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Legal Corner
If you have been the victim of a crime, you may be able to apply for financial assistance through a government-run victim compensation scheme.
These schemes give people compensation in recognition of the harm, hardship and expense experienced by victims of crime.
Each state and territory in Australia has its own agency that manages applications for victim compensation.
For example, in Queensland, victims of crime can apply to an agency called Victim Assist.
Victim Assist can provide two types of financial assistance.
It can provide money to recover costs (medical expenses, loss of earnings, etc.), or it can provide a lump sum in recognition of hardship.
You can apply for financial assistance through Victim Assist if you:
- have an injury from an act of violence which occurred in Queensland, and
- have, or someone else has, reported the act of violence.
And you are:
- the victim of an act of violence; or
- the parent of a child who was a victim of an act of violence; or
- a witness to an act of violence; or
- a close family member of a person killed by an act of violence.
You need to apply for financial assistance within three years of the act of violence. If you were under 18 when the violence happened, you have until you are 21 to apply. Extra time can only be given in special circumstances.
In most cases, you need to report the crime to police. There are some exceptions, but you will need to tell Victim Assist the reason you couldn’t report to police.
There are different rules and schemes which apply to people in other states.
Date Published
October 1, 2026
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