Does the offender need to have been charged, arrested or convicted for a victim to apply for compensation?
- No. An application for compensation can be made any time after the offence has occurred.
- A victim does not even need to wait for the offender to be identified before commencing the process.
- Part of the reason why victims’ compensation emerged is to encourage a higher rate of reporting of crime.
- In most states and territories a victim is ineligible to apply for compensation until the matter has been reported to police.
Read some more FAQS from our Victim Compensation section