None come to mind to really avoid (minus the inner-city places like Redfern). You need to becareful everywhere (especially Kingsford) at night of course, but that can apply anywhere really. I'd be more worried about finding decent flatmates/neighbours than the suburbs.
my friend told me on his tour around kensington one of the sharehouses he came across was actually the living room sectioned off by a curtain. You call that a room!?
NCV seems to be the place for you, but I think most offers have been made there. I'm at New, and it seems to me from everything I have seen to be a good place to head to. As for suburbs, I spent most of summer living in Kingsford. I've never had a problem - just make sure you're ont he west side of Anzac Pde. It's a rather nice area there.