If you feel unsafe or are experiencing any violence, contact the police, a domestic violence counsellor or get legal advice.
Time limit  | Action |
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No time limit | For reporting a crime to the police. You can report old crimes, but it is up to the police whether or not to investigate or lay charges. Some crimes have a time limit for when police can lay charges. |
Time limit | Action |
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No time limit | To apply for counselling under the Victims Support Scheme. |
Time limit | Action |
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Two years | From when the crime was committed to apply for financial assistance, if you were over 18 when the crime was committed. If you were under 18 when the crime occurred, the two years starts from when you turned 18. |
Five years | Claims for financial support, through an eligible application, may continue to be made for a period of five years after the application was lodged with Victims Services, or until the maximum financial support has been approved. |
Time limit | Action |
---|---|
Recognition payments - Victim Under 18 (child) | |
10 years | From when you turn 18, to apply for a recognition payment for a ​​domestic violence and child abuse offence. |
No time limit | To apply for a recognition payment for a sexual assault offence. |
Two years | From when you turn 18, to apply for a recognition payment for all other offences. |
Recognition payments - Victim over 18 (adult) | |
10 years | From when the act of violence was committed, to apply for a recognition payment for:
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Two years | From when the act of violence was committed, to apply for a recognition payment for all other offences. |
Recognition payments - Family victims | |
Two years | From the date it was confirmed that the primary victim died as a direct result of the relevant act of violence (not the date of the relevant act of violence) to apply for recognition payment. |
Time limit | Action |
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12 monts | An application for victims support may lapse if:
|
Time limit | Action |
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42 days | You should be notified of the outcome of an internal review. |
90 days | After you are notified of a decision about your application for victims' support to apply for an internal review of the decision. |
28 days | From when the internal review is finalised to apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for a review of a decision about a recognition payment. |
28 days | From of the date a decision was made by NCAT to appeal to the Supreme Court of NSWÂ on a point of law. |
Organisation | Responsibilities |
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Local Court of NSW | Has the power to make criminal compensation orders. |
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) | Has the power to review decisions about recognition payments and restitution orders. |
Victim Services | Assesses applications for counselling, financial assistance and recognition payments, and provides support services for victims of crime, including the Victims Access Line (VAL). |
Authority | Covers |
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Victims Rights and Support Act 2013Â (NSW) Victims Rights and Support Regulation 2019Â (NSW) | Establish the victims support scheme, criminal compensation orders and recovery of money from offenders, and outlines the Charter of Victims Rights. |
Common term | Definition |
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Act of violence | An act, or series of acts, that:
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Decision maker or Assessor | A person who makes a decision about an application for victims' support. |
Charter of Victims' Rights  | A charter that sets out the principles as to how a victim of crime can expect to be treated by all government departments, including the police, Prosecutors and any services funded by the government. |
Criminal compensation order | An order made by a Court for a convicted offender to pay the victim of their crime an amount of money to compensate them for loss or injuries. |
​Recognition payment | ​A recognition payment is a lump sum of money paid by Victim Services to a victim to recognise the trauma they have suffered as a result of an act of violence. |
​Family victim | ​A person who is an immediate family member of the primary victim who has died as a result of the act of violence. Members of the immediate family include:
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​Forensic patient | ​A forensic patient is a person who the Court has:
|
​Primary victim | ​A person who is injured or dies as a direct result of the act of violence. This includes a person who is injured or dies as a direct result of:
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​Relevant family member | ​A person who is a relative of a primary victim who has died as a result of an act of violence, but who is not a family victim. |
Royal Commission  | A special type of investigation into a particular issue, for example, the Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse. A Royal Commission is appointed by government. A Royal Commission can take statements from people about the issue, hold hearings, and will submit a report with recommendations for improvements and legal change. |
​Secondary victim | ​A person who is injured as a direct result of seeing the act of violence against the primary victim. This includes a person who is injured as a direct result of becoming aware of the act of violence, but only if:
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​Subpoena | A legal document that orders you to attend court to:
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Victim impact statement | A victim impact statement is a written statement that explains to the Court the effect a crime has had on you and your life. |
Victims Register | The Victims Register may share certain information about adult offenders who are serving a sentence (in custody or on parole) in New South Wales. To be on the Victims Register, you must be:
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Organisation | Fee |
---|---|
Victims Services | You don't have to pay a fee when you apply for victims support. |
Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative (NCAT) | You have to pay a filing fee if you are applying for a review of a decision about a recognition payment - see Fees and charges on the NCAT website. |
Organisation | Forms |
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Victims Services | Application forms in PDF
|
Type | Costs |
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Legal costs | If you get a lawyer to help you apply for counselling, financial assistance or a recognition payment, you will have to pay their legal costs. You won't be able to claim these costs back in your application.​ |
Warra Warra is a specialist Family Violence Prevention Legal Service that provides trauma informed, culturally safe services. Call on 1800 812 800.
Last updated: April 2024