The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) will launch its Understand Insurance campaign next month.

The program, to be rolled out into next year, will use a website and social media to educate consumers about the industry.

Research after 2011’s natural disasters revealed gaps in public understanding, ICA’s GM Communications Campbell Fuller says.

“Most people like insurance and have a positive experience, but the impact of the negative media stories and political focus from 2011 has tainted those perceptions,” he told the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) convention last week.

The campaign will feature testimonials from insured and uninsured people who suffered loss, including the owner of an Adelaide childcare centre whose broker and insurer helped the business recover after the property was destroyed by fire.

Part of the website is devoted to the role of brokers, including material that can be downloaded, but the aim is to lead consumers to information rather than seeking a “hard sell”, Mr Fuller says.

The site features insurance calculators and information for consumers with flood risk or who are travelling abroad.

NIBA CEO Dallas Booth says recent disasters have shown the benefit of ICA and NIBA working together to represent the industry to governments.

During one flood the two associations pointed out that a badly affected street had been built on a riverbed, so a decision was made on rezoning before insurance staff could even get into the area.

“In Hobart [after the bushfires] the industry had teams waiting for the police to allow them in. The insurance industry has a lot to be proud of this year.”