Complaints Statistics 2005-2006

The Council, each year, publishes a statistical analysis of all the formal complaints it receives. (That means those complaints it receives in written form, not just matters which are raised informally in phone discussions.)

The Council has been consistently keeping such data since its formation and has maintained, largely, the same categories within each area of its statistics (although the definition of whether a complaint is about "false reporting" or "inaccuracy" can be a fine one and Executive Secretaries have differed in their interpretation of what constitutes a "mediated" complaint as compared to one which has been "withdrawn after correspondence".)

In each table, there are three set of figures: the 2005-2006 figures and their percentages; the previous year's figures and their percentages; and the figures over the seventeen years since 1988-1989 and their percentages.

This file contains the following tables:

Complaints Received
State of Residence of complainants
Status of complainant
Subject of complaint
Type of publication
How complaints were disposed of
Adjudications

Complaints Received
	2005/06		2004/05		Total 1988/05
Carried forward from previous period	51		68		36
Complaints	420		425		6538
Letters (some contain more than 1 complaint)	328		336		5684
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From complainants in
	2005/06	% 2005/06	2004/05	% 2004/05	1988/05	% 1988/05
New South Wales	95	29	102	30.3	1999	35.2
Victoria	76	23.2	72	21.4	1341	23.5
Queensland	58	17.7	63	18.8	971	17.1
Western Australia	32	9.8	43	12.8	452	8
South Australia	28	8.4	31	9.2	394	6.9
Tasmania	19	5.8	12	3.6	205	3.6
ACT	11	3.4	8	2.4	181	3.2
Northern Territory	4	1.2	0	-	107	1.9
Overseas	5	1.5	5	1.5	34	0.6
Total	328	100	336	100	5684	100
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Made by
	2005/06	% 2005/06	2004/05	% 2004/05	1988/05	% 1988/05
Individuals	216	65.9	215	64	3446	60.6
Associations/Organisations	21	6.4	19	5.6	487	8.6
Professionals	14	4.3	28	8.3	406	7.1
Local Councils/members	15	4.6	19	5.6	220	3.9
Election Candidates/Politicians	8	2.4	15	4.5	197	3.5
Companies/Businesses	9	2.8	9	2.7	182	3.2
Government Departments/Agencies	9	2.8	6	1.8	150	2.6
Solicitors (for clients)*	0	-	1	0.3	119	2.1
Religious groups	4	1.2	5	1.5	87	1.5
Ethnic community groups	7	2.1	6	1.8	86	1.5
Aboriginal support groups/legal services	8	2.4	4	1.2	74	1.3
Institutions/Public Bodies	5	1.5	4	1.2	73	1.3
Political parties	6	1.8	3	0.9	61	1.1
Unions	2	0.6	2	0.6	54	1
Publications	4	1.2	0	-	25	0.4
Anonymous	0	-	0	-	17	0.3
Total	328	100	336	100	5684	100
* Under new guidelines adopted by the Council in 1996, most complaints made by solicitors for clients are now dealt with as if they had been submitted by the client.
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About
	2005/06	% 2005/06	2004/05	% 2004/05	1988/05	% 1988/05
Abuse of press freedom	4	1	4	0.9	63	1
Advertising	8	1.9	2	0.5	199	3
Bad Taste	4	1	3	0.7	92	1.4
Bias	21	5	26	6.1	353	5.4
Censorship; suppression of facts	14	3.3	12	2.8	228	3.5
Distortion	9	2.1	17	4	246	3.7
Ethical standards breached	25	6	20	4.7	410	6.2
False reporting	15	3.6	18	4.2	355	5.4
Freedom of the press threatened	0	-	1	0.2	29	0.4
Headline, false or misleading	11	2.6	17	4	243	3.7
Imbalance; inadequate cover (inc no reply)	42	10	50	11.8	601	9.1
Inaccuracy; misrepresentation	69	16.4	91	21.4	905	13.7
Invasion of privacy	23	5.5	25	5.9	354	5.4
Irresponsibility	19	4.5	11	2.6	243	3.7
Letters: non publication or editing	18	4.3	16	3.8	313	4.8
Offensive cartoons	9	2.1	5	1.2	104	1.6
Offensive coverage	35	8.3	21	4.9	488	7.4
Racism; religious disparagement	36	8.6	22	5.2	376	5.7
Sensationalism	11	2.6	9	2.1	107	1.6
Sexism	2	0.5	3	0.7	114	1.7
Unfair Treatment	45	10.7	50	11.8	679	10.4
Other (unclassifiable)	0	-	2	0.5	81	1.2
Total	420	100	425	100	6583	100
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Against (Type of publication)
	2005/06	% 2005/06	2004/05	% 2004/05	1988/05	% 1988/05
Metropolitan newspapers	171	40.7	210	49.4	3200	48.6
Regional daily newspapers	87	20.7	75	17.6	887	13.5
Country newspapers	51	12.2	25	5.9	658	10
Suburban newspapers	29	6.9	40	9.4	513	7.8
National newspapers	39	9.3	33	7.8	441	6.7
Magazines (general interest)	22	5.2	21	4.9	383	5.8
Ethnic community press	5	1.2	3	0.7
Special interest publications	6	1.4	5	1.2
Ethnic/special interest*					223	3.4
Rural publications (bi-weekly/monthly)	1	0.3	0	-	13	0.2
Non-specific; other	9	2.1	13	3.1	265	4.1
Total	420	100	425	100	6583	100
*Prior to 1995, ethnic community press and special interest publications were counted in the one category.
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Complaints were disposed of:
	2005/06	% 2005/06	2004/05	% 2004/05	1988/05	% 1988/05
Refused as inappropriate	62	14.7	64	14.5	920	14
Referred to other organisations	13	3.1	18	4.1	342	5.2
Withdrawn for legal action	29	6.9	19	4.3	298	4.5
Not followed up	35	8.3	48	10.8	1010	15.4
Withdrawn after correspondence	120	28.4	102	23.1	1342	20.4
Mediation	98	23.2	103	23.3	1280	19.5
By press release	0	-	0	-	9	0.1
By adjudication	61	14.5	88	19.9	1308	19.5
Other action	4	1	0	-	62	1
Total disposed of	422	100	442	100	6568	100
Carried forward to next period	49		51		51
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Adjudications
	2005/06	% 2005/06	2004/05	% 2004/05	1988/05	% 1988/05
Complaints upheld	8	16.9	9	18.7	234	25.8
Complaints upheld in part	9	30	10	20.9	135	14.3
Complaints upheld in whole or part	17	56.7	19	39.6	369	40.1
Complaints dismissed	13	43.3	26	54.2	528	57.4
Complaints neither upheld nor dismissed	0	-	3	6.2	23	2.5
Number of adjudications	30	100	48	100	920	100
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See also:

Return to
Complaints Overview

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