The incidence of homicide in Australia continued to decline in 2004-05, with a 14-percent decrease from the previous year. This decreasing trend in the incidence of homicide has continued over the last 16 years. The number of homicides in 2004-05 was 249, 39 fewer than in the previous reporting period. The majority of homicides were classified as murder (84 percent), followed by those classified as manslaughter (11 percent), or infanticide (5 percent). Similar to previous years, most solved homicide cases (n=233) involved 1-on-1 interactions between the victim and the offender (81 percent). Homicides were most likely to occur on weekends and the days leading up to the weekend. The decrease in homicide victimization was largely driven by the decrease in male victims, who typically composed the highest percentage of victims. The mean age of homicide victims was 36 years old. Male victims were more likely to have substances in their systems at the time of the incident, but female victims were more likely to test positive for illicit/prescription drugs than male victims. Of the 286 homicide offenders identified, the majority were male (84 percent), were slightly younger than their victims, and were of Caucasian appearance. A greater proportion of Indigenous women committed homicide compared with Indigenous men (21 percent compared with 17 percent). Regarding the features of homicide offenses, data are provided on precipitating factors, weapons/methods used, intimate-partner homicide, homicide between persons known to each other, child homicide, and stranger homicide. Methods of data collection and data use are described. Extensive tables, figures and references