Queensland residents prepare for major insurance rate hikes nearly one year after catastrophic floods

The Australian government has announced that meeting its own recommendations for disaster insurance in the wake of the floods in Queensland early last year. The floods that hit the region last year cost thousands of people their homes and put an end to several businesses. There are still scores of people struggling to rebuild, nearly a year after the catastrophe. When flood waters came in, the nation’s insurers were quickly overwhelmed in terms of claims and insured losses. The government had to step in, but it too struggled to mitigate…

Read More

Australian government may need to take aggressive steps to protect the nation from future natural disasters

This year’s natural disasters have reaped a heavy toll on the Australian insurance industry. A number of floods, cyclones, wildfires and other storms have generated a multitude of claims throughout the country, totaling more than $4.39 billion in insured losses. The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) calls the disasters the worst in recent history. The impact of natural disasters will only get worse if the government does not take measures to protect communities, according to Rob Whelan, chief executive of the ICA. The majority of homes and businesses in regions…

Read More