Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Social Security Amendment (Supporting Australian Victims of Terrorism Overseas) Bill 2011. This legislation results from a private member's bill, Assisting the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Bill 2010, put forward by the Leader of the Opposition and adopted by the government. The opposition leader's private member's bill intended to provide financial support of up to $75,000 to Australian individuals who were injured or to a close family member of a person who was killed or who died within two years of suffering injuries resulting from an act of terrorism committed overseas.

In adopting the opposition leader's bill, the government's bill has established a mechanism for Australian victims of terrorism overseas payments, AVTO payments, through the social security system for such payments. I note that the bill will enable Australians who are victims of a declared overseas terrorist incident to claim financial support of up to $75,000. It will enable the Prime Minister to declare that a relevant overseas terrorist incident is one to which this scheme applies. It also establishes eligibility criteria so that payments can be made to long-term Australian residents who are victims of a relevant overseas terrorist act or, in the event of the death of a victim, to a close family member.

The bill ensures that victims are not required to repay or deduct Medicare or other benefits from any payments received under this scheme and it enables the enactment of legislative instruments to provide further guidance on the amount of assistance that each victim or close family member should receive. To quantify this further, the payment is not set at a maximum of $75,000 but on a sliding scale dependent on circumstances at the time. The Australian victims of overseas terrorism payments under this bill will see a person qualify for consideration for payments where the person is a primary victim or a secondary victim of a declared overseas terrorist act, where the person or person's close family members are not involved in the commission of the terrorist act or where the person on the day the terrorist act occurred is an Australian resident. A primary victim refers to the person who was at the place and was harmed as a result of the terrorist act, whereas a secondary victim is a close family member of a deceased primary victim and refers to a partner, child, parent, sibling or guardian of the deceased person.

Acts of terrorism have impacted Australians both through the loss of life and through the ongoing trauma faced by those injured and by the loved ones left behind. No measure will ever take away the pain or heal the mental and physical injuries which result, but this bill does provide a very real and valuable mechanism for support. Historically, the federal government has funded disaster assistance for many Australian residents caught up in disaster incidents in other countries by way of ex gratia payment arrangements. The power of authority to make such payments comes by way of executive power to the Commonwealth under section 61 of the Australian Constitution. Such payments include provision for the evacuation of injured people, reasonable travel costs and reasonable medical costs where no other means to pay is available and reasonable costs for counselling and psychological care for families of Australian victims.

The Northern Territory, and in particular Darwin due to its geographical locality, has a very close affinity with the impacts of terrorism. For Territorians, Bali, for example, is just a two-hour flight away. For many, the opportunity to travel, particularly where the costs of airfares and accommodation can be less than the cost of an airfare to one of Australia's southern capitals, makes it an affordable destination for a holiday. I was there just recently. Many, many Territorians take their families there because it is so affordable and so close to where we live. But Territorians have also been scared by terrorist events. The Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005 come to mind. Our medical facilities, particularly the Royal Darwin Hospital, became pivotal and a major asset in the recovery and treatment of many of the victims of those two terrible, terrible events. The Territory's close proximity to our northern neighbours naturally fosters broader relations far beyond those witnessed through the formal processes of government. As a close neighbour of East Timor, Bali and wider Indonesia, and more broadly Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, for example, the Territory community is a strong multicultural mixed pot with ties throughout the Asia region.

Although the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 struck at the heart of international terrorism around the globe, the battle against terrorism remains ongoing. More recently, on Sunday, 18 March 2012, as a result of a covert surveillance operation, Indonesian police took decisive action to detain a group of five people identified as members of a suspected militant group. The five members were believed to be planning a bombing at a local bar frequented by Australian tourists in the Seminyak area of Bali. In terms of terrorist threats, this is a timely reminder of the importance of always remaining vigilant.

Additionally, and just as importantly, this is a moment in time for us to consider how we support the victims and their families—those Australians impacted by these events. Israel and Northern Ireland have similar schemes in place for compensation or access to mechanisms for compensation relating to local acts of terrorism. The United States supports a compensation model not provided by the government purse but accessible as a required policy product offered by private insurance companies.

In conclusion, I support the bill before this House and I recognise the efforts of the Leader of the Opposition in his work on this very, very important issue. Terrorism is a hateful crime. It is indiscriminate in nature, targeting civilians, and is designed to have a significant impact, but it is yet to attain a universal definition. Regardless, this bill is about the value of putting in place mechanisms to provide compassion to Australians who are injured and the close family members of Australians who are killed as a result of a terrorist incident. With the most recent activities in Bali and the deaths of five suspected terrorists fresh in my mind, I believe the value of this bill and the efforts of the opposition leader and the government on this issue cannot be overstated. I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:33

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