Cyber breach transparency critical after hacks
16 December 2019
Companies hacked by cyber criminals should inform their customers even if they’re not legally obliged to do so, a webinar for insurance brokers has been told...
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WFI highlights risks of burglary on farms
16 December 2019
Farmers are urged to keep their properties and valuables safe after nearly 700 farms across Australia lodged insurance claims for theft in the last year, according to claims data at IAG subsidiary WFI Insurance...
Vehicle theft rises 7% as Queensland battles rising trend
16 December 2019
Motor vehicle theft rose 7% nationally in the year to September, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast the top two locations targeted by criminals stealing passenger and light commercial cars...
NSW braces for heatwave as fires rage on
09 December 2019
Several parts of NSW face very high fire danger today and tomorrow, the NSW Rural Fire Service has warned, as crews try to contain dozens of blazes in the state...
Summer threatens ‘terrible trifecta’
09 December 2019
This summer of 2019-20 is shaping up as a “terrible trifecta” of heatwaves, drought and bushfires exacerbated by inaction on climate change, the Climate Council says...
High Court decision ‘disappointing’, class action funders say
09 December 2019
The Association of Litigation Funders of Australia says a High Court ruling that may prevent some class actions going ahead is disappointing...
Diminishing returns: claimant loses dispute over new TV
09 December 2019
A Suncorp customer has failed in his bid to have his damaged TV replaced with a similar top-of-the-range model or be compensated $2300, the amount that he paid 11 years ago for the item...
In Insurance News magazine this month
09 December 2019
The NSW and Queensland spring bushfires caught everyone by surprise, and now the states – and insurers – are bracing for a summer like no other Australia has ever experienced. In the December/January edition of Insurance News magazine our editorial team talks to victims, firefighters and scientists to understand the causes and the consequences as we prepare for a fiery summer...
‘World first’ mobile phone detection cameras welcomed by insurers
09 December 2019
The deployment of high definition cameras in NSW to catch drivers illegally using mobile phones has the backing of the insurance industry...
EQC funds 16 projects to reduce disaster risk
09 December 2019
New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission will provide funding of $NZ1 million for 16 research projects that could help reduce the impact of natural disasters...
NZ insurers rally to repair Timaru hail damage
09 December 2019
Drive through assessment stations have been set up and specialists brought in from Australia to help with repairs after thousands of vehicles and other property in the South Island city of Timaru were pummelled by oversized hailstones on November 20...
Summer catastrophes sink industry earnings
02 December 2019
The industry’s underwriting profit fell by more than half to $1.9 billion in the year to September as costs from the Sydney hailstorm and Townsville flood last summer severely dented earnings...
Wivenhoe class action: dam operators found negligent
02 December 2019
Flood engineers hired by the operators of the Wivenhoe and Somerset dams failed to follow guidelines, which ultimately contributed to the severity of the 2011 Brisbane floods, the NSW Supreme Court ruled last Friday...
‘Heatwaves and fire risk’ weather ahead: BOM
02 December 2019
Summer is likely to start off hot and dry, with much of eastern Australia gripped by the same climate influences that gave us a warmer and drier than average spring, the Bureau of Meteorology predicts...
Great Barrier Reef needs insurance, law firm says
02 December 2019
Global law firm Clyde & Co today flagged parametric insurance as a key risk management tool that could help protect the Great Barrier Reef from long-term climate change effects...
Dangers of dipping into swimming pool sharing
02 December 2019
Swimming pool owners are being urged to check their liability insurance before they take advantage of a new sharing economy app called Swimply which is being dubbed the “Airbnb of swimming pools”...
NRMA Insurance settles discrimination case
02 December 2019
NRMA Insurance has settled a case lodged by a child sex offender who successfully claimed the insurer “discriminated” against him when it refused him insurance because of his criminal record...
‘Onus of proof’ on insurer, AFCA rules in disclosure dispute
02 December 2019
CommInsure has no grounds to decline a claim from a complainant who did not disclose her partner and co-policyholder has a criminal record, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority has ruled...
Allianz wins appeal in ‘double insurance’ lawsuit
02 December 2019
Lloyd’s must contribute equally to a $1.025 million injury payout that Allianz made to a road worker who was hit by a car when he was on duty...
‘Silent cyber’ looms as key challenge for insurers: Aon
02 December 2019
Insurers in Australia and globally are under pressure to more clearly define whether so-called “silent cyber” risks fall under traditional property and casualty policies, according to Aon...