Expenses paid to those attending court as witnesses are to be increased from levels the Government admitted yesterday were 'no more than token compensation'.
The admission is contained in a report into how the Government treats victims of crime, released yesterday by Attorney-General Jeremy Mathews, who admitted existing policy was 'deficient in the sense that it is unco-ordinated'.
The report said that as well as possibly losing money in a crime, victims often lost cash because they might have had to attend court for a number of days.
The $280-a-day could be much less than wages docked by their employers.
'Victims not only experience the pain and suffering of crime, but also suffer financial loss by attending court to give evidence,' the report said.
A spokesman for the Judiciary said new levels had yet to be set and they were last reviewed about two years ago.
The report into victims also recommended the 'Victims' Charter' be more widely circulated. The glossy 24-page brochure spells out principles for the treatment of victims, how to get access to compensation, and how to complain about treatment by police or other government bodies.
