The Report on Government Services (RoGS) provides information on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of government services in Australia. This report provides performance reporting for police services, courts and corrective services. It includes a summary of government expenditure in the sector.

Detailed information on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of service provision and the achievement of outcomes for these service areas is contained in the service-specific sections.

The report is accompanied by a guide on how to find what you need in RoGS.

Police services

• Nationally, 27 people died in police custody, five of whom were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The total number of deaths in police custody in 2023–24 is lower than 2022-23 (40 deaths), and the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who died in police custody in 2023–24 is lower than 2022-23 (10 deaths).
• In 2023–24, four jurisdictions (Victoria, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory) reported an increase from 2022–23 in the proportion of all young offenders diverted from the justice system, and two jurisdictions (Victoria and Western Australia) reported an increase in the proportion of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders diverted from the justice system.
• The proportion of investigations finalised within 30 days of the offence becoming known to police varied across jurisdictions for a range of personal and property offences with proportions generally highest for homicide and related offences and lowest for sexual assault.

Courts

• At 30 June 2024, the backlog in civil courts was generally higher than criminal courts across most states and territories.
• In 2023–24, average civil court fees paid per lodgement were greater in supreme courts (excluding probate) than in district/county and magistrates’ courts.
• Complaints relating to administrative functions of courts increased in 2021–22 relative to the indexed baseline, but decreased relative to 2021–22 in 2023-24. 

Corrective services

• Nationally in 2023–24, 25.7% of eligible prisoners participated in accredited education and training courses, a decrease from its peak in 2018–19.
• Nationally in 2023–24, the average number of hours of time out-of-cells per prisoner per day was 9.0. Average time out-of-cells was higher for prisoners in open custody than for those held in secure custody.
• For all jurisdictions except the Northern Territory, prison capacity utilisation as a proportion of design capacity was higher for secure facilities compared to open prisons.
• Nationally in 2023–24, 76.9% of community corrections orders were completed. Completions by order type were highest for supervision orders, followed by reparation orders and restricted movement orders.