Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner has invited US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris to Australia for a “bloody good time,” with complimentary “crocodile insurance.”
According to a letter cited by the NT News, Gunner emphasised the Territory's crucial strategic role in US-Australia relations and the “security of the Asia-Pacific region” via the “annual joint-training exercise Marine Rotational Force Darwin.” He promised to provide “crocodile insurance” and that the locals would show the trio a “bloody good time.”
However, just because the offer includes a free “crocodile insurance” doesn't mean it doesn't come with a price – the Bidens and Harris must still go into quarantine even though the Northern Territory does not have any COVID-19 cases.
“Obviously, it would be better to wait until the COVID situation is better because rules are rules and the safety of Territorians comes first. Any overseas arrival to the Territory has to quarantine, even the leader of the free world,” Gunner wrote, as reported by Daily Mail.
Moreover, Crocodile insurance, offered by the Northern Territory insurance office for as little as $10, offers some significant exclusions. For example, if Biden or Harris were taken while engaging with the crocodiles for a dare or a bet, the insurer would not pay out. It would also not cover policyholders eaten by Salties in Queensland or over three kilometres from shore.
The policy's terms and conditions also emphasise that the only acceptable killers were: “Class Reptilia, Order Crocodilian, classified as Genus Crocodylus, species Porosus (commonly known as a Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile), or species Johnstoni (commonly known as the Australian Freshwater or Johnston’s River Crocodile).”
Therefore, the Bidens and Harris need a different policy for a shark attack; Taiipan, Brown, or Death Adder snake bite; Redback spider bite; or a box jellyfish sting.
