23 July 2002

The only party to commit to victim fund

The Progressive Coalition is the only party committed to a Central Victim Fund, so that victims of crime are paid reparation immediately.

“As Minister for Courts I had already commissioned my department to look at the feasibility of a Central Victim Fund, earlier this year. A Central Fund would mean that the government fronts with the reparation owed to victims.

“The government – not the victim – then has the job of getting the offender to pay.

“Victims have gone through enough trauma by the time they reach the courts. The government can at least take the pressure off at this stage.”

The New South Wales government already has a Central Victim Fund, and the feasibility study examines this scheme.

“The Progressive Coalition is the only party to make a Central Victim Fund a cornerstone commitment. Jim Anderton will be around the cabinet table, but we need your party vote to get more voices in cabinet.

“In the bickering over sentencing throughout this election campaign, some politicians have forgotten that the referendum in 1999 called for ‘a reform of our justice system placing greater emphasis on the needs of victims’. That was the dominant theme.

“As Minister for Courts I introduced victim-focused justice in the form of the Restorative Justice pilots in the Courts and increased funding for victim support in the court system. But there is still a long way to go. In the next government I will continue to push for these policies and I look forward to working closely with organisations like Victim Support.

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