Natural Disasters Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

31 January , 2024

Consumer Advocates Call on Insurers to Act Now at Flood Insurance Inquiry

Consumer advocates call on insurers to act now at flood insurance inquiry

Urgent changes needed to improve claims handling process

A number of consumer advocacy groups – including CHOICE, Financial Rights Legal Centre, Consumer Action Law Centre, and Financial Counselling Australia – will be the first to appear today and tomorrow at a public hearing for the parliamentary inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

11 December , 2023

Insurance Monitoring Report 2023 Released

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released its Insurance Monitoring Report for 2023, the reports second annual release. The reports key focus was on insurance for homes, strata and small business in the Northern Territory and the effect, reception and role of the government’s new cyclone reinsurance pool. Due to the differences in…

14 November , 2023

Independent Review of the 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice

Original media release by the Insurance Council of Australia (14/11/2023). An Independent Review of the 2020 General Insurance Code of Practice will be undertaken by an eminent three-person panel with backgrounds in consumer advocacy, financial regulation and the insurance industry, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) announced today. The Code sets out the minimum standards…

24 October , 2023

ACCC: Regulatory Regime for Mobile Tower Access “no longer fit for purpose”

The report outlines consistent concerns about patchy coverage, difficulties interpreting and comparing coverage maps, as well as concerns that already congested networks will get worse as demand for data continues to grow.

12 October , 2023

Consumer Affairs Victoria Releases New Strategic Plan and Regulatory Priorities

The Consumer Affairs Victoria Strategic Plan for 2023-26, and regulatory priorities for 2023-24 have been published this week.

22 September , 2023

Preparing for a Bushfire Insurance Claim

“Natural disasters can be one of the most complex issues to navigate when it comes to insurance,” says CHOICE insurance expert Jodi Bird.

“There are some simple things you can do right now to make things easier should you become affected by a bushfire and need to make a claim.”

4 August , 2023

Presentation Date, Terms of Reference Announced for Flood Insurance Inquiry

Last week the Australian Government announced its intention to form a Senate Inquiry into insurer response to the 2022 floods. This week, according to a media release from Minister for Financial Services and Assistant Treasurer the Hon. Stephen Jones MP, will be presenting the motion for its consumer-focused Inquiry to the house this Monday, August 7th.

31 July , 2023

Water, Buildings, and Restoration: Beware of Mould

In recent times there have been significant storms and flooding in Australia with a serious impact on dwellings and communities. When carrying out flood repairs to a building, after prioritising health and safety, there are precautions to be taken, and consumers should be aware of the serious impact of mould and other effects of exposure…

20 July , 2023

Inquiry into Insurer Responses to 2022 Floods Announced

In 2022 almost all Australian Territories and States experienced substantial flood events with New South Wales and South-East Queensland some of the worst affected areas. Now, after months of coverage over poor and variable insurer responses to flood damage and coverage, the Albanese Government is launching an inquiry into insurer responses.