Relatives of Bondi victims plead for changes to ‘ridiculous’ compensation scheme

5 hours ago 3

Relatives of the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack are urging the federal government to set up a new compensation scheme as frustration grows within the Jewish community about what is viewed as a lack of support for those affected by the massacre.

Close relatives of those who died in the attack are eligible for payments of up to $75,000 from the NSW government under a joint federal and state package announced soon after the nation’s worst terror attack, which killed 15 innocent people.

Sheina Gutnick, daughter of Reuven Morrison, said she hoped the federal government would do more to support the loved ones of victims of the Bondi attack.

Sheina Gutnick, whose father, Reuven Morrison, was killed in the December 14 attack as he tried to protect others, said: “We definitely think that more needs to be done. Lives have been shattered, but nothing concrete has been offered to the families at a federal level.”

Gutnick, who lives in Melbourne, said she hoped support for survivors and relatives of loved ones would receive more attention now a federal royal commission has been announced. She said all families would need to be assessed individually based on need, with a focus on long-term psychological support.

Jenny Roytur, whose uncle Boris Tetleroyd was among those killed, said her aunt and cousin needed more support than they had been offered. Roytur’s cousin Yaakov was seriously injured in the attack and is likely to be permanently disabled.

“The compensation that is currently available is ridiculous and laughable really,” she said. “The federal government really needs to step in and do more.”

Describing the process for accessing support as “convoluted and confusing”, Roytur said: “I feel like I’m constantly fighting for support for [Yaakov] and my aunty. This shouldn’t be the case.”

A federal government spokesperson said the federal and state governments had equally contributed to $2.9 million in compensation for those affected by the Bondi attack.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said: “The families of the dead have repeatedly told me the compensation schemes available to them are inadequate and bureaucratic, which has in some cases exacerbated their trauma ... We are a generous nation and we can afford to alleviate the uncertainty and anxiety that financial distress causes, where it is the result of circumstances as devastating as this.”

Noting many of those affected migrated to Australia from the Soviet Union and lived in public housing, Ryvchin said: “I cannot imagine a worthier public expense than a substantial fund to quickly and generously help those who are living through the unimaginable.”

People pay their respects last month to victims of the Bondi attack.

Independent MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate of Wentworth includes Bondi, said she had concerns about the level of compensation being provided to survivors and victims’ families.

“I have raised the level of victim compensation with the federal and state governments based on community feedback,” Spender said. “The devastating impact on those who have lost someone or been significantly injured are profound and lifelong, and the compensation should reflect that.”

The federal and NSW governments announced a joint-funded support package for victims and their families, local businesses and the Jewish community in Sydney four days after the attack.

A joint media release on December 18 said “enhancements” would be made to NSW’s existing victim support scheme “including financial support for injured victims and their immediate families”, including for funeral costs and the repatriation of remains.

Under the NSW support package, victims who suffered a physical injury from a bullet or shrapnel during the attack are entitled to a lump sum of $35,000.

Family members – including spouses, de facto partners, parents, children and siblings – of those killed in the attack are entitled to a $75,000 payment less any applied recognition payments of either $7500 or $15,000.

The package also included a further $2 million in funding for Jewish community organisations to support victim’s families, $1 million each for legal services and Jewish-organised mental health triage, and $3.6 million for support officers to tend to affected individuals and families.

The federal government offers victim support payments of up to $75,000 for Australians impacted by overseas terrorist attacks, but does not have an established program for domestic attacks.

Victims of the 2014 Lindt cafe siege in Sydney were not offered federal assistance under the Abbott government, but received support from the NSW government up to $15,000.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Michele Goldman said the NSW government had “mobilised quickly to provide support and has been incredibly responsive”.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.