Ms CARNEY - 2005-05-05
Last week, your department hounded a victim of crime to the Full Court of the Supreme Court to extract $3000 from her for costs arising from a clerical error. As you know, we have received a number of leaked Cabinet documents, some of which show and clearly demonstrate that you are not going to give victims of crime more money and, in fact, what you are going to do is review what you give them now. Why is it that under this government, victims of crime are second-class citizens?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I take it the question relates to projections for the Victims of Crime Compensation Scheme. The amount in the budget papers is set each year by Treasury and then reviewed on the basis of what demand and costs accrue to the scheme, which is adjusted every year. It is a demand-driven scheme, which is continuing in its reformed format. The reforms we put in place went to the costs of the legal representation of victims, not to the compensation payments to the victims themselves. That situation continues. There is no cap on that scheme. Whatever successful applications are cleared through that scheme will be paid out and that will be the amount of money that is spent on it.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I take it the question relates to projections for the Victims of Crime Compensation Scheme. The amount in the budget papers is set each year by Treasury and then reviewed on the basis of what demand and costs accrue to the scheme, which is adjusted every year. It is a demand-driven scheme, which is continuing in its reformed format. The reforms we put in place went to the costs of the legal representation of victims, not to the compensation payments to the victims themselves. That situation continues. There is no cap on that scheme. Whatever successful applications are cleared through that scheme will be paid out and that will be the amount of money that is spent on it.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016