Insurance losses from bushfires and an NT cyclone this month have topped $60 million and are expected to climb, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says.

Losses from the Tathra bushfire in NSW reached $36 million from 340 claims last week, with the total likely to increase as damage is assessed.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced $10 million will be allocated to remove asbestos-contaminated material and help residents clean up properties, ensuring those costs are not deducted from funds available under residents’ insurance policies for rebuilding.

NSW Public Works will co-ordinate the clean-up, in partnership with insurers and Bega Valley Council, and will engage contractors regularly used after natural disasters.

ICA has opened an insurance hub at the Bega Civic Centre to assist with bushfire-related claims.

Losses from the southwest Victoria bushfire have reached $12 million, with 120 claims lodged.

In the NT, the bill from Cyclone Marcus reached $15.5 million from 3100 claims, mostly for light damage to homes and vehicles.

Northern Australia was hit by another cyclone on the weekend, with Nora crossing Queensland’s western Cape York Peninsula on Saturday.

The Category 3 cyclone affected remote communities including Pormpuraaw, Aurukun and Kowanyama, and contributed to heavy rain across the far north.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services says damage to buildings has been mostly minor.

The downgraded weather system, which remains in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria region, is no longer expected to redevelop into a cyclone, the Bureau of Meteorology says.