National Redress Scheme
The National Redress Scheme seeks to acknowledge the life-long impact of institutional child sexual abuse by providing eligible survivors with:
- a monetary payment of up to $150,000
- access to counselling and psychological care
- a direct, personal response from the institution (e.g. an apology).
The Redress Scheme will ensure that redress is provided to survivors in a consistent way, no matter where they live in Australia.
The Redress Scheme provides a simpler and more streamlined alternative to pursuing civil litigation through the courts.
The Western Australian Government has been participating in the National Redress Scheme since 1 January 2019.
The Western Australia Redress Coordination Unit has been established within the Office of the Commissioner for Victims of Crime, Department of Justice, to support the Western Australian Government’s participation in the scheme.
Applications are managed by the Australian Government. Free and confidential Redress Support Services are available to provide practical and emotional support, legal advice and financial counselling. More information about the Redress Support Services available is on the National Redress Scheme website.
It is important to realise that you do not need to gather or request any information or supporting documents, you only need to complete the application form.
For further information about the National Redress Scheme and how to apply, visit the National Redress Scheme website or call the Information Line on 1800 737 377.
Civil Litigation Assistance Scheme
The Civil Litigation Assistance Scheme (CLAS) helps people run civil litigation cases in court. The CLAS helps pay for legal costs, including legal representation, in cases where a grant of aid is not normally an option.
In return, if you receive funding from the CLAS you must pay Legal Aid WA 20 per cent of any settlement or court judgement you receive, and amounts you are able to recover from the other parties for your legal costs.
The CLAS is subject to both means and merits tests. Applications for the CLAS funding must be made by a lawyer for their client.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
The WA Government Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme enables victims of crime to apply for compensation for injury or loss as a result of an offence or alleged offence.
You may be eligible to claim compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act if you are a:
- victim of an offence and are injured and/or experience financial loss as a result of the injury
- close relative of a person killed as a result of an offence, e.g. a spouse, defacto, parent, grandparent, step-parent, child, step-child, or grandchild, and experience financial loss as a result of that offence.
