3 years ago
OVER FORTY PERCENT OF NSW BUSHFIRE VICTIMS REJECTED FOR DEBRIS CLEANUP
Murray Watt MP
Shocking figures released by the National Bushfire Recovery Agency and reported in the Daily Telegraph today show that forty one percent of bushfire victims in New South Wales have been rejected for assistance through the State-Federal funded debris cleanup program.
This is a huge difference to both Victoria and South Australia, who are also running State-Federal funded debris cleanup programs. In Victoria and South Australia, only 1.6 per cent of properties and 0.5 per cent of properties, respectively, have been rejected.
It means that New South Wales bushfire victims are twenty five times more likely to be rejected for debris cleanup assistance than in Victoria, and eighty two times more likely than in South Australia.
When the State-Federal funded bushfire debris cleanup program was announced in late January, the Prime Minister said,
“Government is picking up the bill for the clean-up, at no cost to owners, so if you’re uninsured, this is one less thing to worry about and if you are insured, it means you will be able to use every dollar of your policy to rebuild.”
Clearly this has not been the case for nearly half of NSW bushfire victims relying on Government support to assist in cleaning up their properties. Once again, this Government has shown that they’re great at making announcements, but cannot deliver.
New South Wales suffered devastation this summer. In terms of property damage, loss of life and hectares burned, it was the most heavily impacted state by this unprecedented fire season. So why is Scott Morrison letting bushfire victims in his home state be rejected and abandoned?
Regions along the South Coast that were devastated by the bushfires, like Shoalhaven, Bega Valley and Eurobodalla, have seen hundreds of rejections.
Of course Labor respects that assistance is not always within scope. But tough questions must be asked as to why so many more properties have been deemed ineligible for assistance in New South Wales, compared to other states.
The debris cleanup is now months overdue and has now been revealed to be rejecting nearly as many people as it’s accepting.
This situation is completely unacceptable. This Government is leaving NSW bushfire victims behind.
This is a huge difference to both Victoria and South Australia, who are also running State-Federal funded debris cleanup programs. In Victoria and South Australia, only 1.6 per cent of properties and 0.5 per cent of properties, respectively, have been rejected.
It means that New South Wales bushfire victims are twenty five times more likely to be rejected for debris cleanup assistance than in Victoria, and eighty two times more likely than in South Australia.
When the State-Federal funded bushfire debris cleanup program was announced in late January, the Prime Minister said,
“Government is picking up the bill for the clean-up, at no cost to owners, so if you’re uninsured, this is one less thing to worry about and if you are insured, it means you will be able to use every dollar of your policy to rebuild.”
Clearly this has not been the case for nearly half of NSW bushfire victims relying on Government support to assist in cleaning up their properties. Once again, this Government has shown that they’re great at making announcements, but cannot deliver.
New South Wales suffered devastation this summer. In terms of property damage, loss of life and hectares burned, it was the most heavily impacted state by this unprecedented fire season. So why is Scott Morrison letting bushfire victims in his home state be rejected and abandoned?
Regions along the South Coast that were devastated by the bushfires, like Shoalhaven, Bega Valley and Eurobodalla, have seen hundreds of rejections.
Of course Labor respects that assistance is not always within scope. But tough questions must be asked as to why so many more properties have been deemed ineligible for assistance in New South Wales, compared to other states.
The debris cleanup is now months overdue and has now been revealed to be rejecting nearly as many people as it’s accepting.
This situation is completely unacceptable. This Government is leaving NSW bushfire victims behind.