New data shows 138,000 Australians reported fraud losses totalling $2.68 billion last year. This article details the latest national crime statistics, from drug seizures to violent offences.
Key Takeaways
- National cannabis seizures 2022-23: 4,200 tonnes
- Fraud victims 2023: 138,000 cases reported to Scamwatch, losses $2.68 billion
- In 2023, unlawful entry with intent (UEWI) victims totalled 162,692 across Australia, rate 612 per 100,000 population
- Sexual assault victims 2023: 27,868 nationally, rate 105 per 100,000
- In the year ending December 2023, Australia recorded 317 homicide and related victims, a victimisation rate of 1.2 per 100,000 population
Australians saw a notable shift in crime rates, highlighting the need for targeted prevention efforts.
Related reading
01 · Category
Drug Offences25 stats
01
National cannabis seizures 2022-23: 4,200 tonnes
02
Amphetamine detections at border: 15.6 tonnes 2023
03
Heroin seizures: 590kg nationally 2022-23
04
Drug possession arrests: 70,000 in 2022
05
Cultivations of cannabis plants: 250,000 seized 2022-23
06
Methamphetamine lab busts: 1,200 in 2023
07
Cocaine detections: 3.1 tonnes 2022-23, record high
08
Drug trafficking charges: 12,500 in 2022 courts
09
NSW drug arrests: 25,000 in 2023
10
Victoria cannabis offences: 18,000 in 2023
11
Queensland drug driving tests positive: 25% rate 2023
12
35% of prisoners incarcerated for drug offences 2023
13
Ice (meth) users in treatment: 50,000 episodes 2022-23
14
Ecstasy seizures: 28kg 2022-23
15
Drug-related deaths: 1,600 in 2022, opioids 60%
16
Border cocaine detections up 50% to 3.1t 2023
17
Synthetic cannabis arrests: 2,500 2022
18
Drug supply diversion programs: 15,000 participants 2023
19
Heroin purity average 65% in 2023
20
Cannabis use prevalence 11.4% adults 2022-23
21
Meth supply arrests NSW: 4,000 2023
22
National wastewater meth levels highest in regional areas 2023
23
Drug court appearances: 8,000 in 2022-23
24
Steroid possession offences: 1,200 2023
25
Opioid prescriptions linked to 40% overdoses 2022
Interpretation
Drug Offences Interpretation
Australia's drug landscape is a grim comedy where we've become virtuosos at catching tonnes of the stuff, arresting tens of thousands of people, and filling our prisons, yet the demand remains so stubbornly high that our most notable success seems to be in perfecting the art of grimly cataloguing our own failure.
02 · Category
Fraud, Cybercrime and Other Offences22 stats
01
Fraud victims 2023: 138,000 cases reported to Scamwatch, losses $2.68 billion
02
Cybercrime reports to ACCC: 394,000 in 2023
03
Investment scams: $1.32b losses 2023
04
Phishing attacks: 70% of cyber reports 2023
05
Ransomware incidents: 15,000 reports 2023
06
Identity theft victims: 25,000 2023
07
Business email compromise losses: $500m 2023
08
Romance scams: $31m losses, 2,400 victims 2023
09
AFP cyber arrests: 150 in 2023
10
Job scams: 17,000 reports, $14m loss 2023
11
Tax scams: 10,000 reports 2023
12
Online shopping fraud: 45,000 cases 2023
13
Elder financial abuse: $5b annual cost est. 2023
14
Cryptocurrency scams: $430m losses 2023
15
Malware detections: 76 million on Australian devices 2023
16
Check fraud: 1,200 cases $10m loss 2023
17
Superannuation scams: 400 reports $27m 2023
18
Government impersonation scams: 25,000 reports 2023
19
Data breaches notified: 1,100 in 2023
20
Emotet malware takedown impact: 500 orgs affected 2023
21
In 2023, traffic offences totalled 2.5 million nationally
22
Drink driving apprehensions: 35,000 in 2023
Interpretation
Fraud, Cybercrime and Other Offences Interpretation
Australia's digital landscape has proven itself a far more lucrative hunting ground for criminals than its roads, with cyber scams and fraud fleecing citizens of billions while traffic offences merely rack up millions in fines.
03 · Category
Property Crime Statistics26 stats
01
In 2023, unlawful entry with intent (UEWI) victims totalled 162,692 across Australia, rate 612 per 100,000 population
02
Motor vehicle theft victims 2023: 56,914, rate 214 per 100k, down 3%
03
Other theft victims 2023: 341,970, rate 1,288 per 100k
04
NSW burglaries 2023: 51,000, down 8% from 2022
05
Victoria break-ins 2023: 32,400 residential
06
Queensland motor vehicle thefts: 14,500 in 2023
07
SA property thefts 2022-23: 28,000 incidents
08
WA theft offences: 65,000 in 2022, rate 2,400 per 100k
09
Tasmania UEWI: 1,800 victims 2023
10
NT property crime victims: 12,000 in 2022-23
11
ACT thefts: 5,200 in 2023, mostly retail
12
Residential burglaries 65% of UEWI nationally 2023
13
75% of motor thefts in urban areas 2022
14
Shoplifting incidents: 120,000 in 2023
15
Bike thefts: 25,000 victims 2022, up 20%
16
Property crime clearance rate: 12% nationally 2023
17
smash and grab burglaries up 15% in Sydney 2023
18
Recovered stolen vehicles: 45% in 2022
19
Retail theft value: $2.5 billion loss 2023 est.
20
Rural burglaries: 18% of total UEWI 2023
21
JOYRIDE vehicle thefts: 30% of motors 2022
22
Purse snatching: 2,100 victims 2023
23
Commercial burglaries: 22,000 in 2023
24
Theft from dwellings: 45% of other thefts 2022
25
Property crime down 10% since 2013 peak
26
Car break-ins: 40,000 in NSW 2023
Interpretation
Property Crime Statistics Interpretation
Australia's burglars are apparently diversifying their portfolios—while they're stealing slightly fewer cars and breaking into slightly fewer homes overall, they're enthusiastically embracing retail theft, joyrides, and the timeless art of the smash-and-grab, ensuring that with a dismal 12% clearance rate, property crime remains a growth industry even as the total numbers slowly decline.
More related reading
04 · Category
Sexual and Family Violence22 stats
01
Sexual assault victims 2023: 27,868 nationally, rate 105 per 100,000
02
Family and domestic violence incidents: 376,000 in 2023, up 6%
03
NSW sexual assaults: 8,500 victims 2023
04
Victoria family violence: 102,000 incidents 2023
05
Child sexual abuse reports: 20,000 substantiated 2022-23
06
92% sexual assault victims female 2023
07
Indigenous sexual assault rate 4x national average 2022
08
Domestic assault victims: 142,000 women 2023
09
Apprehended violence orders: 35,000 issued NSW 2023
10
Online child exploitation reports: 45,000 to ACIC 2023
11
Rape convictions: 450 in 2022 courts
12
Family violence homicides: 25% of total homicides 2022
13
Stalking victims: 12,000 recorded 2023
14
Elder abuse reports: 5,000 substantiated 2022-23
15
Teen dating violence: 15% prevalence survey 2023
16
Sexual assault reporting rate: 15% of incidents 2022
17
Male family violence victims: 22% 2023
18
Coercive control laws prosecutions: 200 in QLD 2023
19
Sexual offences against children under 10: 4,500 2023
20
DV intervention orders Victoria: 28,000 2023
21
Image-based abuse reports: 8,000 to eSafety 2023
22
Family violence police callouts: 1.2 million annually est. 2023
Interpretation
Sexual and Family Violence Interpretation
While the nation fixates on fleeting headlines, the grim ledger of daily terror reads like a Kafkaesque tax return for a country where violence against women and children is meticulously documented but stubbornly accepted as a tragic cost of doing business.
05 · Category
Violent Crime Statistics30 stats
01
In the year ending December 2023, Australia recorded 317 homicide and related victims, a victimisation rate of 1.2 per 100,000 population
02
In 2022, New South Wales had 88 homicide victims, up 15% from 2021
03
Victoria recorded 74 homicide victims in 2023, with a rate of 1.1 per 100,000
04
Queensland saw 65 homicide victims in the year to September 2023
05
South Australia had 23 homicide victims in 2022-23, rate 1.3 per 100,000
06
Western Australia recorded 52 homicide victims in 2022, up from 41 in 2021
07
Tasmania had 5 homicide victims in 2023, lowest among states
08
Northern Territory recorded 20 homicide victims in 2022-23, rate 7.8 per 100,000
09
ACT had 3 homicide victims in 2023, rate 0.7 per 100,000
10
Nationally, 65% of homicide victims in 2022 were male
11
In 2023, assaults numbered 409,718 victims Australia-wide, rate 1,553 per 100,000
12
NSW assault victims 2023: 132,000, up 5%
13
Victoria assaults: 118,500 in 2023, rate 1,700 per 100k
14
Robbery victims nationally 2022: 14,243, rate 53 per 100,000
15
42% of robberies in Australia 2023 involved weapons
16
Youth (10-17) assault victims: 48,000 in 2022
17
Family and domestic assault victims: 169,000 in 2023, 41% of all assaults
18
Alcohol-related assaults: 27% nationally in 2022
19
Serious assault hospitalisations: 25,000 in 2021-22
20
Homicide by firearm: 15% of cases in 2022
21
Street robberies up 10% in major cities 2023
22
Indigenous assault victim rate 10x higher than non-Indigenous, 2022
23
Night-time assaults peak at 70% between 6pm-6am
24
Aggravated robbery victims: 6,500 in 2023
25
Assaults in licensed premises: 8,200 incidents 2022
26
Male assault victims: 52% of total in 2023
27
Grievous bodily harm convictions: 4,200 in 2022
28
Drive-by shootings: 120 incidents in NSW 2022
29
Public order assaults: 22% of assaults in 2023
30
Homicide clearance rate: 88% nationally 2022
Interpretation
Violent Crime Statistics Interpretation
While Australia's national homicide rate remains reassuringly low at 1.2 per 100,000, a closer look reveals a sobering patchwork where stark regional disparities, a disturbingly high Indigenous victimisation rate, and a relentless tide of often alcohol-fuelled assaults—particularly at night and within homes—paint a far more complex and concerning picture of violence.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Australian Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-crime-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Australian Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/australian-crime-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Australian Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-crime-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
abs.gov.aubocsar.nsw.gov.aucrimestatistics.vic.gov.aupolice.qld.gov.auagd.sa.gov.aupolice.wa.gov.aupolice.tas.gov.aupfes.nt.gov.auafp.gov.auaic.gov.auaihw.gov.auabf.gov.auabc.net.auqld.gov.au
criminallawnews.com.auhealth.gov.auhealth.nsw.gov.auwastewater.org.auaifs.gov.auacic.gov.auesafety.gov.auscamwatch.gov.auaccc.gov.aucyber.gov.auacsc.gov.auidcare.org.auato.gov.au
bankaust.com.auoaic.gov.auinfrastructure.gov.au