The Queensland government has announced that flood relief grants of $ 5000 for the uninsured will be means tested - and that $ 48,000 will be the income point where joint income ceases to qualify.
That means people earning just $ 460 a week will be deemed " too rich " to be offered help.
The problem is that giving public money to the uninsured gets up the noses of people who scrimp and save to pay their insurance premiums. It is a perennial problem after any disaster - whether it be fire or flood that affects communities.
In the case of the Queensland floods it is double trouble - because many victims would gladly have insurance - except this was denied them by the insurance industry. At the same time, there were certainly other people who made a conscious decision not to insure - because they preferred to spend their money on other pleasures.
There is a solution to this dilemma. The governments of the states could demand that all homes be covered by a universal fire and flood insurance policy taken in bulk - and that the premium be added to council rates.
Individual householders would then have the option of " topping up " their cover to include burglary and other risks, and the premium cost would be shared over the entire community because those renting would have that premium taken into account when rents were set.
The principle was established when " Green slip " insurance was made a condition of registration for our cars - and it would seem to be the only solution if we are ever to avoid the future repeats of uninsured people claiming on the public purse after disasters.
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