The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) is putting pressure on the Federal Government to factor growing climate change risks into its review of the Intergovernmental Agreement that defines the Building Code of Australia.

In a initial submission to the review, ICA says there are currently no minimum requirements for “property resilience” such as standards for roofing and windows to reduce the impact of hail, or measures to reduce impacts from high wind, flood and fire risks.

“The costs of transferring these risks, for example through insurance, will increase in direct proportion to the increasing risks, if those risks are not mitigated through appropriate design and construction,” CEO Kerrie Kelly said.

“There is a potential for risk transfer methods to become untenable in an environment where hazards have increased and mitigation efforts have not kept pace.

“There are already international examples where insurance cover is no longer available.”

The council says the only standards of construction at the moment are to reduce loss of life and minimise the cost of construction to the builder.

Changes ICA is seeking include codes for minimum property resilience to counter the threat of severe weather events, a definition within the code of sustainability, and at least one property risk expert from the insurance industry to be included on the Australian Building Codes board.