Canberra has been chosen as one of three sites for a national pilot program to provide a specialised, independent legal service for sexual assault complainants.
Key points:
- The Women’s Legal Centre ACT and Victims Support ACT will deliver the service together
- It will provide specialised legal advice for complainants navigating the criminal justice system
- Advocates say recent years in the ACT have been difficult for people who have experienced sexual violence
Legal advocates in the capital have welcomed the announcement, and hope it will improve the experience for people affected by sexual violence in the ACT, after a “tough few years.”
The service will be operated through a partnership of the Women’s Legal Centre ACT and Victims Support ACT, and will provide support as complainants navigate the criminal justice system.
Women’s Legal Centre chief executive Elena Rosenman said the goal was to empower people who have experienced sexual violence to engage in the criminal justice process.
Ms Rosenman said both agencies had in recent years seen “a real increase in the number of women that are seeking assistance in relation to sexual violence”.
“That’s what’s driven the establishment and our support for this service,” she said.
The ACT’s Acting Victims of Crime Commissioner Margie Rowe said she hoped the service would help complainants assert their rights.
“It’s difficult to assert rights without support, and particularly without legal support,” she said.
Ms Rowe said those rights included consultation about decisions to progress a matter through the system, as well as involving the complainant in whether protected evidence such as confidential counselling notes is tendered to criminal proceedings.
‘Dissatisfaction’ with status quo
Canberra was the site of the high-profile trial of former Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.
The trial was aborted due to juror misconduct, leaving no findings against Mr Lehrmann, who maintains his innocence.
A board of inquiry earlier this year also examined how the case was handled.
The case sparked intense scrutiny and discussion across the country about sexual assault and the experiences of complainants.
Prior to the trial, a review in 2021 made two dozen recommendations to improve the territory’s response to reports of sexual assault.
“As far back as that, we’ve had evidence there was dissatisfaction with the system,” Ms Rowe said.
Ms Rosenman said it had been a “tough few years in the ACT in relation to sexual assault”.
“What we’re concerned about is that with good reason, many women might feel reluctant or apprehensive about reporting sexual assault or engaging with criminal proceedings related to sexual assault,” she said.
“Our deep hope is that by a clear, visible service in the community … that we’re going to be part of changing that story here in the ACT.”
ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury agreed it had been a difficult period in this area of the justice system in the territory.
He said the government hoped the pilot would address the concerns community members had raised over that time.
“People feel that the system is complex, they don’t feel like they have a voice in it, and this model offers the opportunity for victim-survivors to feel more empowered,” Mr Rattenbury said.
The pilot will run for three years.