Victoria pulls back from fire services merger
21 March 2016
The Victorian Government has ruled out a merger between the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and the Country Fire Authority following a damning report…
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EQC trials faster claims
21 March 2016
New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission is piloting a new claims-handling process following last month’s Christchurch quakes…
SMEs coming back to brokers: Vero
14 March 2016
The proportion of business owners using brokers increased last year, according to the latest Vero SME Insurance Index…
QBE chief sounds rallying cry on climate change
14 March 2016
QBE Group CEO John Neal says global warming is real and insurers have a responsibility to help slow it…
Government ‘should help educate farmers’ on crop insurance
14 March 2016
Farmers need educating about the role of multi-peril crop insurance before it can become a mainstream product, Rural Insurance Solutions MD Wayne Brown says…
Threat of intervention in the north remains: Allianz
14 March 2016
The insurance industry must recognise that government intervention over home and contents premiums in northern Australia is still a significant threat, Allianz says…
Industry poised for more M&A, Deloitte says
14 March 2016
Australia’s general insurance industry is poised for a major shake-up, with mergers and acquisitions expected to pick up in the next few years, according to Deloitte…
EQC covers old ground with drainage inspections
14 March 2016
New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission is assessing sewer and stormwater pipes suspected of being quake-damaged, including 2500 that have already been inspected…
Premiums taskforce backs mitigation over market intervention
07 March 2016
The Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce has come out strongly against government intervention in the cyclone-prone region’s insurance market…
Entsch unimpressed, but insurers welcome premiums report
07 March 2016
The Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce’s conclusion that mitigation, not government intervention, is the key to reducing prices in the cyclone-prone region has found favour with the insurance industry – but has left campaigning MP Warren Entsch empty-handed…
Intermediated premium holds the line
07 March 2016
Premiums invoiced by intermediated general insurance businesses totalled $9.66 billion for the six months to December 31, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority data shows…
Industry opens debate on climate change
07 March 2016
Climate change was a hot topic at the Insurance Council of Australia annual forum in Sydney on Friday…
Social impact adds to projected disaster costs
07 March 2016
The annual cost of natural disasters in Australia will soar to $33 billion by 2050, according to new research from the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities…
Homeowners, tradies ‘ignoring’ dangerous Infinity cable
07 March 2016
About 2300km of potentially deadly Infinity electrical cable remains in thousands of homes, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warns…
Gen Y, disruptors pose threat to old order: report
07 March 2016
Almost one-third of Generation Y consumers in Australia would buy insurance from technology companies or start-ups, according to a new report…
Disruption from sharing economy inevitable, minister warns
07 March 2016
Insurers must face the “elephant in the room” and accept they will be disrupted by the sharing economy, the Insurance Council of Australia’s annual forum heard…
Australian insurers plan switch to digital
07 March 2016
Insurance policies in Australia will be sold entirely via digital channels in three years, according to most insurers polled by consulting group Accenture…
Spike in vehicle thefts bucks longer-term trend
07 March 2016
Motor vehicle thefts increased 4% to 52,303 cases last year, but the number is down 7% on five years ago, according to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council…
Reinsurance pool not the answer in the north: Swiss Re
29 February 2016
Disaster mitigation and resilience measures are the keys to improving premium affordability in high-risk areas, according to a senior reinsurer…
Body corporate ‘conflict of interest’ under fire
29 February 2016
Northern Australian Insurance Premiums Taskforce adviser Margaret Shaw is campaigning to stop Queensland body corporate managers receiving commissions from insurers…