Public Liability Crisis to Sink Life Savers
17 October 2003 at 1:10 pm
Australia’s lifesavers have until the end of the month to find the money to pay a massive public liability insurance premium – so they’ve had to come up with a new strategy of calling on the public to help!
Surf Live Saving Australia says if it wants to keep this vital Australian icon on the beach this summer then for the first time the organisation has had to call on Australians for financial support to pay the insurance.
Group Marketing Manager, Michael Hornby says the organisation was shocked to find its public liability insurance has gone up by 152%.
Hornby says the organisation can’t just go back to its lifesavers and expect them to put their hands in their pockets again.
He says lifesavers already pay for the privilege of saving lives.
SLSA says it needs to urgently raise an additional $1million dollars to keep lifesavers on the beach where some clubs and members across the country have had to weather some incredible increases of up to 500% in some states over five years.
Hornby says Surf Life Saving is not only asking for public support but also government support to drive legislative reform in each state and financial assistance as well.
The organisation says commonwealth and state legislative initiatives so far have clearly not had an effect on the insurance markets and the reality is that many organisations are still vulnerable to a very small insurance industry now concentrated in the UK.
SLSA has been pooling national insurance for the last eight years and placing it offshore for the last three years.
Hornby says while state and federal legislative changes have protected the individual surf live save, collectively they have failed to protect organisations like Surf Life saving Australia.
If you would like to comment on the public liability insurance issues why not join our On Line Forum at probonoaustralia.com.au.
