DFV statistics

Queensland Courts’ domestic and family violence (DFV) statistics

Data collections cover three topics:

  • Applications for domestic violence protection orders (DVOs) lodged
  • DVOs made
  • Criminal charges lodged relating to DFV

Figures are provided for larger court locations as well as statewide totals.

Accuracy of data

Care is taken to ensure the accuracy of data published on this page, however, revised data may be published where errors or omissions occur.

Applications lodged

An application for a DVO can be made by:

  • a police officer
  • another person. These are called 'private applications'. Private applications can be made by:
    • an aggrieved
    • an authorised person for an aggrieved
    • a person acting under another Act for an aggrieved
    • a party to a child protection proceeding
  • a court. When sentencing an offender for a domestic violence offence, a court can make a protection against an offender on its own initiative.

Data below shows the number of applications for DVOs lodged. New (or ‘initiating’) applications and applications to vary an existing DVO are shown separately.

Table 1 shows the trend in lodgments over the previous 5 years as well as the current year-to-date figures. The figures are also broken down to show the nature of applications for DVOs brought to court, that is:

  • who has lodged the application
  • gender of the aggrieved
  • relationship of aggrieved and respondent parties
  • how the application was lodged.

Table 1. DVO applications (statewide)

Application Type2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)# change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD% change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD
Initiating30,40330,30328,31328,79728,55721,6922,98215.9%
Vary10,28610,3039,51212,01613,03410,6142,29127.5%

Table 2. DVO applications (Magistrates Courts with the most lodgments) initiating applications only

Location2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)# change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD% change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD
Southport2,9452,9672,6032,5772,3571,81326116.8%
Beenleigh2,3852,5672,3672,7082,8472,0501578.3%
Brisbane1,8651,9491,8251,8971,9081,47924119.5%
Ipswich1,7341,6741,6411,5351,6541,154989.3%
Townsville1,8331,6851,5581,4971,3501,05711612.3%
Cairns1,2431,2201,1211,2491,3211,00710211.3%
Caboolture1,0371,0809989841,14090322533.2%
Maroochydore1,0411,0141,0149308796417713.7%
Pine Rivers8641,01091892885169614626.5%
Rockhampton95496081493388672013422.9%
Mackay75572082377678561511823.7%
Toowoomba86977274171174862515232.1%
Holland Park7787767046826424969924.9%
Redcliffe758761766661543433369.1%
Richlands69872462458759051513033.8%
Cleveland7366856475986174515313.3%
Bundaberg6395894685956164374210.6%
Gladstone627622536596546367-13-3.4%
Mount Isa6545904834584863918226.5%
Hervey Bay501515470445436278-12-4.1%

Nature of applications:

Table 3. Lodging authority, 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)NumberPercent
Police18,43185.0%
Private3,18314.7%
Court780.4%
Total21,692100.0%
Table 4. Gender of Aggrieved, 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)NumberPercent
Female16,25674.9%
Male5,39724.9%
Unknown390.2%
Total21,692100.0%
Table 5. Relationship, 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)NumberPercent
Intimate Personal15,28070.4%
Family6,34329.2%
Informal Care650.3%
Unknown40.0%
Total21,692100.0%
Table 6. Method of Lodgement, 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)NumberPercent
Electronic18,32784.5%
Counter3,21414.8%
Other1510.7%
Total21,692100.0%

Orders made

Data shows the total number of DVOs made.

DVOs are made to protect the aggrieved party and children or other relatives or associates.

Table 7. DVOs made

Order Type2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)# change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD% change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD
Protection24,86825,00220,97525,37124,33217,3641,67210.7%
Temporary Protection13,89614,42014,48714,56914,80111,1741,69117.8%
Vary Protection9,9439,7598,72611,76012,97810,2691,93823.3%
Total48,70749,18144,18851,70052,11138,8075,30115.8%

Table 8. DVOs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Orders, 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)Aggrieved NumberAggrieved PercentRespondent NumberRespondent Percent
Protection2,56214.8%2,76115.9%
Temporary Protection1,31711.8%1,40612.6%
Vary Protection1,55615.2%1,71416.7%
Total5,43514.0%5,88115.2%

Table 9. DVOs, by gender of the aggrieved and respondent

AggrievedRespondent# orders made 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)% orders made 2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)
FemaleMale11,77768.1%
MaleFemale2,57714.9%
FemaleFemale1,5589.0%
MaleMale1,3828.0%

So far in 2022-23

29%

of all DVOs have been temporary protection orders made to protect the aggrieved until the application is finalised

77%

of DVOs protect a female aggrieved.

15%

of DVOs protect an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.

DVOs made by category,
2022-23 year to date

Offences

Offences

Criminal offending in relation to domestic and family violence can be grouped into the following categories:

Contravene DVO: where the respondent breaches a condition of a DVO. A conviction in relation to this offence is recorded on a defendant’s criminal history.

Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) related offences (flagged offences): Effective 1 December 2015, criminal offending that occurs in the context of DFV can be recorded by way of a notation under the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992. This helps to ensure that the patterns of behaviour of those who commit acts of DFV are clearly evident to police officers and courts.

Non-fatal strangulation: Effective 5 May 2016, choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic setting is a stand-alone offence under the Criminal Code 1899, with a maximum penalty of 7 years imprisonment.

Several data tables that follow relate to all court levels including Childrens, Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts. Due to the seriousness of some of the charges, not all charges are heard in the Magistrates Court, but are instead committed to the District or Supreme Courts.

This section shows the number of charges in relation to:

  • breaches of DVOs
  • offences ‘flagged’ as being in a DFV context (other than offences under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012)
  • offences relating to section 315A of the Criminal Code 1899 (offences of choking, suffocation or strangulation in a domestic setting).

Contravene offences

Table 10 is a count of all offences relating to contraventions of DVOs lodged with the Magistrates Court. This includes: contraventions of DVOs, contraventions of police protection notices and contraventions of release conditions.

Table 10. Contravene DVO charges lodged (Magistrates Courts with the most lodgments)

Location2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)# change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD% change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD
Townsville2,3042,1532,3954,0322,7141,98400.0%
Beenleigh1,3121,4321,8292,9122,8992,32553930.2%
Brisbane1,3571,4561,7652,2112,7332,28755732.2%
Southport1,5841,5761,6871,9831,8871,86671662.3%
Cairns9561,0371,2651,4462,2481,88734222.1%
Ipswich1,1141,4411,3881,3551,6001,27929429.8%
Rockhampton9079181,4081,3371,6021,43429425.8%
Maroochydore7046657261,4651,523838-122-12.7%
Caboolture67468390488097595439671.0%
Toowoomba66862159673585287232158.3%
Mackay4974966951,01179659714833.0%
Mount Isa43848552671088095640573.5%
Gladstone58844554958791173311919.4%
Redcliffe54048357872265156814835.2%
Bundaberg409519494576705448-74-14.2%
Richlands37132344774963255916040.1%
Pine Rivers35647349462749148214944.7%
Cleveland329776420430487300-27-8.3%
Mareeba308229326279458531283114.1%
Hervey Bay310287293371282339172103.0%
---------
State Total19,99621,09524,14230,53832,21326,1315,31425.5%

Table 11 is a count of defendants convicted of contravention of a DVO. One defendant can be convicted of more than one offence. Table 11 shows the most serious penalty imposed on a defendant at the time they are sentenced for their charge/s.

Table 11. Defendants convicted of contravention DVO offences, listed by penalty imposed

Penalty2022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22
-<5-------
Imprisonment/Detention4,6414,1734,5424,8354,8524,7636,1956,409
Custody in the Community3656637152528059
Community Service Order201329403352279250310289
Probation2,7312,3802,9442,7352,8422,2693,8873,768
Monetary Order4,6113,7634,0494,1323,9863,3306,0235,967
Good behaviour/Recognisance8536939338908996371,0801,166
Other1,1554795987307907331,0541,316
Total14,22911,87313,53213,74513,70012,03418,62918,974

Note:

  1. A defendant can be given one penalty in relation to multiple offences; or multiple penalties for one offence. The data shows only the most serious penalty for each defendant when convicted of the offence(s). This method of counting is used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for Criminal Courts, Australian publication (4513.0).
  2. The order ‘Custody in the community’ may refer to ‘Intensive Correction Order’; ‘Conditional Release Order’ or ‘Intensive Supervision Order’.
  3. The ‘Other’ category includes nominal penalties, such as ‘convicted and not further punished’. In some instances, a court may sentence a defendant to a term of imprisonment on one offence and convict and not further punish them on a lesser offence.

Flagged offences lodged

Table 12. Flagged offences DFV offences, charges lodged

Court2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)
Magistrates Court6,8896,1646,5657,80910,1879,923
District Court4,0304,3494,3044,0274,9493,914
Supreme Court11110113124023284
Total11,03010,61411,00012,07615,36813,921

Note:

  1. All offences are initially lodged in the Magistrates Court. However depending on the seriousness of the offence, some charges can only be dealt with on indictment in the Supreme or District Courts. Therefore the charges counted in the District and Supreme Courts are also counted in the Magistrates Court.
  2. Flagged DFV offences were introduced on 1 December 2015 making 2016-17 the first full year of data.
  3. Flagged offence data for all years has been recalculated due to revision of included offences under the legislation.

Table 13. Flagged DFV offences, charges lodged (Magistrates Courts with the most lodgments)

Location2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)# change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD% change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD
Cairns5084816748711,2801,33041144.7%
Townsville70259163067282390330551.0%
Southport82761244664354668133999.1%
Brisbane39334949751366472830973.7%
Beenleigh36333838554863663821851.9%
Mount Isa36238836541862563324061.1%
Ipswich40228628245868459213028.1%
Rockhampton26025628935037638411341.7%
Toowoomba218197179202413330185.8%
Maroochydore14215117722045323052.2%
Caboolture2101501611432482166139.4%
Mackay1331181712182161904631.9%
Bundaberg1121301132191881765039.7%
Redcliffe1821261681241551484746.5%
Pine Rivers141941451141561748289.1%
Mareeba1351231141101671412824.8%
Gladstone8678781331441303638.3%
Richlands117124999888984584.9%
Doomadgee64113811071201203846.3%
Innisfail666156481291294044.9%
---------
State Total6,8896,1646,5657,80910,1879,9233,08545.1%

Strangulation offences

Table 14. Strangulation offences, by court level

Court2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)
Magistrates Court834676592834972870
District Court874716586588834597
Supreme Court109717521
Total1,7181,4011,1851,4391,8111,488

Note:

  1. Strangulation related offences (s 315A of the Criminal Code Act 1899) was introduced 5 May 2016 making 2016-17 the first full year of data.
  2. All offences are initially lodged in the Magistrates Court. However these charges can only be finalised upon indictment in the Supreme or District Courts. The counts of charges lodged in the District and Supreme Courts are also counted in the Magistrates Court charges.
  3. Where charge numbers are less than 5, actual numbers have been replaced with ‘<5’ to avoid possible identification of defendants.

Table 15. Strangulation offences lodged (Magistrates Courts with the most lodgments)

Location2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)# change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD% change 2021-22 YTD to 2022-23 YTD
Brisbane8771741091411264453.7%
Southport8175547867632565.8%
Cairns6145615987852234.9%
Ipswich62292380101902640.6%
Beenleigh6241316757612569.4%
Townsville5247295644512596.2%
Maroochydore584534385930-16-34.8%
Toowoomba432423215748923.1%
Mount Isa3316164138341361.9%
Rockhampton16132825273619111.8%
Pine Rivers211826142520753.8%
---------
State Total83467659283497287022134.1%

Table 16. Defendants convicted of strangulation offences, by penalty imposed

Penalty2016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23 YTD (to 28 Feb 2023)
Imprisonment/Detention57340319249283352219
Custody in the Community-<5<5<5<5<5<5
Probation<5975776
Community Service Order--<5<5<5--
Other-<5<5<5<5<5<5
Total<65353332258295362230

Note:

  1. A defendant can be given one penalty in relation to multiple offences; or multiple penalties for one offence. The data shows only the most serious penalty for each defendant when convicted of the offence(s). This method of counting is used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics for Criminal Courts, Australian publication (4513.0).
  2. The order ‘Custody in the community’ may refer to ‘Intensive Correction Order’; ‘Conditional Release Order’ or ‘Intensive Supervision Order’.
  3. Where defendants number less than 5, actual numbers have been replaced with ‘<5’ to avoid possible identification.
Last reviewed
10 February 2023
Last updated
13 March 2023