Victorian Numbered Acts Victorian Numbered Acts(1) In this Act—
"Charter principles" means the principles set out in Part 2;
"criminal offence" means an offence, or a series of related offences, committed at any time, whether or not a person has been accused or convicted of that offence, and in relation to a victim, is the offence that gave rise to the injury suffered by the victim;
"domestic partner" has the same meaning as in the Crimes (Family Violence) Act 1987 ;
"family member" , in relation to a person, means—
(a) the spouse or domestic partner of that person; or
(b) a person who has or has had an intimate personal relationship with that person; or
(c) a person who is or has been a relative of that person; or
(d) a child who normally or regularly resides with that person; or
(e) a child of whom that person is a guardian; or
(f) another person who is or has been ordinarily a member of the household of that person;
"injury" means—
(a) actual physical bodily injury; or
(b) mental illness or disorder or an exacerbation of a mental illness or disorder, whether or not flowing from nervous shock; or
(c) pregnancy; or
(d) grief, distress or trauma or other significant adverse effect; or
(e) loss or damage to property; or
(f) any combination of matters referred to in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e);
"investigatory agency" means—
(a) a member of the police force; or
(b) a person authorised by an enactment to investigate a criminal offence;
"person adversely affected by crime" means—
(a) a natural person who has suffered injury as a direct result of a criminal offence, whether or not that injury was reasonably foreseeable by the offender; or
(b) a family member of a person referred to in paragraph (a); or
(c) a witness to a criminal offence;
"prosecuting agency" means—
(a) the Director of Public Prosecutions for Victoria; or
(b) a member of the police force; or
(c) a person authorised to bring proceedings for a criminal offence against an enactment;
"Secretary" means the Secretary to the Department of Justice;
"victim" means—
(a) a natural person who has suffered injury as a direct result of a criminal offence, whether or not that injury was reasonably foreseeable by the offender; or
(b) if a person has died as a direct result of a criminal offence committed against that person, a family member of that person; or
(c) if the person referred to in paragraph (a) is under 18 years of age or is incapable of managing his or her own affairs because of mental impairment, a family member of that person;
"victims' services agency" means—
(a) an entity established under an enactment that is responsible for the provision of services to persons adversely affected by crime; or
(b) a public official within the meaning of the Public Administration Act 2004 who is responsible for the provision of services to persons adversely affected by crime; or
(c) an entity that is publicly funded to provide services to persons adversely affected by crime.
(2) For the purposes of the definition of "family member" in sub-section (1), a relative, in relation to a person, means—
(a) a father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, step-father, step-mother, father-in-law or mother-in-law of that person; or
(b) a son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, step-son, step-daughter, son-in-law or daughter-in-law of that person; or
(c) a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, brother-in-law or sister-in-law of that person; or
(d) an uncle, aunt, uncle-in-law or aunt-in-law of that person; or
(e) a nephew or niece of that person; or
(f) a cousin of that person—
and includes, in the case of domestic partners, a person who would be such a relative if the domestic partners were married to each other.