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Is your loved one missing? See our dedicated site with advice, a checklist and templates.
The issue
Missing persons is a growing issue in Australia
On average, 150 people are reported missing every day. The financial, administrative, emotional, and psychological impact on the families, friends and communities left behind is profound, yet there is still no funding to support this growing population.
HOW MANY PEOPLE GO MISSING
Over 56,000 missing persons incidents were reported to Australian police in 2023.
∼ 90%
people are found safe and well within a week
In Australia, a missing person is defined as anyone who is reported missing to police, whose whereabouts are unknown, and where there are fears for the safety or concern for the welfare of that person.
∼ 3%
remain missing long term
A long-term missing person is someone who has been missing for more than three months.
WHY DO PEOPLE GO MISSING
Anyone can go missing for any number of reasons
Reasons for a disappearance vary widely; misadventure, mental health, natural disaster, abduction, dementia, migration, conflict and more.
∼ 85%
of cases pertain to mental health
1-2%
of cases are criminal in nature
THE BROADER IMPACT
Measuring the immeasurable
To truly grasp the scale of the issue, we delved into its financial implications.
Public sector
$30.9
million
Private sector
$211.3
million
Loved ones
$14.1
million
Refer to the 2022 Cost of Missingness Report.
UNIQUE FORM OF GRIEF
Ambiguous loss
The type of grief families and friends of missing people experience is called ambiguous loss. Psychologists consider it to be one of the most traumatic kinds of grief and one of the most unmanageable forms of stress.
*Ambiguous Loss, the theory and the book; Emeritus Professor Dr Pauline Boss (Harvard University Press, 1999/2000)
Raising awareness
National Missing Persons Week
National Missing Persons Week (NMPW) is an annual week to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons in Australia.
You can’t ask that
Families share insights
Is it better for someone you love to be missing or dead? Missed collaborated with ABC’s You Can’t Ask That producers to bring together loved ones to help answer difficult questions. It’s one of the most powerful programs on the experience ever made.
(M) Adult Themes, Coarse Language
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)