In 2006, the number of deaths resulting from assault was less than half that reported in 1997, falling from 327 in 1997 to 148 in 2006 (ABS 2009). The greatest decline occurred between 2003 and 2004, with the annual number of assault-related deaths falling from 268 persons to 161 persons. This represents a 40 percent decrease. Assault-related deaths were consistently higher for males than for females, with a general decline seen for both sexes from 1997 to 2006. Specifically, 97 males died as a result of assault in 2006 compared to 215 males in 1997, while 51 females died as a result of assault in 2006 compared to 112 females in 1997. In the 10 year period, the number of assault-related deaths has dropped by a similar percentage for both sexes. The largest decrease for deaths attributed to assault occurred in 2004 for both males (down 42%) and females (down 35%).
Assault as the underlying cause of death (number of persons) [see attached PDF for graph]
Reference
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2009. Causes of death, Australia, 2007. ABS cat. no. 3303.0. Canberra: ABS.