, while the 90-day legal action rate for these incidents increased by 6.5 per cent from 60 per cent to 66.5 per cent;
- the number of sexual touching, sexual acts and other sexual offence incidents recorded in COPS increased by 52.6 per cent from 5,286 incidents in 2009 to 8,064 in 2023, while the 90-day legal action rate for these incidents increased by 2 per cent from 18.3 per cent to 20.3 per cent;
- the number of sexual assault incidents recorded in COPS increased by 120.2 per cent from 4,483 incidents in 2009 to 9,873 in 2023, while the 90-day legal action rate for these incidents declined by 3.4 per cent from 10.2 per cent to 6.9 per cent; and
- of the 11 offences examined, sexual assault was the only offence category that saw a significant decline in the 90-day legal action rate in 2023 compared with 2009, a decline which is apparent even when the observation period is extended to 180-days.

(2) That this House further notes that:

sexual assault is the least likely violent crime to be reported, investigated, prosecuted and convicted, victim‑survivors are continuously faced with significant obstacles across nearly every stage of the justice system; and
according to a BOCSAR report published in May 2024 regarding attrition of sexual assaults from the New South Wales criminal justice system:
- many sexual assaults go unreported, for varying reasons including victims not believing the abuse is a crime, feeling embarrassment or shame, blaming themselves for the violence, fearing being judged and lacking trust in the police;
- only a small proportion of reported sexual assault incidents result in the commencement of criminal proceedings, and even fewer result in a criminal conviction;
- the largest point of attrition of sexual assaults is seen during the police investigation stage, with no legal action taken by police against an accused in 85 per cent of reported sexual assault incidents in 2022;
- the COPS database contains limited information on the reasons why police do not commence legal proceedings in sexual assault matters, with three quarters of all sexual assault incidents where no formal action was taken having no reason recorded by police; and
- any attempts to increase conviction rates for sexual assault should clearly focus efforts on the reporting and investigation phases, given the high proportion of matters that fail to progress beyond this point, specifically focusing on the strengthening of cases in the early stages through improved evidence gathering, and ensuring that detailed information about police and prosecutorial decisions is routinely recorded for all sexual assault matters that fail to progress through the system.

(3) That this House calls on the Government to take urgent action to prioritise sexual violence prevention and response, including by investing in services and programs that support victim-survivors to access recovery and justice options, exercise their rights and navigate the justice system.

Motion agreed to.

Read the transcript in Hansard here.

3 June 2025

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

No matter who you are or what you do, everyone has the right to share in the wellbeing of our country.

But at the moment the essentials so many of us need – a place to call home, food on the table, and everyday essentials like electricity, internet, medicine and water – are simply out of reach.

Instead of supporting us, our government is choosing to prop up huge corporations with massive subsidies, and to give away our collective wealth through record tax cuts for the wealthy. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to live paycheck to paycheck or trapped in the dehumanising bureaucracy of our existing welfare system.

Now, in the midst of a pandemic, and following quickly on the heels of the bushfire crisis, more of us than ever before are experiencing what it’s like to lose our jobs, be without a home, or worry about where the food for our next meal will come from.

It’s time for us to choose to prioritise the wellbeing of everyone.

And that’s exactly what the Universal Wellbeing Payment will do.

It’s a regular payment made to each of us to ensure our minimum standard of wellbeing. No means testing, no bureaucracy, no strings attached.

It’s the amount you’re owed simply for being a participant in our society.

It means you are free to live your life and contribute to society as you see fit, whether you’re a carer, an artist, a student, a parent, an entrepreneur – you can get on with what you need to do, knowing that you will always be supported regardless of your income.

It means that we’re choosing to structure our economy for the benefit of all of us, not using our collective wealth to prop up the interests of big business and the wealthy few.

It means you will always have what you need to live a good life, no matter what.

The Universal Wellbeing Payment is for everyone. Help us make it happen.

For more information, head to universalwellbeingpayment.com.au

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Domestic violence and sexual assault reports soar while prosecutions plummet — when will the government prioritise victim-survivors?

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