Australian Victim of Terrorism Overseas Payment scheme
The Australian Victim of Terrorism Overseas Payment (AVTOP) scheme provides financial assistance of up to $75,000 for Australian residents who are harmed or whose close family member is killed as a direct result of a declared overseas terrorist act both past and future. It is set out in Part 2.24AA of the Social Security Act 1991.
The Australian Government has developed the
Social Security (Australian Victim of Terrorism Overseas Payment Principles) Determination 2023 (the Principles). The Principles ensure the AVTOP scheme remains operable. They also support Australian residents and their families harmed due to overseas terrorism.
To develop the Principles, the Department of Home Affairs consulted a range of key stakeholders. This included:
- peak medical bodies
- victims’ support services
- international humanitarian agencies.
The remake was completed on 25 September 2023. It replaces the original 2013 Principles.
The Principles provide guidance for the operation of the scheme and set out the amount of financial assistance available to individuals. It also sets out the process for apportioning a payment among the close family members of a deceased person, in the event that more than one close family member makes a claim.
An explanation on financial assistance available under the AVTOP scheme is available below:
AVTOP scheme activated for victims of 7 October 2023 attacks
The Australian Government has activated the AVTOP scheme to support Australians who have been impacted by the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas in Israel.
More information about the AVTOP scheme, including eligibility requirements, is available from
Australian Victim of Terrorism Overseas Payment.
Declaration of terrorist acts
The Prime Minister is the decision maker for deciding whether to declare an overseas terrorist act as one to which the AVTOP scheme applies. The Prime Minister's Declaration Criteria, which sets out the factors in support of making a declaration and those that do not support making a declaration, is available below:
Since the inception of the AVTOP scheme, financial assistance has been made available to eligible applicants who were victims of the following declared overseas terrorist acts:
- 2024 Bamyan, Afghanistan shooting
- 2023 Israel, 7 October coordinated Hamas attacks
- 2020 Hulhumale, Maldives stabbing
- 2019 Nairobi, Kenya attack
- 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand attacks
- 2019 Sri Lanka attacks
- 2019 London, United Kingdom (November) attack
- 2017 London, United Kingdom attack
- 2017 Stockholm, Sweden attack
- 2017 Manchester, United Kingdom attack
- 2017 Baghdad, Iraq bombing
- 2017 London, United Kingdom attack (3 June)
- 2017 Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain attacks
- 2017 London, United Kingdom - Parsons Green attack (15 September 2017)
- 2016 Brussels, Belgium attacks
- 2016 Nice, France attack
- 2016 Kabul, Afghanistan attack
- 2016 Berlin, Germany attack
- 2015 Tunis, Tunisia arms assault
- 2015 Paris, France attacks
- 2014 Kabul, Afghanistan kidnapping
- 2013 Nairobi, Kenya armed assault
- 2013 Tripoli, Lebanon bombings
- 2011 Quetta, Pakistan bombing
- 2011 Mindanao, Philippines kidnapping
- 2010 Varanasi, India bombing
- 2009 Jakarta, Indonesia hotel bombings
- 2008 Mumbai, India attacks
- 2008 Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan arms assault
- 2007 Hyderabad, India attack
- 2006 Egypt bombings
- 2006 Gardez, Paktia Province, Afghanistan bombing
- 2005 Bali, Indonesia bombings
- 2005 London, United Kingdom bombings
- 2005 Delhi, India bombings
- 2004 Australian Embassy, Jakarta, Indonesia bombing
- 2004 Thaloqan near Kandahar, Afghanistan arms assault
- 2004 Yanbu' al Bahr, Saudi Arabia arms assault
- 2004 Al-Khubar, Saudi Arabia armed assault
- 2003 Khormal, Iraq bombing
- 2003 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia bombings
- 2003 Baghdad, Iraq arms assault
- 2003 Jakarta, Indonesia bombing
- 2003 Baghdad, Iraq bombing
- 2003 Istanbul, Turkey bombing
- 2002 Karachi, Pakistan attack
- 2002 Bali, Indonesia bombings
- 2002 Islamabad, Pakistan attack
- 2001 Istanbul, Turkey bombing
- 2001 US September 11 attacks
For information about
active declared overseas terrorist acts refer to
Services Australia.
Claiming
Services Australia is responsible for processing claims.
Information on how to claim the AVTOP is available from Services Australia on 1800 040 226, or through Services Australia.
