Page 1187 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2012

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21) $405,478 was paid to service providers in 2010-11, which was higher than the estimated budget of $350,000. The internal budget in 2011-12 is $377,000.

22) The total cost of staff learning and development paid by VSACT was 1.26% of total employee costs. VSACT staff members also participated in other learning and development programs, which were co-ordinated by the Directorate during the reporting period.

23) The Commissioner does not have a learning and development target.

24) The Commissioner does not have a learning and development target.

25) The “criteria for eligibility of award payments” are set out in Part 2 of the Victims of Crime (Financial Assistance) Act 1983 (the “Act”). Those who are eligible are

primary victims (section 10 of the Act), being persons who are injured as a direct result of a violent crime committed against him or her or whilst assisting a police officer (section 9 of the Act). (“Violent crime” is defined by reference to offences against various sections of the Crimes Act 1900 as set out in section 3 of the Act),

persons responsible for the maintenance of a primary victim (section 10 of the Act), and

related victims (section 17 of the Act), defined as persons who were related to or had a personal relationship with a primary victim who dies as a result of sustaining a criminal injury.

26) Award amounts are calculated by reference to the Act.

Section 10 of the Act provides that the Magistrates Court may award financial assistance to a primary victim calculated by reference to

expenses reasonably incurred by or on behalf of the victim as a consequence of the injury,

pecuniary loss as a consequence of incapacity for work because of the injury,

the expense incurred in making an application for financial assistance other than by way of fees paid to a lawyer (this relates to things such as medical and police reports),

where injury is extremely serious, special assistance in an amount of $30,000,

where the victim is a police officer, ambulance officer or firefighter and the injury was sustained in the course of the exercise of the victim’s functions as such, special assistance by way of compensation for pain and suffering in an amount of up to $50,000 and

where the crime involved a certain sexual offences under the Crimes Act 1900, special assistance by way of compensation for pain and suffering in an amount of up to $50,000.

Section 10 provides that a person responsible for the maintenance of a primary victim may recover:

expenses reasonably incurred as a result of the injury and

pecuniary loss suffered as a consequence of the injury if the loss is a result of the person’s inability to work (eg, while caring for the primary victim).


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