Victims of car crashes are treated differently to all targets of crime in NSW, and reform is needed to ensure victims and their families are supported through what will likely be the worst day of their lives.
NSW Labor says it will fund counselling to the families of victims killed by road crimes, bringing support in line with what is offered to other victims of crime.
The reform will mean an additional 200-300 victims of crime will be able to access counselling every year, on top of the 18,000 victims who already make use of the service.
A group of victims of road crime visiting the NSW parliament on Thursday said the current settings left them feeling frozen out and abandoned.
"Victims don't feel listened to, and they suspect and they feel as though there's a different standard applied to them," NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns said.
"It's not easy to relive the worst day of your life, but the people behind me do it so that they can have change in NSW."
The party will also provide a new, independent advocate for all victims of crime, because they say the current commissioner is compromised by having to control their office's purse strings.
The party foresees the commissioner playing an active role in the parliament and media, as they advocate for victims of road crime.
"It's often traumatic to relive experiences that are so personally horrible for individuals," Mr Minns said.
Implementing a victims' rights commissioner is essential to ensure victims of crime can be heard, says Full Stop Australia CEO Hayley Foster.
"There has been a reckoning for decades and decades,'' Ms Foster said.
"Victims have felt in this state unheard, dismissed and re-traumatised by our systems."
