Revealed: the worst local government locations for domestic violence

More incidents of domestic violence occur in regional NSW on average than metropolitan Sydney with advocates urging governments to tackle the scourge with regional-centric solutions.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research reveals the 2023 domestic violence assault rate was 592.8 incidents per 100,000 people in regional NSW compared to 360 incidents per 100,000 people in Sydney.

The regional rate is 30 per cent above the NSW average while the Sydney rate is 20 per cent below the state average.

The top 48 local government areas in NSW for domestic violence assaults were in regional NSW in 2023.

Walgett in western NSW had the highest rate at over eight times the state average with 3625.8 incidents per 100,000 people.

That is followed by Broken Hill which was 4.6 times over the state average with 2032 incidents per 100,000 people and Moree Plains at 1927 incidents per 100,000 people which was 4.4 times the NSW average.

Coonamble, Lachlan, Muswellbrook, Dubbo, Narromine, Kempsey and Inverell round out the top ten.

Crime statistics show that in the five years to December 2023, the biggest increase in DV assault reports in regional NSW were among victims of family violence, who accounted for almost half of the total increase in DV assault victims.

Domestic Violence NSW senior policy officer Dr Bridget Mottram identified housing as a central issue to the higher rates of violent crime in the regions.

Research from Shelter NSW (2023) indicated the current wait time for social housing in regional areas is five to ten years or more.

"There is very little crisis accommodation or social and affordable housing in regional, rural, and remote areas," Dr Mottram said.

"Some towns have no emergency accommodation, and the next town is 200km away, with one bus in and out every day, and every knows who gets on and off that bus. There are just so many more places to hide in metro areas.

"Attendees at the DVNSW 2023 Regional Forum reported that many victim-survivors experiencing homelessness are forced to live in their car and remain mobile to mitigate the risk of being located by the perpetrator.

"We also see, in disaster affected areas, victims put in the same refuge as their abuser."

The Minns government is under pressure to rapidly act on domestic violence after the alleged murder of Molly Ticehurst in Forbes on April 22. Her ex-partner was on bail for sexual assault charges at the time of her death.

The premier has ordered a review of bail laws and will hold an urgent cabinet meeting on May 3, which will be briefed by former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, whose son was killed in 2014 by his father.

The state government's new coercive control education campaign is being rolled out ahead of the introduction of coercive control laws in July.

The laws create a new offence for coercive control with potential jail sentences of up to seven years.

On May 1, the Albanese government announced $925 million dollars to tackle domestic violence with a raft of measures.