Assistance for Victims who are Witnesses

If you think you may be called as a witness in court, it can be helpful to get information and support before the date of the hearing. Several services that assist victims of crime to prepare for being a witness are:

Domestic Violence Advocacy Service - Phone: 1800 810 784 (Tollfree) or (02) 8745 6999. TTY: 1800 626 267 (for callers with a hearing impairment). More information can be found on the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service website.
LawAccess NSW - Phone: 1300 888 529. LawAccess Online offers access to over 1500 plain language and non-English language legal factsheets.
Witness Assistance Service - Phone: 1800 814 534 (Tollfree) or (02) 9285 8949. Information on the Witness Assistance Service may be found on the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions website.
NSW Health Sexual Assault Services provide free counselling, information and medical services for anyone who has been sexually assaulted, including court support and information. For more information on services available in your area visit the NSW Health website, select the service type 'sexual assault services' and also your geographical area.
Victims Support Line - Phone: (02) 8688 5400 or 1800 633 063 (Tollfree) or on TTY (02) 8688 5575 (for callers with a hearing impairment).
Mission Australia Court Support Service provides a free court support and information service to all victims of crime. Phone (02) 8218 9412 for more information.
Community Based Victims Support Agencies, including Enough is Enough, Homicide Victims Support Group and Victims of Crime Assistance League (VOCAL) NSW, provide court support for victims of crime.
Chamber Registrar - you can discuss your legal needs with a Chamber Registrar at your nearest Local Court. You can make an appointment or you can obtain information from the telephone service. You can find contact details of your nearest Local Court on the Local Courts website.

Access to Court Documents

If you have been a victim of crime and there were criminal proceedings against the offender, you may be able to access Court documents in those court proceedings. You may be entitled to fee free access to judgments and written evidence in those proceedings in which you are concerned. Access to Court Documents is an information sheet providing more information (PDF 102Kb).

Leave to Attend Court

The Industrial Relations Amendment (Leave for Victims of Crime) Act 2001 entitles victims of crime to unpaid leave to attend court proceedings in relation to the crime. A Summary of the Leave Entitlements (Word 24kb) has been prepared by the Research Unit of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Contact the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for information about witness expenses.

Information about the Courts

Information about the different courts is provided by the courts on their websites. To find out about the court that you are interested in, visit the following websites:

Local Court
District Court
Supreme Court
Coroner's Court
Courtwise