Govt urges disaster insurers to pay up

Insurers have been put on notice by the federal government to quickly deal with
claims by fire and flood victims in the wake of the disasters in Victoria and
Queensland.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said even as fires still rage in Victoria, the government
is now looking at the long-term reconstruction of communities affected by the
disaster.
MPs continued to speak to a condolence motion in parliament on Wednesday, and
question time in both houses was cancelled for the rest of the week as a mark of
respect.
Some opposition MPs expressed anger earlier in the day at Mr Rudd's linking on
Tuesday of funding from the $42 billion economic stimulus package to the recovery
effort.
But Mr Rudd repeated in parliament on Wednesday his pledge that rebuilding costs
would be shared between the federal and Victorian governments.
"The Australian government's contribution to this reconstruction effort will be
uncapped," he said.
Mr Rudd and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese held a 25-minute meeting early
in the day with Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull to discuss the bushfires and the
government response.
The prime minister later told parliament he would consider any constructive
proposals from the opposition on how to handle the crisis.
"Our responsibility as members of this parliament is to learn from this
extraordinary disaster and to act on what we have learned," he said.
"In this respect, both on these immediate challenges and on these longer term
challenges, none of us in this place are the repositories of all wisdom."
Shortly after Mr Rudd finished speaking, Mr Turnbull told parliament he wanted a
joint parliamentary select committee to review the bushfires, in tandem with the
Victorian government's own royal commission.
He also suggested the government appoint a special commissioner of disaster
insurance to oversee insurance claims and that it appoint Liberal backbencher Fran
Bailey, whose electorate of McEwen is the worst affected by the fires, to the
Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction Authority.
Mr Rudd also paid tribute to Ms Bailey, who had remained in her electorate since the
weekend, describing her as "an extraordinary woman".
He also praised the overwhelming public response to the tragedy.
"The people of Australia have opened their hearts, they've opened their homes,
they've opened their wallets, they've opened their lives to those who have been
directly affected," he said.
But Mr Rudd urged people wanting to help to give cash rather than goods via the
national registered appeals and to charities on the frontline.
"At least 5,000 people remain homeless and of course, they have nothing at all - no
money, no credit cards, no car, no clothes," Mr Rudd said.
The priority of the government was to make the destroyed communities functioning
centres again.
Mr Rudd said this would include long-term reviews of building codes, planning laws,
vegetation management, electricity transmission systems and arson laws.