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Support for embattled victims’ commissioner

Victims of Crime Commissioner, Heidi Yates gives evidence before the Sofronoff Inquiry.

The ACT Human Rights Commission has come out in support of Victims of Crime Commissioner Heidi Yates following the public release of the Sofronoff Inquiry’s report on Monday.

In a media statement, the Commission says it welcomes the finding that Ms Yates acted in accordance with her statutory
duties in providing support and assistance.

“We also welcome the board’s finding that Commissioner Yates was ‘subjected to a degree of unjustified
public criticism because of a general lack of understanding about what the Victims of Crime Act 1994
required her to do’,” the Human Rights Commission says.

“The VOCC and Victim Support ACT have statutory responsibilities to provide support, advocacy and
financial assistance to victims of crime in the territory, in recognition of the fact that victim-survivor
engagement with the justice system can be a complex, protracted and harrowing experience.

“We will review and carefully consider the whole of the report’s findings and recommendations, including
Recommendation 2, which relates to the Victims of Crime Act 1994.”

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2 Responses to Support for embattled victims’ commissioner

David says: 7 August 2023 at 4:24 pm

It is possible the victim of crime was on the other side. One hopes the statutory duties include support for those who have been falsely accused. Without such objectivity there is a high risk of blind bias plus incentives for making false accusations. Had more people approached the allegations with a mindset of, it could be false, maybe a better investigation would have taken place and a better court case presented.

Reply
cbrapsycho says: 8 August 2023 at 10:26 am

Agreed. We don’t know who did what with regard to the complainant and the accused, despite the multitude of accusations and personal attacks flying around. What we do know is that the media and the public all had their own personal biases whether conscious or unconconscious, so were caught up in confirmation bias. This is human nature, but it is the job of journalists and investigators to recognise this risk and work to overcome it. They need to investigate and report on the issues as objectively as possible by seeking out other perspectives and possibilities. Sadly, many failed at this task, clearly showing their biases. This is exactly what happened with the Azaria Chamberlain case, with her mother being wrongfully convicted of murder and gaoled for years.

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