South Australia: Victims of crime compensation to double under new Government proposal

The ABC has reported that the maximum payout to victims of crime will double in South Australia if a Government proposal goes ahead. The proposed increase would raise the amount from $50,000 to $100,000. The proposal in documents provided to the ABC was one of several budget bids that went before a cabinet committee in November.

The Government has chosen to release the information to counter a series of leaked budget proposal papers in recent weeks.

The plan is one of a number of cabinet committee documents publicised by the South Australian Government this week to counter a series of recently leaked budget proposal papers. Another document detailed new laws to reduce the number of suspended sentences given to violent repeat offenders.

The compensation increase would cost $29 million. Compensation rates have not changed since 1990 and the Government now has stored over $100 million in its Victims of Crime Fund, a figure projected to double over the next four years. The Commissioner for Victims' Rights, Michael O'Connell, recently commented that any growth in compensation would be welcome.

"When the public at large see the sum that's stored in the victims of crime fund or kept in the victims of crime fund, they're no doubt left wondering why victims aren't being helped more. Compensation has both a symbolic and a real value to them. Symbolically, it's an acknowledgement that they have been harmed,” he said.

"Also, it's an acknowledgement that they have suffered a real injury that ought to be compensated for."

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