Hundreds rally against insurance companies
By Andrew Hall
WOLLONGONG — Angry at insurance companies' refusal to pay for internal and external damage caused by freak storms here on August 17, more than 300 people marched through the city on September 25 before rallying outside the offices of NRMA.
Insurance companies have been quibbling about the definition of "flood", as opposed to "storm damage", angering people who have been paying insurance premiums for many years.
Joanne, a 15-year-old victim of the storms, told the rally how she and her family lost everything, but "Dad said we would be OK because we were insured". The insurance company refused to pay. Others said the insurance company's attitude was adding extreme stress to people already suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
One speaker received a huge cheer when he called on the insurance companies and governments to put people before profits. Participants were urged to attend the annual general meeting of NRMA in Sydney on October 26. Free buses will be leave at 7am from South Beach bus terminal.
The local politicians present continued to call only for insurers to meet their "moral obligations", and for a parliamentary enquiry into the insurance industry.
"These are not real solutions", the Democratic Socialists' candidate for Cunningham, Margaret Perrott, told Green Left Weekly at the rally. "We can only make the insurance companies accountable by nationalising them and ensuring that the state body guarantees all victims accident and disaster compensation."