The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) says its process of allocating general insurance complaints to the case management stage has been delayed by a “sudden and significant increase in insurance claims”.

Severe weather and flooding across the east coast of Australia throughout 2022 has resulted in record floods across large areas, and AFCA says this has led to the surge in insurance claims – some leading to disputes between insurers and their customers.

“As a result, AFCA has seen significantly higher insurance complaints numbers and is currently experiencing delays in allocating general insurance complaints to the case management stage,” it said. “We apologise for the delays and acknowledge this is a difficult time for many people.”

AFCA says it is working to resolve complaints as quickly as possible.

“We thank you for your understanding and for showing respect to our staff as they work with you.”