Page 3034 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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the first instances of law reform recognising victims in Australia, but has since been overtaken by reforms in other Australian and overseas jurisdictions.
The government is committed to striving for best practice in the support of victims of crime in our community. This is particularly important in the ACT, given that it was the first jurisdiction in Australia to adopt a statutory human rights framework. The reforms contained in the Victims of Crime Amendment Bill were overseen by a reference group comprising representatives from a range of ACT criminal justice agencies.
The bill introduces a number of important reforms for victims of crime, and I will take the opportunity to outline those reforms today. Firstly, the bill inserts an objectives clause into the act. Having a clearly stated objective of what the legislation is intended to achieve will assist agencies to ensure that they are meeting their obligations under the act.
The bill defines what we mean when we talk about a victim of crime. The bill lifts the definition out of the dictionary and places it within the act, giving it the prominence it deserves in an act about victims of crime. An important element of the victims framework in the ACT has been the role of the Victims of Crime Coordinator, and that position has been one of the main focuses of the review which has led to the bill introduced here today.
The bill renames the Victims of Crime Coordinator as the Victims of Crime Commissioner. The change of name better reflects the important and diverse role the Victims of Crime Commissioner has in assisting victims of crime. The bill clearly articulates the commissioner’s statutory role and functions, which include, among other things, the function of managing the victim services scheme and any other program for the benefit of victims.
Currently, the basis for the advocacy role of the Victims of Crime Coordinator is unclear. The bill clearly sets out an advocacy role for the Victims of Crime Commissioner. This is an acknowledgement of the important work the coordinator currently performs, and the commissioner will be expected to continue to perform, in this area. Another function the bill assigns to the commissioner is managing the victims services scheme, the VSS.
Currently the coordinator manages the scheme on behalf of the chief executive of the Attorney-General’s Department. In order to recognise the intimate connection between this function and other functions being performed in the one-stop shop that is our Victim Support ACT entity, the bill makes the VSS part of the Victims of Crime Commissioner’s statutory functions.
Accountability for the continued delivery of the scheme will be protected through arrangements in this bill for the commissioner to report to the chief executive every six months on the performance of the scheme. As is the case with any statutory office holder, the Victims of Crime Commissioner will have the power to undertake all the functions given to the position.
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