The Centralian Advocate Tue 28 Sep 2021
Centralian Advocate; NewspaperNT
2021-09-28
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Alice Springs; Tennant Creek (N.T.) -- Newspapers; Alice Springs (N.T.) -- Newspapers; Australia, Central -- Newspapers
News Corp Australia
Darwin
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News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/851641
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/851644
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 28 2021 BUSINESS 21 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA TERRY MCCRANN VICTORIANPremier DanielAndrews owes hisNSW counterpartGladys Berejiklian a personal apology and 6.6 million Victorians a public apology. He owes the one to Berejiklian over his sneering ridicule of her softer lockdown approach to fighting the virus. He owes the apology to every single Victorian over his excessively brutal and it is now becoming all too evident, both unnecessary and ineffective lockdowns compared with NSW. Both derived from Andrews absurd and utterly, utterly, delusional belief that he alone not just in Australia, but in the entire world knew how to defeat the Delta strain with brutal lockdowns. Two months ago, he arrogantly declared that we meaning I, your allknowing Great Leader had seen off Delta not just once but twice and would do it again with the brutal lockdowns, curfews and nasty and pointless restrictions like closing playgrounds and skate parks. Two months on, it is now entirely possible, maybe even probable, that the number of daily Victorian Covid cases will pass NSWs with Victoria going up and NSW falling or at least stabilising. And remember, this would happen in a state whose 6.6 million population is only 80 per cent of NSWs 8.2 million meaning Victorias real performance would be so much worse. Over the last seven days, NSW cases have averaged 988 a day; Victorias 723. But adjusted for population, that Victorian number would have been 903. More tellingly, the trend is against Victoria. Over the two days of the weekend, when testing numbers fall sharply, NSW recorded 1748 cases and Victoria 1484. But adjusted for the lower population, the Victorian number was the equivalent of a higher than NSW 1855. Why did I mention the testing numbers? Because daily tests in Victoria have been running at around half those of NSW. Self-evidently, as Andrews himself and his two key health advisers, Brett Sutton and Jeroen Weimar, themselves declare repeatedly, if you test more, you find more cases. Over the last 11 days NSWs 11,551 cases came from 1.34 million tests; Victorias 7181 cases came from 612,000 tests. If Victoria had done as many tests as NSW, it might I stress, might have found 15,664 cases, in comparative terms. What is clear and undeniable, over those 11 days NSW was finding 8.65 cases for each 1000 tests, while Victoria was finding a much higher 11.73 cases for each 1000 tests. What is also therefore clear and undeniable is that Andrews more brutal and in some areas deliberately and unnecessarily punitive lockdowns havent delivered better outcomes. Thats with one clearly very, very important exception; deaths. Since August 1, NSW has recorded 237 deaths, Victoria only 24. Apart from the obvious: just exactly how many lives were saved by banning kids from playgrounds and people from playing golf? Lets revisit the comparison at the end of October, as Victoria will very likely have racked up many, many more cases than NSW over the course of the month. Apart from Victoria likely passing NSW in daily Covid cases, there have been two other passings of note. Just as I foreshadowed a week ago, over the weekend Australia went past China in total number of recorded cases. According to Worldometer, as of Monday morning wed recorded 97,550 cases in total since the start of it all in February 2020; while China had only recorded 96,115. Just to be clear, those are absolute total numbers not populationadjusted. And the Chinese numbers are complete and utter fiction like every number on anything produced in China. Also, Scott Morrison has now passed all his recent predecessors in time as PM, most recently Julia Gillard. Morrisons now 14th and will have jumped to 12th by the election. Andrews owes 6.6m plus one an apology The burnt-out remains of a home at Cobargo, NSW after the 2019-20 fires. Picture: AAP Source: Canstar PREMIUM INCREASES Market average cost for home and contents insurance and the average annual premium increase SA Market average $1219 Annual premium increase 9.7% WA Market average $1442 Annual premium increase 14.0% QLD Market average $1916 Annual premium increase 15.8% NSW Market average $1689 Annual premium increase 10.2% Nth QLD Market average $4813 Annual premium increase 14.0% VIC Market average $1433 Annual premium increase 19.3% INSURANCE PREMIUMS INCREASE AFTER YEAR OF CATASTROPHES ROLLING natural disasters over the past 18 months including bushfires, storms and floods have sent the average home-and-contents insurance premium skyrocketing. A comparison of sample premium quotes from eight insurers by financial comparison site Canstar has revealed the average yearly cost of $550,000 of building cover and $50,000 of contents cover has shot up by almost 14 per cent in one year. Victorians, who have now submitted more than 4000 claims relating to last weeks earthquake, saw the steepest increase with the average policy in the state shooting up 19.3 per cent to $1433. But residents of cycloneprone north Queensland still have the highest overall average premium cost of $4813, an increase of 14 per cent. Canstar finance expert and executive Steve Mickenbecker said north Queenslands higher premiums showed the impact more frequent severe weather had on premiums. Canstars research confirms that this increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather corresponds with a rise in home-andcontents insurance premium prices, he said. He said the price increases also reflected an expectation that there would be heightened severe weather events this summer. Insurers dont wait for a storm before putting premiums up, but apply increases when they form a view that the risk has increased, he said. The premium price rise comes after insurers were hit with a wave of claims over the past 18 months relating to the 2019-20 black summer bushfires and the hailstorms, floods and storms that followed. Canstar analysis of Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority data shows these events resulted in more than 116,600 building claims and more than 51,400 contents claims. I N S U R A N C E LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY Scan to enter Win a share of $20,000 in eGift Cards! There are 20 x $1,000 CookwareBrands.com.au eGift Cards up for grabs for lucky +Rewards members in this competition. 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