Financial assistance for secondary victims

Eligibility

You can apply for the scheme if you are injured by a violent crime in Victoria. This can be a mental or physical injury, or both. This also includes trauma.

You must:

Meet the requirements for being a secondary victim.
Apply within the time limit.

You or someone else must have also reported the violent act to the police (or have special circumstances for not reporting).

Details of eligibility requirements

You are a secondary victim if:
- you are injured as a direct result of witnessing the crime, or
- you are injured because you are the parent or guardian of a child who was the victim of a violent crime.
The crime must be reported to the police (unless there are special circumstances for not reporting to police). A victim does not have to report the violent act, it can be reported by other parties.
The offender does not need to be charged or convicted.
The crime must be reported to the police within a reasonable time (unless there are special circumstances).
See our legal guidelines for more information on 'reasonable time', and special circumstances for not reporting the crime.
People over the age of 18 at the time of the offence must apply within:
- 10 years from the time of the offence - victims of a sexual or family violence offence.
- 3 years - victims of other violent crimes.
People under the age of 18 at the time of the offence must apply by the time they turn 21. There is no time limit if you are a victim of family violence or child abuse.
In some circumstances, the FAS may be able to accept late applications.
See our guidelines for more information on applications outside of time limits.

Help available for secondary victims

You can ask for up to $51,249.

This can cover:

counselling sessions from a registered psychologist, a registered counsellor or an accredited mental health social worker or other mental or allied health professionals providing appropriate therapeutic services. The FAS will also consider other counselling professions in some circumstances. See the FAS guidelines for more information on counselling expenses.
reasonable medical expenses
in exceptional circumstances, other expenses to help a victim recover
in exceptional circumstances, loss of income for up to 2 years after the violent act, up to $20,500.

Interim assistance

Some of this assistance can be paid on an interim basis while you wait for us to assess your application.

This comes out of your total cost and can be up to:

a total of $5,000 for medical expenses
up to 5 sessions of counselling
$19,627 for funeral expenses.

Any interim assistance will be deducted from the final amount of assistance to be paid.

Types of help you can ask for

FAS may pay for counselling sessions as part of a standard application, or up to 5 counselling sessions through interim assistance.
Expenses can include:
counselling reports
counselling sessions already provided
future counselling sessions.
Counselling services may be provided by one of the following:
an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) registered psychologist
counsellors who are a level 3 (minimum) member of the Australian Counselling Association or who are a ‘full clinical member’ or ‘certified practising member’ of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
mental health social workers who are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers
social workers who are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers, or
other mental or allied health professionals providing appropriate therapeutic services.
The FAS will also consider other counselling professions in some circumstances. See the FAS guidelines for more information on counselling expenses.
The amount we provide depends on the type of counsellor that is providing the service.
FAS may pay for reasonable medical expenses.
These may include:
- hospital and ambulance services
- x-rays, tests, and scans
- psychiatric and psychological treatment
- medication and basic medical equipment
- dental services
- optometry, including the replacement of prescription glasses
- physiotherapy
- chiropractic treatment
- hearing aids
- osteopathy
- speech pathology
- rehabilitation services
- acupuncture, and
- occupational therapy.
This is not an exhaustive list, and the FAS may also consider medical expenses which are not in the above list.
We rely on a quote from the service provider. If you want us to pay for medical expenses, you will need to provide this quote as part of your application.
If expenses have already been paid for by Medicare, your insurance or another scheme, the FAS cannot pay for these expenses.
If the medical service required is a profession regulated by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), then the provider must hold a current AHPRA registration.
Where your circumstances are unusual or rare, we will consider applications for loss of earnings due to injury.
These circumstances could include:
- personal circumstances
- the seriousness of the offence
- the seriousness of your injuries
- pre-existing factors such as mental illness, disability or cultural considerations.
The FAS may pay for income you have lost, or that you are reasonably likely to lose in the future, because you were injured.
The FAS can only provide for lost income for a 2-year period.
We can pay up to $20,500 for income if you have been unable to work.
We can also cover if you have been able to work, but not to the level you were able to work before the crime occurred.
We decide your total lost earnings based on the evidence you provide in your application, including medical evidence.
Where your circumstances are unusual or rare, we will consider applications for other expenses to help you recover.
These circumstances could include:
- personal circumstances
- the seriousness of the offence
- the seriousness of your injuries
- pre-existing factors such as mental illness, disability or cultural considerations.
You must provide detail and documentary evidence to satisfy the FAS of both of the following:
- that your circumstances are exceptional, and
- that the assistance you are seeking will help you recover.
We will consider every application on a case-by-case basis.

Victim recognition

Victims of crime who receive financial assistance from the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) will be entitled to receive a recognition statement on behalf of the state of Victoria, acknowledging the effects of the violent act and expressing the state’s condolences.

You can ask the FAS for a victim recognition statement after you receive your final decision.

Some victims may also be entitled to participate in a recognition meeting which provides an opportunity for the State to acknowledge the harm suffered by the violent crime.

Victim recognition meetings are the first of their kind for victims in Australia. Currently, related victims whose loved ones have passed away from a violent act are eligible for recognition meetings. This will make sure that recognition meetings are a safe and meaningful experience, before eligibility is expanded over time to more victims. The FAS may also consider holding a meeting with other victims in exceptional circumstances.

More information is available at Victim recognition.

What you will need to provide us

The application form will ask for:

your personal details
details about the incident and your injury
the financial assistance required
supporting documentation
your banking details
your communication preferences.

If you are unable to complete the application online yourself, we encourage you to identify an authorised representative to complete the form online for you.

Evidence

You'll have to show evidence to support your application. The kind of evidence needed will vary based on your situation and what assistance you're asking for.

It is recommended that you collect your evidence before starting your application.

Examples of evidence you might need for your application include:
- receipts, quotes and invoices showing expenses
- hospital or medical records
- reports or letters from registered medical or health professionals, mental health practitioners or accredited social workers
- statement made to the police or other documents from the police
- Victim Impact Statement
- Personal Safety Intervention Order or Family Violence Intervention Order
- documents showing relationship to your child including birth, adoption or other documentation showing the relationship
- birth certificate
- passport
- driver’s license
- court documents, such as judgements or sentencing remarks about the violent crime
- financial documents such as pay slips and bank statements
- itemised invoices
- statutory declaration
- bank or credit card statement showing purchase history
- quotes for services/treatments.
An invoice or quote must include:
- itemisation of cost
- ABN
- business name and contact information
- business payment details (BSB and account number).

How to apply

It is free to apply for financial assistance through the FAS.

You can apply online.

You can submit the application yourself, or nominate someone as an authorised representative to apply on your behalf. An authorised representative can be a professional, like a lawyer, case worker or other support worker, or a trusted family member or friend.

If you cannot use the online portal to apply and don’t have an authorised representative to help you, you can contact the FAS Helpline by phone on 1800 161 136 8:30am-5:30pm Monday to Friday except public holidays.

Find out more about getting help with your application.

The outcome of your application

See the page What happens after a decision is made for details of:

notices of decision
how you get paid
making changes to your assistance.

Updated 27 June 2025