![\"\"](\"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/postcodes.jpg\" "\\"Postcodes\\"")
<\/a>February 16, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n Federal Member for Maranoa Bruce Scott has again called for an urgent review of Blackbutt’s postcode, an issue which has been bugging residents – and costing them money – for years.<\/p>\n Mr Scott made an impassioned speech in Parliament last week saying the Blackbutt-Benarkin region was perched on top of the Great Dividing Range however it shared the same 4306 postcode as Ipswich city, 140km away.<\/p>\n \u201cFor these two regions to share a postcode is bizarre, to say the least, because the two regions don\u2019t even share a border,\u201d Mr Scott said.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDue to the fact that Ipswich-Amberley 4306 is metropolitan and the Blackbutt-Benarkin region is rural, the erroneous allocation has resulted in a diverse and significant range of detrimental outcomes for the Blackbutt-Benarkin region.<\/p>\n \u201cInsurance premiums are adversely affected because Blackbutt-Benarkin is lumped in with the woes of metropolitan cities, for instance, in relation to crime.<\/p>\n \u201cHome, contents and motor vehicle insurances are based on postcodes.<\/p>\n “The rural Blackbutt region does not have the perceived threat risk on many levels associated with the Ipswich region.<\/p>\n “However, if you live in Blackbutt’s neighbouring town of Yarraman, the circulation of insurance premiums mean that a Yarraman resident was quoted a premium $600 less than their Blackbutt neighbour.<\/p>\n “This is simply because Yarraman, 14km away from Blackbutt, does not share the 4306 postcode.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In efforts to obtain a better deal for Blackbutt-Benarkin residents, Mr Scott has made representations to Australia Post, the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Insurance Council of Australia and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of whom advised of their powerlessness to influence insurance companies or to effect change,\u201d he said with frustration.<\/p>\n \u201cTake the postcode of 4306: add those numbers up and you get 13 \u2014 maybe I am superstitious \u2014 but this postcode remains one of the unluckiest Queensland postcodes for 57 separate localities that share 4306.\u201d<\/p>\n Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n Mr Scott\u2019s fight for a better postcode system was then used last week to grill Australia Post\u2019s CEO during a Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee hearing:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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