Region's domestic violence orders plateau, down from COVID peak

The latest figures from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) show the Local Court issued 1698 domestic AVOs in 2022-23 in the New England North West, an average of more than four a day.

That's fewer than Newcastle Lake Macquarie which recorded 1888, but more than the Riverina with 1345.

On a per capita basis, courts issued 1039 domestic AVOs per 100,000 people living in the New England North West region.

The rate was only higher in Far West Orana at 1739.

The Central West recorded 1017.

Tamworth LGA recorded 911 domestic AVOs per 100,000 people in July 2022 to June 2023, Armidale 1014, Glen Innes 969, Gunnedah 869, Gwydir 485, Inverell 1276, Liverpool Plains 860, Moree Plains 2244, Narrabri 1024, Tenterfield 1080, Upper Hunter 605, Uralla 601, and Walgett 4335.

The state average was 560 per 100,000.

The figures show domestic and non-domestic AVOs were far more prevalent in remote and regional areas, at 739 per 100,000 population.

Greater Sydney recorded 424 domestic AVOs per 100,000 people in 2022-23.

Domestic AVOs were about the same as pre-COVID levels in the New England North West, peaking at 1825 in the 2020 to 2021 statistical period.

The statewide figures show AVOs spiked during COVID lockdowns in 2020-2021 [38,578] and have climbed even higher since then [39,818].

The BOCSAR court statistics show the Local Court finalised 9 per cent more cases in 2022-23 than in 2018-19 across the state, but this was in part due to a significant shift in the nature of those finalisations.

The prosecution withdrew 77 per cent more matters, guilty pleas rose 4 per cent and matters proven in the defendant's absence jumped 24 per cent.

Domestic violence-related assault finalisations accounted for 32 per cent of the increase in matters withdrawn in the Local Court between 2018-19 and 2022-23.

The Local Court finalised 5 per cent fewer defended hearings in 2022-23 than in the year before the pandemic and the median time to finalise a defended hearing rose 98 days from 198 to 296.

Sentencing figures show the proportion of proven offenders receiving a custodial penalty fell from 9.9 per cent in 2018-19 to 8.8 per cent in 2022-23.