Insurers urged to help family violence survivors
A campaign group has called on the insurance industry to do more to help victims of family violence.
The Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG) – comprising eight Victorian organisations – says insurance policies and exclusions can leave victims exposed.
For example, if an abusive partner burns down a jointly owned and insured property, the victim’s insurance claim could be denied on the basis the damage was caused maliciously by a co-insured.
Claims can be rejected because the victim invited the perpetrator into their house, and family violence survivors can be particularly vulnerable to aggressive questioning during insurance investigations.
The EARG has presented a paper to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), outlining the major issues and possible solutions.
Lawyer Denis Nelthorpe, whose group WEstjustice is part of the EARG, told insuranceNEWS.com.au some “extreme cases” have come to his attention.
“The industry has been a bit shocked by the nature of some of these issues and there are significant challenges,” he said. “It is a complex issue and we are going to have to sit down and work through it together.”
ICA says it will give a “considered response” to the EARG concerns and will make family violence “a priority issue” in the current review of the General Insurance Code of Practice.