Canberrans who fall victim to crime are set to benefit from a fresh set of guidelines to help ensure their rights are better upheld throughout court proceedings.
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ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner Helen Watchirs and Victims of Crime Commissioner John Hinchey have joined forces to launch the Guide on the Rights of Victims and Witnesses.
The legal framework pulled together numerous statutes from the Victims of Crime Act and recognised that victims often had limited influence on the often-lengthy process of investigation, prosecution and sentencing of crimes committed against them.
Dr Watchirs said the commission had been keen to focus on victim's rights and the guide was aimed at justice system workers including police, prosecutors, courts, support services, lawyers and government officials.
She said unlike defendants, victims of crime did not usually have lawyers to protect their interests or guide them through legal proceedings and risked being re-victimised and re-traumatised through court processes.
The guide outlined governing principles justice workers were required to take into account, from ensuring victims were kept informed of the process of the police investigation into offences against them, to being protected from unnecessary contact with the defendant during trial and being told when an offender was set to be released from custody.
It also addressed issues of equality such as access to interpreters for non-English speaking victims, considerations for victims of crime and witnesses with disabilities, and the right to a fair trial, including not subjecting victims to unnecessary delays in investigating a matter.
The ACT's human rights legal framework has previously attracted criticism for putting the rights of accused criminals before those of their victims, allowing alleged offenders to manipulate the court system.
Mr Hinchey said victims of crime didn't have "equal standing" with accused people in the criminal justice system and the guidelines would seek to redress the balance between the rights of victims and those of perpetrators.
He said human rights agencies had traditionally focused on the right of citizens subjected to the power and authority of the state, such as accused criminals, and it was "refreshing" to see the commission place some emphasis on victims' rights.
"I think that first of all, it's important symbolically that a Human Rights Commission has come out to state that victims have rights and government authorities have obligations to uphold those rights."
The joint project comes after ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell announced a shake-up of the government's rights protection agencies in October last year.
Under the new model, the role of the Victims of Crime Commissioner and the advocacy functions of the Public Advocate will be brought under a Human Rights Commission president.
Mr Hinchey said the changes meant victims of crime support services would be co-located with the human rights agency from later this month, a move he believed was a first in any Australian jurisdiction.
"I think this has some potential for victims of crime to be recognised within a human rights framework," he said.
