Are you a victim of a violent crime and now paying for expenses to get back on track? You might be eligible for Government funding.

The offence must be an ‘act of violence’, which is generally an assault-based or family-violence offence against a person. It does not cover theft, property damage or motor vehicle collisions.

The victim can be the main person who it happened to, someone who witnessed it, someone who intervened to help stop the offence, a parent if the victim was aged under 18, or a close family member or friend of someone who has died.

Funding often covers counselling costs, medical expenses, lost wages, damaged clothing, physical/mental health programs and your legal fees. There is also a one-off lump sum payment called ‘Special Financial Assistance’ which you can use for whatever you like, but before you get too excited, know that it is not millions of dollars. It is capped between $100 and $10,000 depending on the type of offence which happened.

Your Lawyer will help work out what you might be eligible for, put together your paperwork, submit it to the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal (VOCAT) and attend your Hearings, if any.