Inquiry date set for residents to have their say into insurers’ dealings for the 2022 major floods

Queensland residents are being strongly encouraged to have their say at the upcoming federal government insurance probe into insurers’ responses to floods and their handling of claims.

The Barron River in Cairns, Far North Queensland, reached a record flood peak, with roads closed and homes flooded in the catchment area on Sunday, December 17. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns residents are being urged to have their say at a public hearing being held this month as part of the federal government’s inquiry into insurers’ responses to floods and their handling of claims.

The House Standing Committee on Economics has encouraged those impacted by recent floods and cyclones in the Far North to share experiences on July 24 at the Cairns RSL club from 9:30am.

The committee is interested in feedback from policyholders on their experience before, during and after making their claims, as well as resolution time frames and any obstacles to resolving those claims.

In addition residents are being asked to make submissions on insurers’ communication with policyholders, affordability of insurance premiums claimants’ and experiences of the dispute resolution processes.

Far North Queensland Motor Group in Tully posted to their Facebook page thanking residents earlier this year for helping during recent floods – “Unfortunately our Tully Dealership is closed today due to flood waters thank you to all of our local peeps who saved our cars … again”. Picture: Facebook.

Queenslanders wishing to remain anonymous can still participate through an online confidential survey up until July 31.

Chair of Standing Committee on Economics Daniel Mulino MP said while it may not be possible to hear from everyone interested in speaking on the day, the committee hoped to learn from northern communities’ experiences following recent disasters in the area, including cyclones.

“We are also interested in evidence of any improvements by the insurance industry since the Deloitte report on insurers’ responses to the 2022 floods and the related 2023 ASIC report on claims handling,” he said.

A live audio stream of the hearings will also be available on the day through the Australian Parliament House website.

You can access the online survey here.

Originally published as Inquiry date set for residents to have their say into insurers’ dealings for the 2022 major floods