Launch of Victims of Crime initiatives

Good morning.

I'd like to acknowledge my colleague Police Minister Judith Collins, members of the judiciary, Police Commissioner Howard Broad, Tony Paine from Victim Support, and the various Government agencies and NGOs who tirelessly work with victims of crime for being here today.

Over the last 20 months as Minister of Justice I've been determined to improve the criminal justice system for those who are in it through no fault of their own.

That's come after watching in opposition as time and time again victims were left high and dry by a system which seemed to be focused on the offender.

There's no doubt in my mind that our court system should be designed so victims are not re-brutalised by their participation in the process.

Courts must be a place of humanity.

Victims have been neglected for too long - that's why the Government is focused on putting victims at the heart of the criminal justice system.

I don't pretend for a second that anything we do will take away the pain of victims' loss or injury, but I'm confident we can make a real difference.

Late last year we began rolling out a series of initiatives to make victims' lives easier.

• For homicide victims families: we've increased the funeral grant, and the grant for those suffering financial difficulties, and introduced a court attendance grant.
• For sexual violence victims: we've introduced a grant to contribute to the cost of expenses incurred as a result of sexual violence, such as replacing items of clothing collected for forensic evidence.
• And, for victims of serious crime: we've increased the amount of financial assistance available to help them attend High Court trials and Parole Board hearings.

These initiatives are funded by the $50 offender levy which comes into force this week.

This levy will be imposed on all convicted offenders at sentencing and is expected to generate $13.6 million over its first four years.

It's designed to ensure offenders take responsibility for the harm they cause, with the money going directly to victims.

July 1 also marks the beginning of a new court support service for victims of sexual violence.

By June 2012 the service will see 18 sexual violence advisers providing individualised case management and support for victims and who understand the dynamics of sexual violence, operating across the country.

And, for homicide victims' families, the support service currently offered by Victim Support will receive funding for four regional homicide support workers.

The service will provide practical and emotional support to families to guide them through the court process and its aftermath.

There will also be more comprehensive information resources for victims, including pamphlets, a DVD and a redesigned website, which were developed in collaboration with the Police, the Department of Corrections, the Parole Board, Victim Support and other NGOs.

These initiatives are designed to make the criminal justice process less bewildering for victims, by giving them access to simple and accurate information, and making it clear where they fit in the process.

July 1 also marks the beginning of an initiative I'm very proud of - on-the-spot safety orders for victims of domestic violence.

These orders give police the power to remove a potentially violent person from the home for up to five days, where there are no immediate grounds for arrest but where there's a likelihood of further violence occurring.

This will provide a period of immediate safety for victims to consider their options, while making it clear to the offender that their behaviour will not be tolerated.

In addition, courts will be able to issue protection orders on behalf of victims at sentencing.

You'll see that July 1 is a significant milestone for victims, but I'm determined it won't be the end of my work to put victims first.

Early next year I hope to be able to introduce a new Victims Rights Act following a review of the 2002 law.

The Ministry of Justice is currently analysing public submissions on a number of issues including censorship of victim impact statements, victim-prosecutor communication, and the Victim Notification System.

I am also determined to change the way our courts treat child and sexual violence complainants. Earlier this month I had a whirlwind tour of Austria and Germany to look at their alternative approaches of dealing with such witnesses and you can expect me to be saying more in this space shortly.

Other work that will help victims is our efforts to simplify and speed up the criminal justice system.

These proposed changes are expected to result in less delays, shorter trials, and a more satisfactory process for all court users.

Some of these reforms will challenge the way justice has traditionally been served.

But I ask you who is best served by those practices when they lead to delays in justice for both the victims and the accused?

Ladies and gentleman I want to thank you again for being here today to mark this important milestone for victims and I want to assure you that more is on the way to put victims of crime first.

Thank you.