We have the expertise and experience to help maximise your claim, and the process for compensation under the Victims of Crime Fund will not cost you anything if your claim is accepted.

Our team is led by Carolyn Lam, who has 15 years’ experience working at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and five years’ experience at the Crown Solicitor’s Office. She has worked closely with victims and assessed hundreds of victims of crime claims for the government, so we know how compensation is calculated.  We are in the best position to advise you how to maximise your claim.

If the South Australian government (through the Crown Solicitor’s Office) accepts your claim, it will pay for your legal costs and the cost of getting medical reports. It is a free service to you.

The Victims of Crime Fund can pay for compensation including:

• Physical and psychological injuries;
• Past and future lost earnings;
• Past and future medical expenses;
• General out of pocket expenses (eg parking costs, taxi or Uber costs etc).

To apply for compensation, you should ideally make a claim within 3 years of the offender being convicted of the offence, or 3 years from the date of the offence if the offender is unknown. For homicide offences, family members should ideally make a claim within 12 months from the date of death. However, if you are beyond these time frames, you should still contact us because our expertise may help you to have your claim accepted.

If the offence occurred when you were working or as a result of a motor vehicle collision, we can advise you how workers compensation laws, compulsory third party insurance and victim of crime laws operate together. There may also be a common law claim against an offender. Since we are a comprehensive personal injury law firm, we can guide you through which process will achieve the best result for you in the fastest way.

Who is eligible to make a victims of crime compensation claim?

You must be the victim of certain “violent” offences (for example an assault, robbery, home invasion or road rage) or a victim of a sexual offence, and you have must have suffered physical or psychological injury from that offence. If you have been attacked by a dog and the owner has been charged with an offence, you may be able to claim compensation.

In the case of a homicide, immediate family members of the person who died may be entitled to compensation. In addition, some family members may have a grief claim and dependents of the deceased may have a dependency claim. The cost of the funeral may be claimed under the Victims of Crime Fund.

In the case of violent or sexual offences against a child under 18 years old, a parent or guardian of the child may be eligible for compensation.

Persons who suffer a psychological injury from being directly involved in the circumstances of the offence or involved in the immediate aftermath of the offence to deal with its consequences may have a claim.

What sort of compensation can I claim?

If the South Australian government (through the Crown Solicitor’s Office) accepts your claim, the Victims of Crime Fund can pay for compensation including:

• Physical and psychological injuries;
• Past and future lost wages;
• Past and future medical expenses, for example medication, treatment and surgery costs.

Will it cost me anything to make a claim?

It will not cost you anything to make an application to the government for compensation. If your claim is accepted, there is no cost to you in continuing the process for compensation under the Victims of Crime scheme.

The government will pay for your legal costs and any medical reports you require to support your claim.

How long do I have to make a claim?

You should ideally make a claim within 3 years of the offender being convicted of the offence, or 3 years from the date of the offence if the offender is unknown. In homicide cases, family members should ideally make a claim within 12 months from the date of death.

However, if you are beyond these time frames, you should still contact us because our expertise may help you to have your claim accepted.

What if the offence happened at work or from a motor vehicle crash?

If the offence occurred when you were working or as a result of a motor vehicle collision, we can advise you how workers compensation laws, compulsory third party insurance and victim of crime laws operate together. In addition to victims of crime claims, there may also be a common law claim against an offender. We can guide you through what process will achieve the best result for you in the quickest way.