Violence and abuse against children not only affects their lives, it has a tremendous economic impact for individuals, society and the government. This study was commissioned to calculate the economic cost of abuse and violence against children and young people in New South Wales, with comparisons with Australia as a whole. It looks at abuse and assaults against children and young people aged 0-24 years old, including neglect and witnessing family violence, in terms of the annual and lifetime financial impacts on productivity, premature mortality, quality of life, burden of disease, health services, justice system, child protection, education, and housing and homelessness. Data on crime rates and service costs are taken for 2016/17. The study finds that this abuse and violence cost a total of $3.8 billion in New South Wales and $11.2 billion in Australia. Of the national total, approximately $2.3 billion was borne by NSW state government departments, $600 million by the Federal government, and $8.2 billion by individuals and the broader NSW community.
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