Who can get it

You must meet the following rules:

• you were an Australian resident on the day the declared overseas terrorist act occurred
• you were living permanently in Australia
• your close family members weren't involved in the commission of the declared overseas terrorist act.

You must also meet one of the following rules. You either:

• were in the place and were harmed as a direct result of the declared overseas terrorist act
• are a close family member of a person who was in the place and who died as a direct result of the declared overseas terrorist act.

Close family member

A close family member is a:

• partner
• child
• parent including a legal guardian
• sibling.

Legal guardian

A guardian is someone who’s been granted guardianship of a child. It can be granted to a single person, or jointly with another person or persons.

Guardianship is granted under the law:

• of the Commonwealth
• of a State or Territory.

In the place

For the purposes of this payment, in the place where the declared overseas terrorist act occurred means you:

• were in close proximity to the place where the terrorist act occurred
• witnessed the terrorist act first hand.

A person is in close proximity to the place where the terrorist act occurred if they were close enough to be physically injured, harmed or killed by that act.

Witnessing the terrorist act first hand means being present, and personally seeing the terrorist act direct from the original source.

Harmed includes any physical or psychological injury suffered as a direct result of the overseas terrorist act.

People who went to the place where the terrorist act occurred immediately following the act to help victims are considered to be in the place for the purposes of this payment. This includes arriving at the scene of the act before the victim is moved to another location.

Being in the place doesn’t include any of the following:

• travelling to the place to find someone
• seeing debris and property damage resulting from the terrorist act
• providing first response services in an official capacity
• dealing with the police, medical authorities or Australian Embassy or Consular officials.

If you’d like more information, you can call our Australian Victim of Terrorism Overseas Hotline.