This paper provides a comprehensive overview of juveniles in detention in Australia from 1981 to 2004. It includes an analysis of the number and rate of juveniles in detention over time, as well as a detailed analysis of the financial year 2003/04. Statistics are derived from the Australian Institute of Criminology's Juveniles in detention dataset, which is compiled from reports submitted on a quarterly basis by the relevant juvenile justice authorities in each Australian jurisdiction. Separate figures are provided, for each state and territory, for males and females in detention, for different age groups, and for Indigenous and non Indigenous persons. Levels of Indigenous over representation are also calculated for each state and territory, 1994 to 2004.