The Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott MP announced yesterday government assistance to victims of overseas terrorism.

Since September 2001, hundreds of Australian families
have been impacted by major terrorist events in New York, Bali, Jakarta,
London, Egypt, Mumbai and Nairobi.

In 2012,
the previous Government agreed to provide financial assistance to victims of
terrorism, but only for future victims and not existing victims. In 2011, I
made a speech in the Parliament supporting Tony
Abbott, in pushing this worthy cause through the House. I am proud to be part
of a newly elected Government that has rectified this anomaly.

The
Department of Human Services will administer this payment and will set up a
system to receive applications from claimants. 

Claims can
be made from 21 October 2013. 

More information
is available through the Department of Human Services on 1800 040 226, or at www.humanservices.gov.au.