Victorian broker cluster the Regional Insurance Brokers Association (RIBA) is moving away from its concentration on rural and outer suburban brokers by expanding its membership to cover smaller metropolitan brokers.

Executive Officer Cathy Kelly says the change of direction for the Victorian-based association recognises there are brokerages in the urban areas around Melbourne that “don’t fit the Steadfast or IBNA model”.

“There are many non-aligned small brokerages in the metro area which earn $3-5 million premium income,” she said. “They still have training needs. We’ve had inquiries in the past from metro brokers, because we have a lot to offer when it comes to education and membership.”

While RIBA has always concentrated on growth in the regional areas, Ms Kelly says expanding the association’s base to regional brokers in other states isn’t easy at this stage.

“We can’t make RIBA grow by concentrating solely on the regional areas,” she said. “We still want to move into other states, but first we have to get our foundations right.”

Two years ago RIBA altered its constitution to admit any registered broker operating within the Country Fire Authority area in Victoria and the border of NSW and SA.