Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of this most important motion. It is often said that the world is a different place since September 11, 2001, and in many ways it is, although terrorism has been used as a political weapon across the ages. Who can forget the victims of violent political activism such as the Munich 11 or those lost in the genocidal acts in Western Africa or Eastern Europe? From Mumbai to Chechnya, Sharm el-Sheikh to Dublin, terrorism has been used to instil fear and terror into the innocent civilians who are unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Terrorist attacks are designed to target the innocent in an attempt to shatter civilisation as we know it and implant fear to a degree not otherwise imaginable. Terrorism is the personification of evil. It is as low an act as one human can carry out against another.

As the member for Higgins, it is my solemn duty to remember Leanne Whiteside, a lawyer from Prahran who perished in the South Tower in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Leanne's story is not too dissimilar from my own, as a young, female lawyer trying to forge a professional career. Accepting the opportunity of a lifetime, Leanne moved to New York, only to become the victim of a deliberate attack, a deliberate act of violence and extremism. This event horrified us.

Of course, things really struck home when, on 12 October 2002, three separate bombs were detonated in a coordinated attack throughout Kuta in Bali. In what was—and, to this day, still is—the worst terrorist attack in our short history, 88 Australians were slain in the most random and brutal way. A total of 202 people lost their lives on that day. On 12 October 2002, Australia lost innocence. We, as a nation, realised that we were not immune from extremism and from some of the more horrific aspects of human nature.

The pain and mental anguish of those that survived the horror is immense and enduring. I would like to tell you the story of Mr Lawrence Kerr. Mr Kerr is a constituent of mine but was originally from Perth. Mr Kerr travelled to Bali with his local football team, the Kingsley football club, on an end-of-season trip. This was meant to be a jubilant time of year, a team- and morale-building exercise. But the decision to go to the Sari Club on that night changed everything. Nineteen men embarked on that trip; only 13 returned.

Since he returned from Bali, Mr Kerr has suffered from not only his physical injuries but mental ones as well. He has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and the eventual loss of his business, which he had been running for 10 years. Mr Kerr's ambition to seek employment means that he will not take the disability pension that he is entitled to, rather opting for the Newstart program so that he can still be part of the workforce. Mr Kerr feels, though, that he has been badly let down and that other people who are also victims of terror have been badly let down.

As a member of the coalition, I am proud to support the Leader of the Opposition in supporting a compensation package for domestic victims of terrorism overseas. It is inconsistent logic to say that an Australian is not entitled to compensation as a victim of violence purely because the incident occurred abroad as opposed to in Australia, and insincere not to include those that have been the victims of some of the worst attacks on the Australian people—namely, September 11, the Bali bombings, the London and Jakarta bombings, and the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

The announcement that the Leader of the Opposition has made brings into line the level of assistance provided to domestic victims of violent crime for both future and past victims.

The government recently spent $75,000 on coffee machines. This is one part of compensation that could be paid to victims of terror. One has to wonder about the priorities of the government.

Although no level of compensation could adequately compensate for the trauma that victims of terror endure, hopefully this gesture will provide just a little bit of hope that these people so desperately deserve. That is why I support this motion.

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