Complaints Stats 1997-98

Complaints Statistics 1997-1998

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have differed in their interpretation of what constitutes a "mediated" complaint as compared to one which has been "withdrawn after correspondence".)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 1997-1998 figures and their percentages; the previous year's figures and their percentages; and the figures over the years since 1988-9 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

Complaint Statistics

Statistics 2007-2008
Statistics 2006-2007
Statistics 2005-2006
Statistics 2004-2005
Statistics 2003-2004
Statistics 2002-2003
Statistics 2001-2002
Statistics 2000-2001
Statistics 1999-2000
Statistics 1998-1999
Statistics 1997-1998

Complaints Not
Adjudicated

Not Adj Overview
Not Adj 2007-2008
Not Adj 2006-2007
Not Adj 2005-2006
Not Adj 2004-2005
Not Adj 2003-2004
Not Adj 2002-2003
Not Adj 2001-2002
Not Adj 2000-2001
Not Adj 1999-2000
Not Adj 1998-1999



	COMPLAINTS RECEIVED
		1997/8		1996/7		Total 1988/97
	Carried forward from previous period	62		62		36
	Complaints	434		399		3267
	Letters (some contain more than 1 complaint)	383		350		2962

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	FROM COMPLAINANTS IN
		1997/8	% 1997/8	1996/7	% 1996/7	1988/97	% 1988/97
	New South Wales	157	41.1	135	38.6	1039	35.1
	Victoria	72	18.8	75	21.4	721	24.3
	Queensland	64	16.7	69	19.7	510	17.2
	Western Australia	24	6.3	16	4.6	224	7.6
	South Australia	35	9.2	26	7.4	178	6.0
	ACT	13	3.4	15	4.3	115	3.9
	Tasmania	14	3.7	10	2.9	98	3.3
	Northern Territory	1	0.3	4	1.1	67	2.3
	Overseas	2	0.5	0	-	10	0.3

	Total	382	100	350	100	2962	100

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	MADE BY
		1997/8	% 1997/8	1996/7	% 1996/7	1988/97	% 1988/97
	Individuals	246	64.3	213	60.9	1630	55.0
	Associations/Organisations	30	7.9	31	8.9	294	9.9
	Professionals	26	6.8	27	7.7	228	7.7
	Local Councils/members	8	2.1	18	5.1	113	3.8
	Election Candidates/Politicians	12	3.1	12	3.4	111	3.7
	Companies/Businesses	12	3.1	9	2.6	104	3.5
	Solicitors (for clients)	4	1.0	6	1.7	101	3.4
	Government Departments/Agencies	10	2.6	7	2.0	92	3.1
	Ethnic community groups	6	1.6	5	1.4	54	1.8
	Religious groups	6	1.6	8	2.3	48	1.6
	Aboriginal support groups/legal services	1	0.3	2	0.6	43	1.5
	Institutions/Public Bodies	8	2.1	4	1.1	42	1.4
	Political parties	5	1.3	3	0.9	41	1.4
	Unions	4	1.1	4	1.1	37	1.3
	Publications	1	0.3	1	0.3	13	0.5
	Anonymous	3	0.8	0	-	11	0.4

	Total	382	100	350	100	2962	100

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	ABOUT
		1997/8	% 1997/8	1996/7	% 1996/7	1988/97	% 1988/97
	Abuse of press freedom	6	1.4	2	0.5	30	0.9
	Advertising	15	3.5	7	1.8	126	3.9
	Bad Taste	2	0.5	3	0.8	53	1.6
	Bias	25	5.8	20	5.0	142	4.3
	Censorship; suppression of facts	14	3.2	8	2.0	120	3.7
	Distortion	16	3.7	20	5.0	135	4.1
	Ethical standards breached	29	6.7	24	6.0	208	6.4
	False reporting	18	4.1	24	6.0	193	5.9
	Freedom of the press threatened	2	0.5	2	0.5	19	0.6
	Headline, false or misleading	47	10.9	11	2.8	93	2.8
	Imbalance; inadequate cover (inc no reply)	25	5.8	39	9.6	268	8.2
	Inaccuracy; misrepresentation	54	12.4	57	14.3	385	11.8
	Invasion of privacy	29	6.7	36	9.0	170	5.2
	Irresponsibility	13	3.0	12	3.0	145	4.4
	Letters: non publication or editing	23	5.3	31	7.8	155	4.7
	Offensive cartoons	2	0.5	7	1.8	54	1.7
	Offensive coverage	29	6.7	24	6.0	237	7.3
	Racism; religious disparagement	22	5.1	22	5.5	194	5.9
	Sensationalism	10	2.3	7	1.8	54	1.7
	Sexism	3	0.8	0	-	81	2.5
	Unfair Treatment	41	9.4	41	10.3	353	10.8
	Other (unclassifiable)	9	2.1	2	0.5	52	1.6

	Total	434	100	399	100	3267	100

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	AGAINST (Type of publication)
		1997/8	% 1997/8	1996/7	% 1996/7	1988/97	% 1988/97
	Metropolitan newspapers	188	43.4	208	52.2	1586	48.5
	Regional daily newspapers	57	13.1	49	12.3	367	11.2
	Country newspapers	42	9.7	52	13.0	348	10.7
	Suburban newspapers	36	8.3	31	7.8	286	8.8
	Magazines (general interest)	17	3.9	17	4.3	251	7.7
	National newspapers	61	14.0	15	3.8	154	4.7
	Ethnic community press	9	2.1	12	3.0)
	Special interest publications	8	1.8	5	1.3)
	Ethnic/special interest*					91	2.8
	Rural publications (bi-weekly/monthly)	0	-	1	0.3	7	0.2
	Non-specific; other	16	3.7	8	2.0	177	5.4

	Total	434	100	399	100	3267	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:
		1997/8	% 1997/8	1996/7	% 1996/7	1988/97	% 1988/97
	Refused as inappropriate	64	14.4	62	15.5	350	10.8
	Referred to other organisations	29	6.5	14	3.5	224	6.9
	Withdrawn for legal action	32	7.2	15	3.7	86	2.7
	Not followed up	56	12.6	57	14.3	619	19.1
	Withdrawn after correspondence	105	23.6	68	21.6	547	16.9
	Mediation	74	16.6	78	19.5	627	19.3
	By press release	0	-	0	-	7	0.2
	By adjudication	76	17.1	82	20.6	740	22.8
	Other action	9	2.0	5	1.3	41	1.3

	Total disposed of	445	100	399	100	3241	100

	Carried forward to next period	51		62		62

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	ADJUDICATIONS
		1997/8	% 1997/8	1996/7	% 1996/7	1988/97	% 1988/97
	Complaints upheld	10	20.4	20	32.8	159	28.4
	Complaints upheld in part	7	14.3	6	9.8	79	14.1
	Upheld in whole or part	17	34.7	26	42.6	238	42.5
	Complaints dismissed	30	61.2	32	52.5	309	55.2
	Neither upheld nor dismissed	2	4.1	3	4.9	13	2.3

	Number of adjudications	49	100	71	100	560	100

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