Published: September 25, 2025

Experienced violence from multiple people

A person is eligible for Victim Assist if they have experienced an act of violence. An act of violence is a crime or a series of related crimes.

If a community member has reported to you that they have experienced violence from multiple people, it will be important to figure out whether this is either:

• a series of related crimes; or
• separate acts of violence.

The answer will determine whether your client can make multiple applications to Victim Assist or not.

Is it a separate act or the same act of violence?

An act of violence by different perpetrators will be considered the same act of violence if:

• the act is committed at the same time; or
• committed over a period of time by the same group of people; or
• the acts share another factor.

There isn’t a lot of guidance on when Victim Assist will consider a series of related acts of violence, rather than separate acts. If the acts of violence were committed by different perpetrators and at different times, it is likely these would be treated by Victim Assist as separate acts of violence.

Examples of when the violence will be considered a series of related crimes include:

• the victim-survivor discloses to you that they were physically assaulted by a group of people after getting off the train on their way home from work. This is a single act of violence and one application for financial assistance. 
• the victim-survivors discloses to you that they were repeatedly bullied by a classmate during the five years they completed high school. The bullying included repeated physical assaults and threats. This is a series of related acts of violence and one application for financial assistance.  
• the victim-survivor discloses to you that they were in an intimate relationship for three years where they experienced repeated physical assaults, sexual assaults, and rapes. This is a series of related acts of domestic violence and one application for financial assistance. 

Examples of when the violence will be considered separate acts:

• the victim-survivor discloses to you that they were physically assaulted on a bus. When they got home and told their parents, their father became angry and physically assaulted them. This would be two separate acts of violence and two applications for financial assistance.
• the victim-survivor discloses to you that they were raped by a family friend as a child. The victim-survivor moved interstate and many years later, as an adult, the family friend physically assaulted them. The victim-survivor has a psychological injury because of the rape that is diagnosed by their psychiatrist. They have a physical injury from the assault that was treated by their doctor. These are two separate single acts of violence and two applications for financial assistance.  
• The victim-survivor discloses to you that when they were a child, they experienced violence from both their parents. The victim-survivor tells you that their father would sexually abuse them and their mother would physically abuse them. As this violence is not similar in nature, they are two separate acts of violence and two applications for financial assistance.

In these later examples, the victim-survivors can submit two applications as the acts of violence were not committed at about the same time, they were not committed over a period although they were committed by the same person, and they are not related offences. 

If they are considered separate acts of violence, you can complete multiple applications for each act. If approved, the victim-survivor will receive a special assistance payment for each act of violence.