Let me relieve you of your beachfront estate

Let me relieve you of your beachfront estate

Andrew Bolt
Herald Sun, October 27, 2009

If they’re in that much danger, why are they worth so much?

MORE than 80,000 buildings on Victoria’s coast will be at risk from the ravages of rising sea levels and extreme weather. The Western Port region is especially vulnerable amid estimates that 18,000 properties valued at almost $2 billion are in the danger zone… The alarming forecasts emerged last night in a new report tabled in Federal Parliament by the all-party House of Representatives Climate Change, Environment, Water and the Arts Committee.

If the Government really wants to “do something” about this calamity, here’s a free-market way to reward the right-believers and punish the deniers: arrange for these properties to be sold to sceptics. For a modest discount, we’ll surely take these worthless properties off their trembling hands. In fact, I’d be delighted to help Greg Combet, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change, get rid of the property he so foolishly bought only two years ago that now will be among the first to go:

High-profile Labor candidate Greg Combet has bought a beach front house in one of Newcastle’s most exclusive suburbs…

In other words, leave it to the market to assess the true risk. Don’t impose your warming beliefs.

Read the rest here