A lump sum fee for advice is payable for Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal (VOCAT) matters and Victims of Crime Financial Assistance Scheme (VFAS) matters only where an application is not subsequently made to the tribunal or to the VFAS. If an application is made to the tribunal or to the VFAS, the advice fee would instead be included in the total fees allowed by the tribunal or the VFAS decision-maker.
These fees are effective from 1 January this year. For fees payable prior to this see Archived versions of the Handbook.
| Service/proceeding | Fee payable |
|---|---|
| Advice (if the application is not subsequently made to the tribunal) | $148 |
| Disbursements (without further assistance) | up to $1200 |
Review of Decision at VCAT Preparation, including all the necessary work involved in:
| $829 |
Review of Decision at VCAT Daily appearance fee | $413 |
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) will only provide further assistance for those professional fees for which an order has been obtained from the tribunal pursuant to section 48 of the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 1996 or from the scheme decision-maker pursuant to section 39 of the Victims of Crime (Financial Assistance Scheme) Act 2022.
Where a cost is reimbursable under the Victims Financial Assistance Scheme (as outlined at section 20.1 of the Financial Assistance Scheme Guidelines), the legal practitioner must ensure reimbursement into the legal aid fund.
Updated