Simon Power

By Kate Chapman of NZPA

Wellington, Oct 16 NZPA - Victims of serious crime will now get more financial support from the Government -- including a payment for attending the court hearing of the accused.

Justice Minister Simon Power announced the expected changes at the Victim Support Conference in Wellington this morning.

Families of homicide victims will now receive $124 a day for up to five adult members to attend High Court proceedings.

"This will help mitigate the financial impact on family members who take time off work to attend a trial," Mr Power said.

They will also be eligible for an additional funeral grant of up to $4500, on top of the $5500 available from ACC and the discretionary grant for families suffering financial difficulties will increase from $1500 to $5000.

A new homicide support service will established to provide practical and emotional support to the families of homicide victims.

More than 60 families a year were expected to benefit from these changes, Mr Power said.

Victims of sexual violence will also get more help.

A trained adviser will be provided to assist them through the court process.

Eighteen specialists will be based in courts, nationwide.

Sexual violence victims will also be eligible for a grant of $250 for one-off expenses incurred as a result of the violence, such as to replace items of clothing. The scheme will be worth $500,000 a year.

Other victims of serious crime will receive financial assistance to help them travel to court proceedings and Parole Board hearings.

The amount will rise from $1000 to $3000 for court and from $500 to $1500 for parole hearings.

A DVD and three pamphlets will be available to all victims to inform them about the court process and where they fit in the system.

The eight initiatives will be funded from the offender levy.

The levy, of $50, will be collected from all convicted offenders.

Legislation enabling the levy was expected to be passed next week, Mr Power said.

The levy was expected to generate $13.6 million over the next four years, he said.

"Critics of this scheme must realise that this is all new money for victims."

Victims often feel marginalised, or re-victimised by criminal proceedings, Mr Power said.

"A lack of access to appropriate entitlements and services only adds to victims' distress."

The initiatives will be introduced between this November and July next year.

Sensible Sentencing Trust national spokesman Garth McVicar said the Mr Power's announcement was an acknowledgement and a start.

"I've never seen a victim who was in it for financial gain."

The new initiatives were about moving victims to the centre of the justice system, he told NZPA.

That system had become an "industry" and a "gravy train" rather than a criminal justice process, he said.

It was "criminal friendly" and that would be reversed by bringing the victims into the process, Mr McVicar said.

"All victims want is justice."

Rethinking Crime and Punishment's Kim Workman said today's announcement was "encouraging" and "very promising".

There had been little focus on victim rights until the Victims' Rights Act in 2002 and since then "some remarkable progress was made on those issues", he told NZPA.

"Clearly there's effort made to providing financial support."

There would still be other people who did not receive support such as the children of prisoners who were "secondary victims".

Further issues would inevitably have to be discussed but today's initiatives were a good start, he said.