MOSCOW, January 13 (Sputnik) — The victims of the Sydney siege, as well as other attacks on Australian soil, should receive compensation in an extension of the country's overseas terrorist attack scheme, the New South Wales (NSW) attorney-general said.
"The NSW government believes that Australians who are the victims of terrorist events should have the same access to compensation regardless of where it occurs," Hazzard was quoted by The Guardian newspaper as saying in a letter Tuesday to George Brandis, attorney-general for Australia.
Currently, Australian residents injured in terrorist attacks abroad, as well as close family members of people who lost their lives in such incidents, can claim federal compensation of up to $75,000.
In December, 17 people were taken hostage in a Sydney cafe by a gunman who was later identified by the police as Man Haron Monis, a self-proclaimed Iranian sheikh. Police stormed the building after a 16-hour siege. Three people, including the gunman, were killed in the incident. Following the attack, Prime Minister Tony Abbott stated that terror threat in the country remained high, stressing that "at this level, an attack is likely."
