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Victims Services internal review

Information about how to apply for an internal review of a Victims Services decision about victims support.

About internal reviews

If you apply for an internal review, a new person will take a fresh look at your application for Victims Support. It may relate to your whole application, or a specific part of it.

You can ask for an interview review if you applied for:

  • counselling
  • financial assistance for immediate needs
  • financial assistance for economic loss
  • a recognition payment.

You must apply for an internal review within 90 days, starting from the day that you were told about the outcome of your application for Victims Support. This includes providing all supporting documents for your application for an internal review.

Before you apply

Before you apply for an internal review, you should get any new supporting documents or information that weren’t included in your original application for Victims Support.

An internal review is a chance for you to give extra  documents and information to strengthen your Victims Support application.

For most decisions, an internal review is your last chance to review the decision that was made. This means it is important to get legal advice before lodging.

For legal advice or assistance, you can contact:

Aboriginal women, children and youth can contact:

How to apply

You will need to complete an Application for an internal review.

You can get a blank copy of this form:

In your application, you can:

  • say why you disagree with the original decision
  • ask Victims Services to reconsider information
  • give new information to support your application.

You must attach any new information or evidence that you want Victims Services to look at.

You can send your completed form:

Commissioner of Victims Rights
Victims Services
Department of Communities and Justice
Locked Bag 5118
Parramatta NSW 2124

You don’t have to pay a fee to apply for a review.

You will receive an email or letter from Victims Services to confirm that your application has been received.

The decision

Victims Services will start their internal review after they have all your documents, or 90 days after they get your application, whichever comes first.

Within 42 days you will be notified of:

  • the outcome of your internal review application, and
  • the reasons for the decision.

If you were reviewing a decision about a recognition payment, you could apply to NCAT to review the decision.

This decision is final for an internal review about:

  • counselling
  • financial assistance for immediate needs
  • financial assistance for economic loss.

If you have applied for an internal review to increase the amount of a payment originally awarded to you, you will still get the original payment while your internal review is processed. If your application for an internal review is successful, you will receive the additional amount after the internal review is complete.

Apply for an NCAT review

If you are unhappy with the decision of Victims Services in an internal review about a recognition payment, you may be able to apply to the Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for a review within 28 days.

Unless NCAT orders otherwise, any recognition payment you were given will be paused until NCAT finishes its review.

For more information, see Apply for an NCAT review.  

Last updated: June 2026

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