Ms LAWRIE - 2002-08-22
The Labor government’s six-point plan on protection, punishment and prevention of crime contains detailed and concrete commitments for putting the needs of victims first. Minister, can you please inform the Assembly of the progress that has been made to put in place practical initiatives that meet the needs of victims, and the funding for these initiatives contained in the budget?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a good question from the member for Karama. I will be very brief, even though it is a very important topic.
This government is very committed to supporting victims of crime, and we want to make sure that they feel absolutely no lack of effort from us. $4m has been put into the Crime Victims Assistance Fund, that is up $1m from the original budgeted level that we inherited. That still would not cover the current cost of that scheme, which we have estimated would come in at $5.5m for the previous financial year.
We are moving through legislative reform to reform the actual process of delivering compensation so that we get the maximum amount of compensation to victims, and we do not swallow up money in the process by which we are delivering it. A discussion paper and draft bill will be made available in the October sittings, and that will look at other options for supporting victims in our community, such as rehabilitation and counselling, and moving to an administrative rather than judicial process for delivering compensation. We believe that that may provide us with a more flexible way of providing support.
There is $300 000 for community justice centres in this budget that will allow us to offer victims an additional method by which they can seek redress for the results of offences against them. The clean-up assistance scheme is $50 000 a year. That is where victims often need the most support within a very short time after the offence has been committed, wanting to get houses cleaned up and relocked so that they can be protected from further intrusion. That is where that fund will come in.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is on unprecedented base funding now, to the point that they can provide extended support for prosecutions and appeals to victims. The Victim Support Unit attached to the DPP is also carrying out expanded services to victims now. We support victims and we are, in a very practical way, delivering programs that will do just that.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is a good question from the member for Karama. I will be very brief, even though it is a very important topic.
This government is very committed to supporting victims of crime, and we want to make sure that they feel absolutely no lack of effort from us. $4m has been put into the Crime Victims Assistance Fund, that is up $1m from the original budgeted level that we inherited. That still would not cover the current cost of that scheme, which we have estimated would come in at $5.5m for the previous financial year.
We are moving through legislative reform to reform the actual process of delivering compensation so that we get the maximum amount of compensation to victims, and we do not swallow up money in the process by which we are delivering it. A discussion paper and draft bill will be made available in the October sittings, and that will look at other options for supporting victims in our community, such as rehabilitation and counselling, and moving to an administrative rather than judicial process for delivering compensation. We believe that that may provide us with a more flexible way of providing support.
There is $300 000 for community justice centres in this budget that will allow us to offer victims an additional method by which they can seek redress for the results of offences against them. The clean-up assistance scheme is $50 000 a year. That is where victims often need the most support within a very short time after the offence has been committed, wanting to get houses cleaned up and relocked so that they can be protected from further intrusion. That is where that fund will come in.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is on unprecedented base funding now, to the point that they can provide extended support for prosecutions and appeals to victims. The Victim Support Unit attached to the DPP is also carrying out expanded services to victims now. We support victims and we are, in a very practical way, delivering programs that will do just that.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016