The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) is continuing to push for further action to speed movement of personnel across state borders after Emergency Management Australia changed its protocols.

The protocol changes classify insurer disaster personnel as emergency responders, helping claims assessors, loss adjusters and other industry specialists to assist customers more rapidly following catastrophes.

“While we welcome the inclusion of insurers in the emergency deployment protocol and the requirement that cross-border approvals be processed within 72 hours, more can be done to better ensure communities have more timely access to the help they need,” ICA CEO Andrew Hall said last week.

“Exemptions to allow insurance disaster responders to enter a state have to be negotiated every time a border is closed, and in some cases are being declined. The result is uncertainty, delays and setbacks for families and businesses just trying to get their lives back on track.”

Recent wild weather across SA, Victoria and Tasmania, which was declared a catastrophe, has highlighted the need for rapid movement of personnel, with arrangements to allow entry into SA taking more than a week to finalise.

“Timely deployment of insurers’ personnel and contractors to assist customers in the immediate aftermath of a severe weather event is essential in assisting communities to recover and rebuild,” Mr Hall said.