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Fire And Flood Victims Would Welcome Contact: Hall

Eastern Region MP Peter Hall has called for the Premier or the Treasurer, as head of the ministerial bushfire recovery task force, to make a simple phone call.

By The Nationals - 2nd March 2007 - Back to News

Mr Hall said his constituents in Licola had suffered a double whammy of fire and flood, with potential devastating effect, but had yet to hear from anyone connected with the taskforce, even to ask how they were going.

Mr Hall told State Parliament this week that he had rung two of his constituents in Licola, Ralph Barraclough, the local Country Fire Authority captain, and Ray Winter, who, with his wife Mary, runs the general store and caravan park at Licola.

"Anyone watching television at the weekend would know that Ralph and Ray, along with others in Licola, suffered significant storm damage to their properties when a deluge of rain, on severely burnt country, washed tonnes of mud and debris down valleys and through buildings in their path," Mr Hall said.

"As a result, Ralph will probably lose his house, and the future of Ray and Mary's business is at severe risk. All this comes on top of the disastrous bushfires that have swept the Licola area in recent months."

Mr Hall said he had rung to tell them he was thinking of them and to offer any assistance that they needed.

"They informed me that they have had great help from organisations like the State Emergency Service, the Wellington shire, volunteers from a whole range of different service clubs who have been up to help, and also some Department of Sustainability and Environment staff who have been very helpful.

"What they were most disappointed in was the fact that they have never been contacted by anybody on the ministerial bushfire recovery task force.

"Neither the Premier nor the Treasurer, who chairs that task force, or indeed any member of the task force has had the courtesy of even calling them on the telephone to see what their needs are in this time of crisis."

Mr Hall said he called on the Premier or the Treasurer to make the effort to contact these unfortunate people "who have been hit with a double whammy of bushfires and now mud slides."

Outside Parliament, Mr Hall said it did not take much to keep in touch with people who had obviously suffered a great deal, not once but twice. "Many people have been impacted by the bushfire season, but few have been hit as hard as Licola residents because of the follow up mudslides caused by heavy rains.

"If the Ministerial Taskforce is in place to assist, why not take the initiative and contact people when you know they are in trouble, rather than wait for them to make the first move. I ask the Premier or the Treasurer, to extend a hand."

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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