A theme in the debate about crime in Victoria has been the contribution of Melbourne's Sudanese community to Victoria's perceived crime problem. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull claimed that there was "real concern about Sudanese gangs" in the Victorian capital. But lawyer and social justice advocate Nyadol Nyuon claimed "the overwhelming majority of crimes in Victoria are committed by Australian and New Zealand-born people ... South Sudanese do commit about 1 per cent of the offences." So, Are the majority of crimes in Victoria committed by Australian-born and New Zealand-born people and do people from Sudan account for 1 per cent of crimes committed? Ms Nyuon's claim checks out. According to data compiled by the Victorian research body the Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), the vast majority of crimes in Victoria are committed by Australian and New Zealand-born people. Between April 2017 and March 2018, they made up a combined 73.5 per cent of the unique offender population (those people alleged to have committed crimes) in Victoria; whereas, those born in Sudan made up 1.1 per cent.
Verdict: Checks Out