Victims of Crime (Compensation) Amendment Bill 2023 (SA)

South Australia Victims of Crime (Compensation) Amendment Bill 2023 A Bill For An Act to amend the Victims of Crime Act 2001.

Contents Part 1—Preliminary 1 Short title Part 2—Amendment of Victims of Crime Act 2001 2 Amendment of section 20—Orders for compensation 3 Amendment of section 25—Legal costs and disbursements

The Parliament of South Australia enacts as follows: Part 1—Preliminary 1—Short title This Act may be cited as the Victims of Crime (Compensation) Amendment Act 2023.

Part 2—Amendment of Victims of Crime Act 2001 2—Amendment of section 20—Orders for compensation Section 20(3)(a)(i)—delete subparagraph (i) 3—Amendment of section 25—Legal costs and disbursements (1) Section 25(1)(a)—delete paragraph (a) and substitute: (a) costs awarded in proceedings under this Act must not exceed— (i) in relation to costs awarded to a solicitor for all work involved in a claim for compensation that is not a limited claim or a related claim—$2 500 (indexed); or (ii) in any other case—the amounts prescribed by regulation in relation to such costs (plus GST) as at the time of commencement of the proceedings; and (2) Section 25(1)(b)—delete "regulation" and substitute: paragraph (a) (3) Section 25(3)—after the definition of GST law insert: limited claim—a claim for statutory compensation is a limited claim if it is limited to a claim for compensation for 1 or both of the following: (a) grief suffered in consequence of the commission of a homicide (see section 17(2)); (b) funeral expenses (see section 17(4)); related claim—a claim for statutory compensation is a related claim if— (a) in proceedings under this Act, the same legal practitioner represents more than 1 victim of an offence claiming compensation in respect of injury arising from the offence; or (b) in proceedings under this Act, the same legal practitioner represents more than 1 victim of a series of offences claiming compensation in respect of injury arising from the series of offences; series of offences means— (a) offences committed consecutively by 1 offender, or offences committed simultaneously or consecutively by offenders acting in concert; or (b) offences committed in circumstances in which those offences constitute a single incident, (see section 23).