There is a need for a Victims of Crime Commissioner in Victoria, similar to South Australia, to impartially oversee the delivery of services to victims of crime, independently address complaints and where necessary, stop any corruption which may be occurring.

For example, it has been suggested that the Victims Support Agency (VSA) may be in breach of the Victim’s Charter by not providing services to victims of crime in a timely and appropriate fashion as well as not informing victims of their right to seek assistance via private service providers.

When a victim calls the Victims Charter Complaint Line on 1800 118728 to complain about this potential misinformation you actually get referred to the VSA Helpline and told that complaints about the VSA are handled on an informal basis by the VSA. Therefore, the VSA informally deals with its own complaints about itself – a very convenient process open to potential abuse!

Mr Robert Clark, Attorney General of Victoria, it is time to appoint a Victims of Crime Commissioner in Victoria in an attempt to appropriately and independently handle complaints and to stop and address any corruption which may be occurring in order to improve services to victims of crime.

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