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Robert Meredith

Associate at Wallace Wilkinson & Webster

0 years PQE
Hobart, TAS, AU

    Hi there. It sounds like you have been having a rough time. Unfortunately it is unlikely that you will be able to claim compensation for the crime you suffered in a foreign jurisdiction.

    This is because of the way in which the Victims of Crime legislation operates. The regime is state based, and so it tied to the state in which the crime was committed. Generally speaking, the perpetrator is indirectly liable to a victim to shoulder the cost of any compensation paid. When a person is convicted of a crime, their victim is then entitled to apply for compensation from the state. Once the compensation has been paid, the perpetrator may be liable to repay the amount of the compensation back to the state. In addition to this, victims of crime are not always entitled to compensation, even if the perpetrator is in Australia. This is because not all types of crime are compensated in Australia. For example, in Tasmania where you are, the types of crime which are compensation must involve direct violence.