Monday, November 24, 2014

TERRITORY GOVERNMENT MAULED IN THE MALL OVER INSURANCE

The Northern Territory Country Liberal Party government  led  by unpopular  Chief Minister , Adam Giles , last seen on crutches , is being  tossed about  and  well  grilled  like  the  contents in  a flaming  wok , above, in Darwin's Smith Street Mall.Territorians  are   furious over the  sale  of the  Territory Insurance Office . Also visible in  this graphic  photo is an NT News   poster  highlighting  the  government's hard  sell  on TIO .

The  insurance assets have been sold to  the world's biggest insurer -Allianz- for $236 million and the banking side went to  People's Choice for  $48 million. The  fear is that  insurance premiums  will  be increased and  jobs  lost .This  concern  is felt in North Queensland where there are  TIO insurance  holders and  insurance premiums generally  have skyrocketed there in recent years .

There  is  widespread  dissent over the sale and the NT News has been  giving the   outrage  much coverage . A stand was set up in  The Mall in Darwin and many people signed a petition  against the sale .  Several members of  the dysfunctional Giles Government  are  green  about  the  gills as  it is  easy to  gauge  the feelings  in  tiny electorates  and  they know voters  will extract  revenge  at  the  next  election.

A large  protest rally  was about to take place  this  week in Darwin . Longtime  influential  activist, June Tapp, a contemporary of the late  Jim  Bowditch,  made  her  feelings clear  at a  meeting  in  Katherine and brandished  a Northern Territory  News poster. There is talk that the  government will use  the  proceeds  from  the  sale to fund  a  "pork barrel" election fund .  The  sale announcement   came   shortly  after  Inpex   announced  it  would  sack  1000 or  more  workers from  its  $30billion gas plant in  Darwin before  Christmas, some likely to be re-employed in the Dry .

The  Gove refinery is in virtual mothballs , the workforce  greatly reduced .   While  there has been much talk about  the potential massive  cost  of  covering claims  made on  the government backed  TIO due to  natural disasters , it is  the  unexpected economic  hits  which  also  shock and impact on  the  community .