Victims of Crime Commissioner Victoria

What types of complaints can you make?

You can complain to the VOCC if you are a victim of crime or a witness to a criminal offence in Victoria, and you believe a justice agency or victim support service has not treated you fairly.

The VOCC handles complaints about whether agencies followed their duties under the Victims’ Charter Act 2006 (Vic). This includes police, prosecutors, WorkSafe, and victim support services (like the Victims Helpline).

You can complain if:

• You were not treated with respect or dignity.
• You were not told about available support services or legal help.
• You were not referred to support services when you clearly needed help.
• Your communication needs or preferences (e.g. interpreters, accessible formats) were ignored.
• You were not kept updated on an investigation or prosecution.
• You were not told about key decisions (e.g. charges laid or withdrawn, plea deals, bail).
• You were not informed about court hearings or your right to attend.
• You were not supported to give evidence or to prepare a Victim Impact Statement.
• You were not protected from unnecessary contact with the offender at court.
• Your personal information was wrongly disclosed.
• Your property was mishandled or not returned after it was used as evidence.
• You were not told about financial assistance or compensation options (e.g. VOCAT).
• You were not told about the Victims Register after the offender was jailed.
• Your complaint to the agency itself was mishandled or ignored.

The VOCC cannot handle complaints about:

• Reporting new crimes (go to Victoria Police).
• Court verdicts, sentences, or judicial decisions.
• Decisions to charge or prosecute.
• Compensation outcomes decided by VOCAT or the courts.
• Family law disputes (e.g. custody, parenting orders).
• Conduct of lawyers (go to the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner).
• Conduct of judges or magistrates (go to the Judicial Commission of Victoria).
• General discrimination (go to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission).
• Serious police misconduct or corruption (go to IBAC or Victoria Police’s Professional Standards Command).
• General dissatisfaction with the justice system or government policy.
• Private or unfunded victim services (VOCC only oversees government-funded services).
• Matters not involving a recognised victim under the Victims’ Charter.

Location:

The VOCC can only handle complaints about incidents or treatment that happened in Victoria.

Time limits:

Complaints should usually be made within 12 months of the incident. Late complaints may still be accepted if there’s a good reason for the delay.

Scope:

The VOCC does not need to investigate every complaint. They may decline or refer your matter to another body if it’s more appropriate elsewhere, or if it’s vexatious, lacking substance, or still being dealt with by the agency.

Who can you make a complaint against?

The VOCC can look into how certain agencies and services treated you as a victim or witness, to check if they followed their duties under the Victims’ Charter Act 2006 (Vic).

Agencies you can complain about:

• Victoria Police: if police did not treat you with respect, explain processes, keep you informed, or refer you to support services.
• WorkSafe Victoria / WorkCover: if you were affected by a workplace crime and WorkSafe failed to treat you respectfully or keep you updated about enforcement actions.
• Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP): if you were not consulted about major prosecution decisions, not supported to prepare a Victim Impact Statement, or not kept informed about your case.
• Victorian Legal Aid and Community Legal Centres: if you were not treated appropriately or given clear information when seeking legal help for compensation or assistance.
• Magistrates’ Court of Victoria: if you were not treated respectfully in court, not informed of your rights, or not given appropriate consideration for your safety.
• County Court and Supreme Court (administrative staff only): if court staff failed to provide information, support, or safety protections. (Judges themselves are excluded – see below).
• Victim Services funded by the Department of Justice and Community Safety: including the Victims of Crime Helpline, Victims Assistance Program, and the Victims Register team.
• Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS): if staff did not treat you respectfully or failed to explain the process (but VOCC cannot review the outcome of financial decisions).
• Youth Justice and Corrections Victoria: if you were not properly informed or supported about parole, notifications, or Victims Register access.
• Adult Parole Board (administrative staff only): if staff failed to treat you respectfully or provide correct information (but VOCC cannot review parole decisions themselves).
• Court Network (volunteers inside courts): if their support or information failed to meet Charter standards.
• Specialist Police Teams (SOCITs): if Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams did not provide respectful or appropriate treatment during investigations.

The VOCC cannot investigate:

• Judges or magistrates (in their judicial role): complaints about them must go to the Judicial Commission of Victoria.
• Private lawyers: complaints go to the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner.
• Commonwealth agencies: such as the AFP, Family Court, or federal departments.
• Private or unfunded support services: like private counsellors, charities, or groups not funded by the Victorian Government.
• Media organisations or journalists: issues about victim portrayal go to media/broadcasting regulators.
• Victoria Police Professional Standards Command (as a handler of misconduct complaints): their role in handling complaints is not reviewable by the VOCC (IBAC may handle this).
• IBAC itself: it investigates corruption and misconduct, not Charter breaches.
• General housing, health, or welfare services: unless they are specifically acting as part of victim support under the Charter.

Are you eligible to make a complaint?

You can complain to the VOCC if you are directly affected by a crime in Victoria. This includes:

• Victims of crime: anyone who has suffered harm, injury, or loss as a result of a crime.
• Witnesses of crime: people who saw or experienced an offence.
• Family members: in certain cases, such as if:
  • a person has died as a direct result of crime;
  • the victim is under 18 and has been injured by crime; or
  • the victim is unable to manage their own affairs due to injury from crime.

First steps before contacting VOCC:

You must first raise your complaint with the agency involved (e.g. police, prosecutors, victim support services).

• If you’re not satisfied with their response, you can then escalate to the VOCC.
• The VOCC may decline your complaint if you haven’t tried this step, unless there’s a good reason (e.g. safety concerns).

You can complain on behalf of another victim if you are:

• a close family member of the victim (in the circumstances listed above), or
• an authorised representative such as a guardian, lawyer, or advocate.
  Consent may be required, unless the person cannot act for themselves.

The VOCC cannot accept complaints from:

• People not directly affected: you must be a victim, witness, or close family member.
• Accused persons: people charged with crimes cannot complain to the VOCC about their treatment.
• General members of the public: unless you have the victim’s consent or authority to act.
• Complaints about incidents outside Victoria: the VOCC only handles matters connected to Victorian crimes.
• Anonymous complaints with no details: the VOCC may not act if there is not enough information to investigate.
• Complaints about legal outcomes: court or compensation decisions (such as sentences or VOCAT rulings) cannot be reviewed.
• Advocates without permission: you cannot complain on someone else’s behalf unless they’ve given consent, or are unable to act.

Other important information:

• Referral of complaints: The VOCC can refer your complaint to another body (like IBAC or another agency) if it is better handled there. You will be told in writing within 14 days if this happens.
• Withdrawing your complaint: You can withdraw your complaint at any time by writing to the VOCC. They must help you do this if needed.

What can this body do to help?

The VOCC cannot force agencies to act or provide compensation. However, it can investigate and make recommendations to improve how victims are treated under the Victims’ Charter Act 2006 (Vic).

The VOCC may recommend:

• An apology: a written or verbal apology from the agency, with an explanation of what went wrong and what will change.
• An explanation or acknowledgement: the agency provides a clear account of what happened, why, and an admission that treatment fell short.
• Commitments to prevent it happening again: steps such as reviews, service improvements, or new practices.
• Referral within the agency: asking the agency’s internal complaints or oversight team to review the matter more formally.
• System-wide improvements: using complaints to inform broader reforms, guidance, or monitoring across agencies.
• Additional staff training: recommending extra training in trauma-informed practice, cultural safety, respectful communication, or Charter obligations.
• Policy or procedural changes: recommending agencies update their policies, referral processes, or privacy protections.
• No further action (with explanation): if the VOCC finds no Charter breach, they will close the complaint but explain why.

The VOCC does not have powers to:

• Force agencies to act on its recommendations.
• Award compensation, financial assistance, or restitution (apply instead to the Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme or courts).
• Review or overturn court decisions (verdicts, sentences, bail, adjournments).
• Direct police investigations or prosecutions.
• Discipline, punish, or fire staff in an agency.
• Start criminal proceedings.
• Provide legal advice or representation.
• Act as an appeal body (e.g. for IBAC, VOCAT, Legal Services Commissioner decisions).
• Reinvestigate the original offence.
• Mediate personal disputes (victim–offender or between victims).
• Provide counselling, medical, or crisis support.
• Decide legal liability or award damages.
• Guarantee that an agency will accept or act on recommendations.

How to prepare your complaint:

When making a complaint to the VOCC, include as much clear information as possible:

Personal details: You may complain anonymously, but this limits what the VOCC can do. It helps to include your name, contact details, and whether you are the victim, a witness, or otherwise affected by crime.‍

Agency details: Name the agency (e.g. police, prosecutor, victim support service) that your complaint is about.‍

What happened: Give details such as:

• Date and time of the incident
• Location of the incident
• The impact it had on you
• Steps you already took to resolve the problem
• The outcome you want

Evidence: Attach any supporting documents, such as letters, emails, notes, or reports, if you have them.

Lodging your complaint and next steps:

How to lodge:

• Phone: 1800 010 017
• Email: enquiries@vocc.vic.gov.au
• Post: Victims of Crime Commissioner, GPO Box 4356, Melbourne VIC 3000

Initial contact:

• If you complain by phone, the officer you speak to will explain the process, possible outcomes, and what information is needed.
• You may be asked for more information or documents so your complaint can be properly assessed.

Assessment:

• The VOCC will check if your complaint is about a possible breach of the Victims’ Charter Act.
• If it is within scope, the VOCC may start an investigation.
• If another organisation is better placed to help, you may be referred there.
• If the issue isn’t a Charter breach, your story can still be used by the Commissioner to push for broader system changes.

Investigation:

• The VOCC gathers information from the agency you complained about.
• They compare the agency’s account with your experience.
• They decide if the agency failed to meet its Charter obligations.

Outcomes: If a breach is found, the VOCC may recommend:

• An apology from the agency
• Additional staff training
• Clearer explanations or extra information
• Policy or practice changes
• Facilitated meetings between you and the agency
  
  The VOCC cannot force an agency to act, but recommendations carry weight and can lead to real change.

Other things to know:

• Provide as much detail as possible upfront. It speeds up the process.
• Tell the VOCC if anything changes (e.g. the problem is resolved).
• Keep a copy of your complaint for your own records.

More information:

Refer to the factsheet provided below for more information.