Victorian Public Sector Newsletter

Welcome to the latest issue of our Victorian Public Sector Newsletter

New laws aimed at improving processes to access compensation by victims of crime have passed Victoria’s parliament. The change will see the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal (VOCAT) replaced with an administrative Financial Assistance Scheme that is built around the needs of victims and aims to minimise trauma. Under the new scheme, applications will be simplified to make the process easier to navigate for victims, with no need for a hearing or to face perpetrators.

A report by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission has highlighted concerning patterns and deficiencies in the handling of complaints by Aboriginal people, particularly children and young people. The report makes 10 recommendations for Victoria Police, including the establishment of a dedicated process for handling complaints by Aboriginal people.

The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office has released a report on fraud controls for local government grants and made nine recommendations to strengthen controls. The office found Councils’ fraud controls for their grant programs are not always well designed and operating as intended and, in some cases, were missing.

The newsletter also includes our usual round-up of practice notes, cases and legislation.