There may be circumstances where the nature of the relationship between a related victim and primary victim is not reflected by the relationship title as outlined in the table on the previous page, 18.4 Distress. In these instances, the related victim should provide evidence to demonstrate why the nature of their relationship with the primary victim means that they should be considered under a different relationship category for the purposes of this assistance type.
✅ Recognition that a “close family member” has a particularly close relationship with the primary deceased victim Example: Lily is Alice’s aunt. Alice passed away as a result of a violent act. When Alice was very young, her parents passed away and Lily raised her as her own child. This included assuming all caring responsibilities and Lily grieves Alice’s death as if she lost her own child. Lily submits evidence that not only is she a close family member of Alice, but she was like a parent, and Alice would have considered her as such at the time of her passing. The FAS recognises Lily as if she was Alice’s parent and decides to pay $20,000. |
Evidence requirements for distress are explained further below.
| Distress - supporting evidence requirements |
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Applicants must provide evidence of the relationship between themselves and their loved one. Applicants may have already provided documentation that establishes their relationship to show their eligibility as a related victim. If so, applicants do not need to provide those same documents again. Documents which can be used to demonstrate the nature of the relationship between the primary victim and the related victim can include:
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