Analysis
Radar reveals the top trends and trouble spots
11 November 2024
Actuarial group Taylor Fry’s Radar report has examined climate, affordability, technology and regulation impacts on insurers while looking behind industry headline figures to identify positive and negative developments in each of the major classes...
More intervention looms as climate sends premiums soaring
04 November 2024
A range of market interventions may be required as climate change unravels traditional insurance models, the Australia Institute warns today...
Stronger foundations? Victoria acts on builders’ warranty
28 October 2024
Significant reforms to Victoria’s building regulator and builders’ warranty insurance scheme have been broadly welcomed, as the state moves towards a “first resort” model...
Code shake-up, ASIC powers at heart of floods response
21 October 2024
The parliamentary inquiry into the record-breaking floods of two years ago has placed significant weight on achieving improvements through a code of practice overhaul, backed by greater oversight from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission...
‘More stick than carrot’ as nation bolsters cyber laws
14 October 2024
Australia is seeking to be the first country to require that ransoms paid to cybercriminals be reported to the government...
‘Phase them out’: experts back industry on insurance taxes
07 October 2024
The Senate inquiry into the impact of climate risk on insurance premiums is getting one message loud and clear: axing taxes on insurance would be the easiest and most direct way for governments to ease affordability pressure...
‘Attitudes have changed’: reflections on a decade of Dive In
30 September 2024
Ten years ago, Dive In began in London with 100 people...
‘Unjustified’ premium rises sharpen reputation, regulatory concerns
23 September 2024
Most industry watchers understand that insurers have needed to push through steep rate rises in recent years to ensure a profitable and sustainable future...
Strata stories stir up a hornet’s nest
16 September 2024
More stringent insurance disclosure rules may be just one of the repercussions from last week’s Four Corners program alleging malpractice in the strata sector...
No holding back as code panel proposes sweeping upgrade
09 September 2024
The independent panel reviewing the industry code of practice has pressed ahead with reform proposals targeting many of the problems highlighted during the federal flood inquiry...
Reinsurers head to Monte Carlo with ‘growing appetite’
02 September 2024
The industry’s attention turns to Monte Carlo soon for the Rendez-Vous de Septembre, the annual talkfest on the state of the reinsurance market after the mid-year catastrophe renewals...
As more households feel premium squeeze, a systemic threat emerges
26 August 2024
Half the population of southwest Queensland, NSW’s Northern Rivers, regional WA and the NT face home insurance premiums that exceed a month’s income...
Land use planning forum: 13 ways to build a better future
19 August 2024
As pressure intensifies to provide enough housing for Australia’s growing population, authorities must resist the urge to build in the wrong places...
‘Mind-blowing’ results: how insurtech will change the industry
12 August 2024
Almost 150 professionals heard from senior industry executives including the heads of Cover Genius, HDI Global, QBE Ventures and NTI at the Insurance News insurtech seminar in Sydney last week...
Flood inquiry: six months of soul searching, but where will it lead?
05 August 2024
The federal government’s flood inquiry opened on January 31, and the last of 23 hearings took place on July 30. It has been a mammoth undertaking...
Falling flat: seven-year rising premium trend comes to an end
29 July 2024
The premium landscape is shifting, with Marsh’s quarterly Global Insurance Market Index showing commercial rates were flat in the second quarter of this year...
CrowdStrike outage a ‘stark reminder’ of cyber threat
22 July 2024
“This was not a cyberattack,” US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said on Friday, as it apologised for an outage that sparked global chaos...
Insurance and the metaverse: safeguarding virtual assets
15 July 2024
Insurers are venturing into the thriving digital landscape of the metaverse, covering virtual assets, safeguarding intellectual property and protecting the wellbeing of users and avatars...
‘We need to talk about relocation’
08 July 2024
An urgent national conversation about relocating the most at-risk homes is needed to address the growing threat of riverine flooding and rising sea levels, according to a new study...
‘There will be more’: code committee says first sanction not the last
01 July 2024
The General Insurance Code Governance Committee warns more sanctions for breaches are coming – and it wants to name insurers routinely in its reporting...