MOST child abuse victims who emerge during the course of ongoing national and state inquiries won't be able to claim compensation in NSW, despite finally mustering the courage to come forward.
Under changes to the victims compensation scheme, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence or child abuse are prevented from making a claim more than a decade after the crime.
Opposition Leader John Robertson says the new laws have been introduced to parliament just as victims begin to tell their stories to the nationwide royal commission, and the NSW inquiry into historical child abuse in the Hunter Valley.
"This will exclude the overwhelming number of victims," he told question time on Wednesday.
"(It's) a low move by the O'Farrell government to avoid paying compensation to child sexual abuse victims."
Mr Robertson said the state government had ignored advice from Legal Aid NSW that the implementation of an eligibility limit would hurt victims of historical abuse.
It said many people would manifest psychological damage after the time limit had passed, and most people who failed to initially report the crime did so because of fear, shame or embarrassment, or because they were young at the time of the offence.
The laws will also be applied retrospectively, affecting victims of historical abuse with a current claim.
Mr Robertson said 506 child sexual assault victims last year sought compensation more than 10 years after the abuse.
In question time on Wednesday, he called on the government to ensure victims of child sexual abuse would not be disadvantaged as a result of the changes to victims compensation.
But Attorney-General Greg Smith said the government had announced a range of measures to assist victims of crime, including a new victim support scheme and a victims commissioner.
"We want victims of crime to be given better support and services when they need them most," he said.
In a later statement, a spokeswoman for Mr Smith said child victims of sexual abuse could make applications for financial assistance for up to 10 years after they turned 18.
She said victims support groups had told the government that therapeutic support and counselling was the most important aspect of recovery for adult survivors of child sexual assault.
The review of the old scheme had started well before the royal commission was called, and none of the changes were specific to people giving evidence at the hearings, the spokeswoman said.
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