The insurance industry has slammed the idea of a government-run comparison website for home and motor cover.

Submissions to a Senate inquiry into the general insurance industry have been published, and the vast majority dismiss the proposal.

The Insurance Council of Australia, National Insurance Brokers Association and major insurers IAG, Suncorp and Allianz say comparison websites cause more problems than they solve, and point to the relative failure of the government-run site for home and contents cover in north Queensland.

Consumer groups say there are plenty of problems with insurance purchasing, but they also agree with the industry submissions that comparison websites are not the answer.

One website operator, iSelect, promotes a “digital broker” model, but says it is against a state-run scheme.

The only submissions backing the government comparator plan are from News Corp journalist John Rolfe and comparator site Compare The Market.

As well as investigating the comparator, the inquiry will look at the increasing cost of premiums, and competition and transparency in the industry.

Submissions have now closed and the Economics References Committee should report by June 22.

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