Australian PM did not speak to gunman during siege

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott did not speak to the gunman in the Sydney cafe siege following police advice.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Abbott said he had been prepared to speak to Man Horis Man after he demanded to speak to him during the 16-hour siege at a cafe in Sydney.

Mr Abbott told reporters: "I said to my office when I became aware of this request that obviously I was prepared to do whatever the police advised was best in these circumstances and the advice we got from police was to have not contact with him."

It comes as he ordered an urgent review into how the security services handled Monis.

Mr Abbott said he wanted answers as to why Monis has been released on bail, had dropped off a terrorism watch list in 2009 and possessed a gun licence.