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By GREGOR MACTAGGART
Budgeree-based fencer Robert Beamish is among the people assisting in the repair mission following the widespread impact of the devastating storms which lashed the region earlier this month. FULL STORY - PAGE 5
BE ON THE ALERT methods by which these people go about their work. “We call them disaster chasers because they do exactly that, they follow natural disasters all over Australia, so depending on the event they will change their mode of operation,” the spokesperson said. “The things they tend to want to ‘assist’ homeowners with are things like debris and tree removal, they may also offer to do inspection of damage and they may also offer to do repairs to the home.” As a result of letting a disaster chaser into their home, a number of negative
implications can arise when it comes to insurance. “Where that comes into the equation in terms of insurance is that if the home owner allows these disaster chasers to do a home inspection or repairs it may then have implications on their insurance policy,” they said. “The insurer does an assessment and determines what repairs need to be done, so if somebody else has come in and had a bit of a fiddle and not done great repair work or done more damage to the property, that can then implicate the insurance claim.”
For those worried this may happen to them there are a number of tell-tale signs to look out for. “The telling sign (that the person is a disaster chaser) is that they ask for cash up front. Door knocking is the other big sign, if you are a home owner and you just want to get debris removed you will pick up the phone and find somebody local to come and do it, if somebody doorknocks you and offers the service that is a whole different ball game (and that’s when people should become concerned).” Continued on page 4
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DARREN Chester was yesterday a casualty of a federal cabinet reshuffle sparked by Barnaby Joyce’s return as Nationals leader. Mr Chester, the Federal Member for Gippsland, was replaced as the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel by Andrew Gee. “I have been incredibly humbled by the support expressed both publicly and privately in recent days by veterans’ organisations and individuals,” Mr Chester said. “There was still plenty of work to be done, but that task will fall to the incoming minister. “I urge the ex-service community to provide the same constructive feedback, practical advice and input that my team has benefited from. “It has been the greatest honour and privilege of my working life to spend time with you and represent your interests within the federal government.” The decision comes despite calls from members of the veterans’ community calling for stability in the portfolio ahead of the Royal Commission into veterans suicides. It is the second time Mr Chester, 51, has been dumped from the federal cabinet. He held the role of Minister for Infrastructure and Transport from February 2016 to December 2017 and was the Minister for Regional Development from October to December 2017. Mr Chester said despite the disappointment of the news, he remained committed to serving his electorate and thanked his family for their unwavering support. “I love Gippsland, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “To my wife Julie and my four beautiful children. Ministerial responsibility takes hours away from family life and the biggest benefit of being sacked from cabinet for the second time is that we get to spend more time together in the place we love.” Mr Chester will join deposed leader Michael McCormack on the backbench as Mr Joyce promoted one of his great allies, Senator Bridget McKenzie. Senator McKenzie returns to cabinet 18 months after she quit due to the sports rorts saga to take on the role as Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education as well as Drought and Emergency Management.
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LATROBE Valley flood victims are being urged to stay alert as scammers look to take advantage of those at their most vulnerable. Commonly referred to as ‘disaster chasers’, these people descend on areas that have recently undergone a traumatic weather event, such as the recent severe weather event in the valley, and offer a wide range of different services to ‘assist’ in the clean-up effort. An Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) spokesperson described the typical
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