National Redress Scheme support now available in WA time zone 

Survivors in Western Australia will now have increased accessibility when applying, or thinking about applying for the Scheme, with contact hours extended to Australian Western Standard Time (AWST). Staff will be available to answer enquiries about the Scheme and assist survivors to progress their application, including accessing support services. 

First Nations survivors calling in the region will also have greater culturally appropriate and trauma informed support as the Scheme’s Indigenous Service Delivery Stream support has been bolstered with additional staff.

It is important to note, if an applicant or nominee wishes to talk to their Case Coordinator, the call may need to be transferred to the Eastern States and a call back may be required due to the different time zones.

To contact the Scheme, call 1800 737 377 between 8am and 5pm Mon to Fri. For languages other than English (including First Nations languages) please let us know if you need interpreter when you call the Scheme and we will bring one into the call to assist.

Keeping your myGov account secure

The Scheme is committed to keeping your information safe and maintaining your privacy. One aspect of this is ensuring survivors protect their information through regular maintenance of their myGov access and security. 

A recent report from the Commonwealth Ombudsman(Opens in a new tab/window) into Services Australia’s response to myGov fraud, recommends that Services Australia improve their security controls to adequately protect people from unauthorised linking. This report is a great reminder to be mindful of your login procedures and how you can safeguard your personal and sensitive information. Consider the following to protect your myGov account:

  • use strong passwords or pass phrases for different accounts. Having a different strong password across your accounts is one of the best ways to stay safe online
  • on top of your password, use multi-factor authentication to add an additional layer of security to your account
  • you might also consider setting up a passkey using the security features on your phone, computer or tablet to sign in, or connect a Digital ID, such as myGovID, to access your account
  • change your myGov login setting to use your myGov username, not your email address or mobile phone
  • turn on notifications in your app settings so you receive verification notifications and notifications when your account is active on another device.

Visit the myGov website(Opens in a new tab/window) for more information on how you can protect your myGov account and what to do if you have noticed suspicious activity on your account. 

If you notice any suspicious activity related to your redress application, you can provide reports about fraud in relation to the Scheme by calling the DSS Fraud Hotline on 1800 054 312 Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm or emailing fraud@dss.gov.au. 
Fraud tipoffs can also be provided directly to the Scheme on 1800 737 377 Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm.

Further information about reporting fraud or misconduct can be found on the Department of Social Services website(Opens in a new tab/window).

Creating valid nominee forms

For some applicants applying for redress, it can be helpful to elect a nominee – someone who can act on your behalf when accessing the National Redress Scheme. To nominate someone, you and your nominee will need to complete the Redress Nominee Form. 

It is important to fill this form out accurately to ensure that a Redress Support Service, or another person, can speak with the Scheme on your behalf. 

The different types of nominees are Assistance Nominees and Legal Nominees. An Assistance Nominee can be a family member, friend, or support service. A nominee must be someone who you trust, who respects your privacy and who must always act in your best interest. A Legal Nominee is where there are Financial Management Orders, Guardianship Orders or a Power of Attorney in place. Where there is a legal nominee in place we will talk with you regarding what information is and isn’t shared and how we communicate with you during the application journey.

The following steps are required to complete a valid nominee form:

  • Complete all questions within the nominee form ensuring responses are accurate, especially:
    • questions 1 and 2 (applicant name and date of birth)
    • question 24 (applicant signature and date)
  • Check that the nominee signs, dates and ticks each of the boxes under the ‘Agreement to become a redress nominee’ section (question 25). If these have not been ticked, the arrangement cannot be verified by the Scheme. A new completed nominee form will need to be resupplied.
  • Ensure the nominee signature date correctly reflects the date the form is signed. If the date is before the start of the Scheme, or after the date on which the Scheme received the form, an amended form will be required.
  • Any changes to a support service’s organisational details (i.e. address or postal address) need to be notified to the Scheme as soon as possible. 

The Redress Nominee Form is available as a fillable pdf form and a printable pdf form. You can download the fillable form to your desktop to save and submit. Further information about nominees to assist your redress application can be found on the Scheme website.

Parliamentary committee inquiry finishes soon

The Joint Standing Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme is expected to finish its inquiry in October 2024. 

Written submissions to the inquiry will close on 2 September 2024. You can provide your submission to the Committee Secretariat by emailing redress@aph.gov.au. The discussion paper(Opens in a new tab/window) aims to provide guidance to individuals and organisations interested in making submissions to the inquiry.

Scheme Data

As at 9 August 2024, there have been 46,280 applications to the Scheme. Of these:

  • 18,846 applicants have had their outcomes advised. Of these: 
    • 16,128 payments have been made totalling approximately $1.44 billion dollars
  • 1,908 have been withdrawn by the applicant
  • 25,526 applications are yet to receive an outcome. Of these: 
    • 16,193 applications are actionable by the Scheme.
      • 2,716 applications are being validated with the initial contact being made
      • 10,142 applications are in the information gathering stage
      • 2,635 applications are with an IDM for a determination
      • 700 applications are being prepared for delivery of the outcome
    • 2,532 applications are unable to be actioned by the Scheme. Of these:
      • 1,400 are awaiting the applicant to provide additional information
      • 1,132 are undergoing a special assessment for serious criminal conviction/applying from gaol
    • 6,801 applications are on hold.

Participating institutions update

The Minister's Declaration is an official list of all participating institutions. It is updated when a new institution joins the Scheme or the status of a participating institution changes.

As at 13 August 2024, data regarding participating institutions remains the same as included in the June update.
The Declarations are available on the Federal Register of Legislation(Opens in a new tab/window). For the latest information about institutions, visit the Institutions page on our website.

The Australian Government acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, water, culture and community. We pay our respects to the Elders both past and present.

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