40 | Mid-Western Living March/April 2024 MRI MACHINE PETITION FOR THE MUDGEE REGION CONSTRUCTION STARTS AT PUTTA BUCCA! GULGONG COMMUNITY GET TOGETHER The parliamentary inquiry into the storm and flood event of November 2022 is underway. During the hearings so far, some damning evidence has been heard about the unscrupulous behaviour of insurance companies. Vicki Stay from Financial Counselling Australia spoke of policy holders being “coerced, gaslit and ghosted” by insurance companies. Laura Powell from Anglicare said of insurers, “I will say they do lie.” The evidence from Financial Counselling Victoria was of “very vindictive behaviour” by insurers, including threats. On Monday, I questioned Suncorp Chief Executive Steve Johnston about the case of a couple in Eugowra who were forced to live in a caravan for months while they faced a litany of delays. I said: “They’re customers of yours… why did it have to take constituents making videos about their experiences for all the world to see for you to take action and move and progress on that claim? Why does it have to be so hard?” Mr Johnston answered: “I’m embarrassed.” I also pressed the Insurance Council of Australia’s CEO, Andrew Hall, on the appalling way policyholders were treated in the wake of the 2022 floods. I said: “It’s embarrassing, isn’t it?” Mr Hall replied: “It’s not a good look for the industry.” I pressed again: “It’s shameful, isn’t it? Why can’t you say it? Why can’t you say it?” Finally, Mr Hall admitted: “It is shameful. Well, if it makes you happy, I’ll say we are not proud of it, and those stories don’t bring great glory to our industry”. I anticipate that the inquiry will visit the Central West so that our residents can tell their stories. If you have an insurance experience from the November 2022 floods that you would like to share, the submissions portal and the online survey remain open. To complete the survey, scan the QR code or head to: www. aph.gov.au/floodinsurance INQUIRY HEARS OF “VINDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR” BY INSURERS 107 George Street PO Box 54 Bathurst NSW 2795 (02) 6331 0524 andrew.gee.mp@aph.gov.au www.andrewgeemp.com.au Andrew GEE MP INDEPENDENT FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CALARE BATHURST ELECTORATE OFFICE For regular updates and news, follow me on Facebook and Instagram @andrewgeecalare Don’t forget to sign our MRI Machine for the Mudgee Region Petition! We have hard copy petitions and an e-petition, which call on the NSW Government to deliver a MRI scanning machine for the Mudgee region as a matter of urgency. It is unfair and unjust that local residents have to travel long distances to access this lifesaving technology when other regional communities already have these machines. Hard copy petitions can be found in many small businesses around the region, and they have currently accumulated some 5,600 signatures. Alternatively, here’s the link to the e-petition: www.parliament. nsw.gov.au/la/pages/epetitiondetails.aspx?q=1BdQL4hIcHyqW_0Q08anw. This link can also be found on my Facebook page. The aim is to get 10,000 signatures on the hard copy petition or 20,000 on the e-petition, so that the issue can be debated in the NSW Parliament. For your support to be counted, please include your name, address and signature when filling out the form. Otherwise, your name might not go towards the final petition tally. Your details will not be used for any other purpose. If you would like to host a petition, give our office a call on (02) 6361 7138. We had a wonderful community morning tea at the Gulgong CWA Hall recently. There was lots of great discussion on a wide array of issues affecting the area. And there were so many community members present who do so much to make our region and our country a better place. One of them is Robyn Jones. I got the opportunity to present Robyn with some beautiful blooms in recognition of her receiving Mid Western Council’s Australia Day Volunteer Services Award. And Robyn wasn’t the only community champion to receive a bouquet! Thank you and well done Margaret Ried! We even got to sing some country classics like the Ring of Fire! Thanks Jim! It sure was a great community get together! It's great to see that work has started on the Putta Bucca Training Camp Facility in Mudgee! Thanks to a $2.76 million grant from the previous Federal Government, a fantastic accommodation building is being constructed to host professional athletes visiting Mudgee for big matches, as well as Australia’s future sporting stars competing in town. Located between the Glen Willow Regional Sport Complex and Putta Bucca Wetlands, the 40-room accommodation centre will make booking the Glen Willow Regional Sport Complex for major tournaments even more enticing to sporting associations across NSW – providing a massive economic boost to the town and surrounding region.
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