How to write your impact statement for a Tasmanian compensation claim

If you are applying for victims of crime assistance in Tasmania, there is a point where the paperwork stops asking for dates and starts asking for you. What happened. What it did to you. What it is still doing.

Please tell us how the injury has impacted you

This guide is about how to write this part of the criminal injuries compensation claim well, because in Tasmania it matters twice. Your written impact statement carries your compensation claim on paper. And if you choose to attend a hearing, you will have the chance to explain how the crime has affected you. The statement you write is the foundation for both.

There is one more reason to write it. The Commissioner who decides on your compensation claim makes a final decision. There is no appeal process against the amount. You talk about the impact once, so it needs to hold everything. For more information about the compensation scheme, we have created a complete step-by-step guide.

Ten headings to describe the impact

Justice Draft's free guided form takes people through ten sections when writing a victim impact statement. These ten sections will organise a powerful impact statement for your Tasmanian compensation statement. The headings are designed to cover everything, because a Commissioner cannot recognise a harm that never made it onto the page. Treat these as a checklist but remember, not every section will apply to you. Leaving some headings empty is completely fine. What you might find helpful is to read all the headings first before you start answering them. That way, you will know what you want to write about under which section so you don't double up or miss anything.

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How I felt at the time. Begin with how the crime impacted you at the time. What did you think, feel, and do when it was happening? If you are a secondary victim, begin with what you saw, or the moment you found out. The fear and shock of the event itself is an impact too, not only what followed.

Emotional wellbeing. Psychological injury is expressly recognised under the Tasmanian scheme, and this is where it lives. Name any diagnosis and treatment, then describe what this looks like day to day for you. The nightmares, the counselling, the medication, the person you are working to become again. Let this section sit beside any psychologist's report and give it a heartbeat.

Relationships. Write what changed between you and the people who matter. The strain on your partner. The shortness with your kids. The friendships that went quiet because you could not explain. Harm to your closest relationships is part of what was taken.

Physical health. The injuries, the treatment, the recovery, and whatever has not healed. Tie each symptom back to the crime, and keep your account consistent with your medical records. If pain or limitation is permanent, say so plainly.

Financial impact. Be precise here, because this section carries the dollars. Lost wages, out-of-pocket medical and counselling costs, travel to appointments, things you had to replace. And look forward as well as back. The Commissioner can award future medical and counselling expenses in addition to the cap, so if you know treatment is ahead of you, write it down with whatever your treaters have told you about it.

Daily life and routine. The small mechanics of an ordinary day tell a Commissioner more than any summary. What you stopped doing. What now needs planning. The shifts you swapped, the drives you avoid, the school pickup you handed to your mum because you could not face the carpark. Specific beats sweeping, every time.

Sense of safety. Checking locks. Sleeping with the light on. Flinching at a voice that sounds like his. Tasmania is a small place, and many victims live with the real chance of crossing paths with the offender at the shops or the football. If that fear shapes your days, it belongs in your statement.

Spiritual and cultural wellbeing. The section most often left blank, and often one of the heaviest. Disconnection from faith, community, family gatherings or country. Shame that kept you from the people and places that usually hold you up. If the crime reached this part of your life, write it in.

Who I was before this happened. Loss can only be measured against what was there. The Commissioner never met the earlier you, so introduce them. Working, sleeping, swimming in the mornings, the one who hosted every birthday. The distance between that person and the one writing this statement is the size of what the crime took.

What I want the Commissioner to know. The guided template names this section for the court or the assessor. In Tasmania, your reader is a Commissioner, and this is your closing to them. What this has truly cost you. What recovery still asks of you. Anything the forms had no box for. If there is one thing the person deciding your claim must understand, put it here.

The hearing, and whether to attend

Tasmanian compensation hearings are nothing like a criminal trial. They are informal and private, held in a friendly setting before the Commissioner. The offender will not be there. You can bring a support person. You can attend by telephone. Or you can ask for the claim to be decided on the documents alone, without a hearing at all.

Your written statement serves you in every version. If you attend, it becomes your map, so the hardest things get said even if your voice shakes. If you stay home, it speaks in your place. Choose whichever path lets you be most fully heard. There is no wrong answer, and no penalty for either choice.

Write it true

Your application includes a statutory declaration, which means your statement is sworn. That is not a reason to be frightened of it. It is a reason to write plainly and honestly, and to keep your account consistent with your police report and medical records.

It is equally a reason not to shrink yourself. Many people understate their suffering out of habit, or because someone else had it worse. With no appeal against the amount, modesty in this document has a price. If the panic attacks still come, say so. If you have not worked since, say so.

If you wrote a victim impact statement for sentencing

Draw on it, but do not simply hand it over again. A sentencing statement speaks to a judge about the seriousness of the offence. This statement speaks to a Commissioner about your injuries and losses, so the money side is not off limits here. It is the point. Bring the effects up to date, expand the financial detail, and address the Commissioner directly. Our Tasmanian victim impact statement guide covers the sentencing side.

The practical frame around your statement

The time limit is three years from the date of the crime. If you were under 18 at the time, the three years run from your 18th birthday, and applications for children are lodged by a parent or guardian. The rules for child sexual abuse claims have changed in recent years, so if you fear you are out of time, get advice before you give up.

Report the crime to police if you have not already. You can prepare the application yourself using the forms on the Tasmanian Government website, and you do not need a lawyer to apply. Allow at least twelve months for a decision, and sometimes longer, since the Commissioner waits on police files and medical reports.

You do not have to do any of it alone. Victims Support Services on 1300 663 773 can help with your application and can obtain police and court information on your behalf. A community legal centre or Tasmania Legal Aid can talk through your options for free.

Take your time, and watch the clock

Statements like this are rarely written in one sitting. People do a section, put it down for a week, and come back. That is a normal way to write about the worst thing that happened to you, and the writing is better for it. Just keep the three-year limit in sight. The draft can move gently. The lodgement cannot.

A gentler way to write it

Justice Draft's free tool walks you through these ten sections one question at a time, at your own pace, saving as you go. It was built for victim impact statements, and the same ten sections will organise a Tasmanian compensation statement just as well. Write your answers, download your draft, and place it into your application.