The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) will conduct a series of insurance-focused sessions in Casterton, Victoria, on April 2 for residents impacted by the severe weather event that occurred in October 2024.
Insurers will be available at the Casterton Town Hall between 10am and 4pm to meet with customers on a one-on-one basis.
These consultations are designed to help individuals review their insurance claims, clarify next steps, and address outstanding questions.
In addition to the daytime consultations, an evening town hall session will run from 5pm to 8pm, commencing with an overview at 5:30pm. This public forum will cover general insurance-related topics such as:
Bookings for both the consultations and town hall are available via the ICA’s website.
The event is part of the industry’s continuing efforts to support communities recovering from climate-related disasters. ICA representatives, along with insurer delegates, will be on-site to provide tailored guidance and address community questions.
Liam Walter, the ICA’s director of mitigation and extreme weather response, said the organisation recently met with local MP Dan Tehan and residents to better understand the effects of last year’s storm.
“While insurers are already assisting impacted customers in their recovery, we understand that having the opportunity to hear from representatives in person and ask questions can be important in understanding the claims process and helping people get back on their feet,” he said.
The upcoming engagement coincides with the ICA’s broader initiative to respond to multiple government inquiries into natural disaster insurance claims.
Following Australia’s costliest flood disaster in 2022, the ICA has released its General Insurance Industry Action Plan, detailing how the sector intends to address findings from several key reviews.
These include the House of Representatives Economics Committee’s inquiry into claims handling and the Independent Review of the General Insurance Code of Practice.
The ICA had previously supported 78 of the 187 recommendations from these reports. With the release of the Action Plan, insurers have now responded to 150 recommendations directly relevant to their operations.
According to the ICA, 109 recommendations have been fully or conditionally accepted. A further 28 are still under review, while 10 will be assessed independently by insurers. Three recommendations focused on pricing were not adopted, with the ICA stating that such changes could conflict with existing competition regulations.
