Tuesday 12 November, 2019.
Newcastle Permanent has announced a $25,000 donation to The Salvation Army’s Bushfire Disaster Appeal along with a package of financial relief measures for customers affected by the bushfire crisis throughout Northern NSW.
Newcastle Permanent’s Chief Executive Officer, Bernadette Inglis, said she hoped the support measures would provide some relief to the communities decimated by the natural disaster.
“We are acutely aware of the distress and devastation these fires have already caused in our regional NSW communities, and hope this donation helps The Salvation Army to continue its emergency and recovery efforts, which are already having a positive impact.
“We’ve also activated our relief measures and product concessions for customers affected by the fires, in an effort to help them and reduce the pressure they’re facing now as they assess the damage and rebuild their properties,” Ms Inglis said.
“With communities throughout Northern NSW overcome by bushfires in the past week, and more threatening weather forecast, we thank our firefighters and local volunteers, and wish them the best for the battles they’ll encounter in coming days.
“Some of our local team members are among those affected, and we will continue to support them and our customers as the situation unfolds.
“Due to the impacts on our local staff, our Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Forster and Taree branches remain closed, and we continue to assess the operation of our branches in other affected areas, based on the availability and safety of our staff.”
This relief package is available immediately to customers affected by bushfires, particularly those on the NSW North Coast, and will remain in place until further notice. Customers with insurance are also encouraged to contact their insurer directly as they may be eligible for assistance with emergency accommodation or expedited claims for home, contents and vehicle insurance.
“The concessions include access to additional loan repayments or funds in Term Deposits, or restructuring loan repayments to help customers to restore their homes or replace damaged items. Any customers who need assistance should contact our local team or Customer Contact Centre on 13 19 87 to discuss their options so we can assist them to identify which options would help in their individual situation,” Ms Inglis said.
“This is a very difficult time for everyone in these communities, including our local staff, and we wish them all the strength and hope they will need to recover.”
How to get involved
If you’d also like to help support the Salvation Army’s Bushfire Disaster Appeal, you can donate online or call 13 SALVOS (13 72 58).
- $80 can help to provide household essentials during an emergency
- $125 can help reach isolated families in an emergency
- $250 can help provide urgent immediate assistance, like food and shelter; and
- $1,000 can go towards ongoing care and support in the aftermath of the emergency