News and media
The Office of the Interim Victims’ Commissioner was established to promote the rights and needs of victims of crime.
The Office releases statements to inform the community – via the media – of the work of our office.
We acknowledge the important role media outlets play in raising awareness of the rights of victims of crime, including empowering victim-survivors of crime who choose to tell their stories in their own words.
We value the contribution of victim-survivors in sharing their experiences.
If you are a media outlet covering an issue which involves a victim, we respectfully ask that you be mindful of the potential impacts that your media coverage and actions can have on victim-survivors of crime, or family members and friends of deceased victims of crime.
Some events can be especially difficult for victim-survivors of crime, or family members and friends of deceased victims including:
- hearings, trials and sentencing
- significant dates like birthdays or anniversaries.
We ask media outlets to be considered and respectful if:
- requesting comment or interviews
- providing or using information about offenders
- identifying people
- taking photos or videos.
We ask media outlets to:
- carefully consider the language used in reporting to avoid potentially causing further distress
- avoid perpetuating myths or stereotypes around victims, offenders and crimes.
Resources
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General has produced resources for media outlets:
- the Sexual Violence Media Guide provides advice for trauma-informed reporting on sexual violence
- the Domestic and Family Violence Media Guide assists with responsible and evidence-based reporting of domestic and family violence incidents.
Media releases
New easy English resource aims to empower victims of crime understand their rights
12 March 2024
Launch of online survey
14 December 2023
State-wide workshops provide Interim Victims’ Commissioner opportunity to listen
16 November 2023
Interim Victims’ Commissioner appointed
2 September 2023