Part 1 Preliminary

1   Name of Act

This Act is the Victims Rights Act 1996.

2   Commencement

This Act commences on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation.

3   Object of Act

The object of this Act is to recognise and promote the rights of victims of crime.

4   Definitions

In this Act:

Charter of Victims Rights means the Charter set out in section 6.

exercise a function includes perform a duty.

function includes a power, authority or duty.

support services include welfare, health, counselling and legal assistance services.

victim of crime is defined in section 5.

Victims Advisory Board means the Victims Advisory Board established by this Act.

Victims Services—see section 9.

5   Meaning of victim of crime

(1)  For the purposes of this Act, a victim of crime is a person who suffers harm as a direct result of an act committed, or apparently committed, by another person in the course of a criminal offence.

(2)  A person suffers harm if, as a result of such an act:

(a)  the person suffers actual physical bodily harm or psychological or psychiatric harm, or

(b)  the person’s property is deliberately taken, destroyed or damaged.

(3)  If the person dies as a result of the act concerned, a member of the person’s immediate family is also a victim of crime for the purposes of this Act.

(4)  If a person dies as a result of the act concerned and there is more than one member of the person’s immediate family, members of the immediate family may nominate a representative for the purposes of the Charter of Victims Rights.