Mrs Roberts questions the Minister for Police regarding concerning sexual assault statistics in WA, highlighting the state's leading position and increasing rates compared to the national average. The Minister acknowledges the reports but requests more time to analyse the data and consult with police, attributing a potential factor to increased reporting of historical sexual assault.

AnsweredQoN 88Legislative Assembly
Asked
26 February 2015
Portfolio
Police

QuestionView source ↗

CRIME
STATISTICS — SEXUAL ASSAULT
88. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the Australian Bureau of
Statistics crime statistics released last week.
(1) Is the
minister aware that Western Australia is number one among the states for sexual
assault?
(2) Is the
minister aware that the rate of sexual assault in Western Australia increased
from 0.3 per cent of population in 2012–13 to 0.5 per cent of
population in 2013–14?
(3) Can the
minister explain why sexual assault in WA is far above the national average and
increasing under her watch?

AnswerView source ↗

(1)–(3) I
am aware of a range of different reports that come across my desk to do with
crime and law and order, and particularly offences that are reported in each
state. Member for Midland, with respect specifically to sexual assault, I would
need more time to delve into those figures, and I would probably seek some
further advice from police on their analysis of what that ABS data actually
means. What has been happening in Western Australia—I would be
interested to know whether that is recent sexual assault or historical sexual
assault—is that we have seen a significant jump in reports of
historical sexual assault in Western Australia as a result of royal
commissions, and various other inquiries that have occurred in this state, into
historical sexual assault as a result of child abuse and other incidences.

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