Prosecution Statistics 2023-24
During 2023-24 financial year, we received 2094 new referrals from 51 referring agencies, this includes 38 Commonwealth investigative agencies and 13 state and territory agencies.
The following tables set out details of prosecutions we conducted in 2023-2024.
| Description | No. |
| Defendants convicted of offences prosecuted summarily | 717 |
| Defendants convicted of offences prosecuted on indictment | 696 |
| Defendants committed for trial or sentence | 764 |
| Description | Resolved via Plea | Total Convictions | Percentage of matters resolved via guilty plea |
| Defendants convicted of offences prosecuted summarily | 655 | 717 | 91% |
| Defendants convicted of offences prosecuted on indictment | 650 | 696 | 93% |
| Overall defendants convicted | 1305 | 1413 | 92% |
| Description | No. |
| Defendants committed after a plea of guilty | 655 |
| Defendants committed after a plea of not guilty | 27 |
| Defendants convicted ex parte | 35 |
| Total defendants convicted | 717 |
| Defendants aquitted after a plea of not guilty | 11 |
| Total | 728 |
| Description | No. |
| Defendants committed after a plea of guilty | 414 |
| Defendants committed after a plea of not guilty | 350 |
| Total defendants committed | 764 |
| Defendants discharged after a plea of not guilty | 2 |
| Total | 766 |
| Description | No. |
| Defendants convicted after a plea of guilty | 650 |
| Defendants convicted after a plea of not guilty | 46 |
| Total defendants convicted | 696 |
| Defendants acquitted after a plea of not guilty | 25 |
| Total | 721 |
| Appeal type | Outcome | Summary | Indictable |
| Appeals against sentence | Upheld | N/A | 3 |
| Dismissed | N/A | 6 | |
| Total | N/A | 9 |
The following tables provide statistics covering relevant legislation and referring agencies in relation to matters dealt with in 2023-24
| Legislation | Summary (Charges) | Indictable (Charges) |
| Airports (Control of On-Airport Activities) Regulations 1997 (Cth) | 4 | 0 |
| Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) | 24 | 33 |
| Australian Capital Territory National Land (Unleased) Ordinance 2022 (Cth) | 1 | 0 |
| Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth) | 2 | 1 |
| Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 (Cth) | 2 | 0 |
| Australian Passports Act 2005 (Cth) | 7 | 6 |
| Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) | 39 | 1 |
| Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 (Cth) | 3 | 0 |
| Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) | 96 | 42 |
| Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth) | 47 | 0 |
| Civil Aviation Act 1988 (Cth) | 2 | 1 |
| Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (Cth) | 9 | 0 |
| Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (Cth) | 57 | 0 |
| Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) | 0 | 7 |
| Control of Naval Waters Regulation 2015 (Cth) | 3 | 0 |
| Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth) | 26 | 0 |
| Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) | 36 | 64 |
| Crimes (Aviation) Act 1991 (Cth) | 38 | 11 |
| Crimes (Currency) Act 1981 (Cth) | 16 | 0 |
| Crimes (Foreign Incursions and Recruitment) Act 1978 (Cth) | 0 | 5 |
| Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) | 17 | 55 |
| Criminal Code (Cth) | 2136 | 3069 |
| Customs Act 1901 (CI) (Cth) | 3 | 0 |
| Customs Act 1901 (Cth) | 62 | 119 |
| Defence Act 1903 (Cth) | 0 | 4 |
| Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth) | 33 | 0 |
| Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) | 24 | 9 |
| Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Cth) | 16 | 0 |
| Export Control Act 1982 (Cth) | 2 | 0 |
| Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) | 0 | 1 |
| Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth) | 66 | 0 |
| Foreign Passports (Law Enforcement and Security) Act 2005 (Cth) | 25 | 0 |
| Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Cth) | 20 | 0 |
| Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 2019 (Cth) | 20 | 0 |
| Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth) | 10 | 0 |
| Marine Order 21 (Safety and emergency arrangements) 2016 (Cth) | 2 | 0 |
| Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012 (Cth) | 20 | 0 |
| Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) | 4 | 0 |
| Migration Act 1958 (Cth) | 45 | 12 |
| National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth) | 10 | 0 |
| National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) | 11 | 0 |
| Navigation Act 2012 (Cth) | 2 | 1 |
| Norfolk Island Legislation | 51 | 6 |
| Protection of the Sea (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act 1983 (Cth) | 4 | 0 |
| Public Order (Protection of Persons and Property) Act 1971 (Cth) | 17 | 1 |
| Radiocommunications Act 1992 (Cth) | 7 | 1 |
| Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) | 1 | 0 |
| Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) | 1 | 0 |
| Taxation Administration Act 1953 (Cth) | 101 | 24 |
| Telecommunications Act 1997 (Cth) | 1 | 0 |
| Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Cth) | 12 | 0 |
| Non Commonwealth Legislation (total)* | 196 | 661 |
| Total | 3351 | 4134 |
* While majority of CDPP’s prosecutions are offences against Commonwealth legislation, they are sometimes accompanied by state and territory offences.
| Agency | Summary | Indictable |
| Australian Border Force | 28 | 55 |
| Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity | 2 | 1 |
| Australian Communications and Media Authority | 1 | 0 |
| Australian Competition and Consumer Commission | 1 | 5 |
| Australian Federal Police | 275 | 412 |
| Australian Financial Security Authority | 51 | 16 |
| Australian Fisheries Management Authority | 62 | 0 |
| Australian Maritime Safety Authority | 16 | 1 |
| Australian Securities and Investments Commission | 14 | 21 |
| Australian Taxation Office | 26 | 16 |
| Civil Aviation Safety Authority | 6 | 0 |
| Clean Energy Regulator | 1 | 0 |
| Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | 5 | 0 |
| Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment* | 2 | 1 |
| Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | 4 | 0 |
| Department of Defence | 4 | 0 |
| Department of Education | 4 | 2 |
| Department of Education, Skills and Employment** | 1 | 2 |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | 2 | 3 |
| Department of Health and Aged Care | 3 | 8 |
| Department of Social Services | 2 | 0 |
| Director of National Parks | 4 | 0 |
| Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority | 30 | 0 |
| National Disability Insurance Agency | 2 | 10 |
| National Indigenous Australians Agency | 1 | 0 |
| Services Australia | 34 | 0 |
| Services Australia - Centrelink | 214 | 28 |
| Services Australia - Child Support Agency | 1 | 0 |
| Services Australia - Medicare | 30 | 0 |
| Therapeutic Goods Administration | 1 | 0 |
| Non Commonwealth Agencies (Total) | 134 | 449 |
| Total | 986 | 1032 |
* Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has split into two different agencies: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
** Department of Education, Skills and Employment has split into two different agencies: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, and the Department of Education.
“Defendants dealt with” includes not only convictions and findings of guilt but also:
- Matters resulting in acquittals.
- Prosecutions that are discontinued in accordance with the Prosecution Policy of the Commonwealth based on evidentiary or public interest considerations.
- Discontinuances as part of a plea negotiation.
- When a matter scheduled for trial resolves into a guilty plea.
- When there is a hung jury.
- When the defendant has absconded and a warrant has been issued.
- Determinations that a defendant is unfit to be tried.
- Matters where a charge is issued but is unable to be served.
It does not include:
- Matters where the CDPP has provided pre-brief advice to an investigative agency.
- Brief assessments that do not proceed to prosecution, whether on evidentiary or public interest grounds.
- Breach proceedings.
- Matters determined on appeal.