The Queensland flood is a massive catastrophe; some insurance companies will turn it into an endless heartache for some flood affected people. I listened to the Alan Jones radio show; Julia, a young lady, told her heart-rending story. Her small house and her pensioner parents' house were built on the same large block of land in the Ipswich area. Both houses were totally destroyed, but were insured for $600.000 including flood and contents. The insurance company offered them a paltry payout of $30.000; this is absolutely shameful and that is an understatement.
And the following is absolutely beyond the pale, and we are supposed to live in a democratic society.
Queensland police threatened Grantham service station owner Martin Warburton, 41, with arrest on Thursday if he attempted to speak with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh about the failure of their governments to provide timely and adequate assistance to the flood-ravaged community. Warburton, who is chairman of the Grantham relief committee and a former councillor, was told by the local police sergeant he could be arrested and charged for “inciting fear and anger in the community”.
If this doesn’t make you angry, nothing will. To read the full story about this, click here. Please donate generously to the Queensland flood appeal, put yourself into the shoes of those people who lost everything and are being abandoned by the insurance companies. – Werner
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My thought for today. – Werner
It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies. - Arthur Calwell
And the following is absolutely beyond the pale, and we are supposed to live in a democratic society.
Queensland police threatened Grantham service station owner Martin Warburton, 41, with arrest on Thursday if he attempted to speak with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh about the failure of their governments to provide timely and adequate assistance to the flood-ravaged community. Warburton, who is chairman of the Grantham relief committee and a former councillor, was told by the local police sergeant he could be arrested and charged for “inciting fear and anger in the community”.
If this doesn’t make you angry, nothing will. To read the full story about this, click here. Please donate generously to the Queensland flood appeal, put yourself into the shoes of those people who lost everything and are being abandoned by the insurance companies. – Werner
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It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies. - Arthur Calwell
PM Julia Gillard stated proudly on radio that the “The government has provided 17 millions to the disaster fund in Queensland, with more to come in due course.” Well done Julia! But this is chicken feed in comparison to what you give to foreign countries.
ReplyDeleteIndonesia - $ 458.7 million. - Papua New Guinea -$ 457.2 million.
Solomon Islands - $ 225.7 million. - Afghanistan - $ 123.1 million.
Vietnam - $ 119.8 million. - Philippines - $ 118.1 million.
East Timor - $ 102.7 million. - Cambodia - $ 64.2 million.
TOTAL = $ 1,669 million -to be given away in 52 weeks
.. but wait, there’s more... !
Australia provides approximately 150,000 tonnes of food aid every year—about $65 million- to: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Chad.
In 2010-2011 the Australian Government plans to spend almost $4.4 billion on development assistance to under developed countries.
SO….. Ask your local Member how come 2011 Queensland flood victims get “$17 million so far”?
When insurers, such as Allianz and CGU, provide cover for storm damage but EXCLUDE FLOOD from their home and contents policies.
I suggest, we exclude them from our Shopping Lists!
And now, Gillard will give nearly $500 million for Indonesia’s Islamic schools which are largely moderate in outlook but there have been pockets of radicalism that have produced terrorists in Indonesia, most notably the cleric Abu Bakar Bashir’s school in Ngruki, central Java, where some of the Bali bombers studied
Stop the overseas aid now and divert those funds to Queensland, and other flood ravaged Australian states and, when Queensland has been rebuilt and back on its feet, then we can help to build more Islamic schools overseas.
And here’s an idea: maybe we can also teach Abu Bakir’s disciples to sing:-"Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree", "Gumbayah",
"Waltzing Matilda," and "I still call Australia home"!!
Werner, this situation is truly catastrophic. We are going to see a lot of mental health issues come out of this due to people's feelings of having no control over their government and the decisions made on their behalf.
ReplyDeleteWe thought it was bad before, and it was, but this takes the whole situation up to boiling point.
If Bligh and Gillard thought Wivenhoe was bulging at the seams and needed release, wait till they cop the dam-burst of public opinion when people realize how bad it is for so many of them.
Situations like this call for strong people to stand up and provide an alternative.
I love your quote of the day. Let's hope people with principles can win soon.
I want to show ordinary Australians, especially young ones that people with principles CAN win and we CAN right wrongs.
The service station owner has every right to be angry. It is sad that we have the need for insurance, governments should cover it all in my opinion; they don't insure schools and public offices.
ReplyDeleteThe, governments receive money every minute every day from taxes on commodities etc. so don't tell me they are helpless to do anything. Technically we shouldn't have to donate anything anywhere as many people are affected by the Queensland and other area flooding.
Think about the people who fly out of Victoria and work in the FNQ etc. Julia G is stupid to try and go on with the NBN contract, the electricians and technicians would then not be available to the victims of flooding. It would make more sense to hold back on that one for the moment.
Think about this; there has been cloud seeding for years, Tasmania is flooded, everywhere else has flooded also. Insurance companies are claiming flooding is an act of God; I believe it is an act of Governments.
All politicians are the same then, because they are all equally as guilty. The Queenslanders and other states should be taking a class action big-time against the governments, my opinion.
The Queensland flood is a calamity of mammoth proportion. We will see a lot of desperate people in Queensland who are getting to a point of despair, and we can expect a spate of suicides.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth can people in their “autumn” years that lost everything, and have only a small amount of money saved, rebuild their houses and lives after being abandoned by their insurance company as well as their government?
It is just wrong that our federal government has so much money to give away to foreign countries, yet they make a paltry amount of $17 Million available to their own people. I totally agree with the comment by True Blue Aussie.
It will take years for Queensland to get over this and only at a great cost to everybody. The 42 billion dollar NBS should be stopped; it is of no benefit to the people who lost their houses, they have other priorities.