November
How IAG boss Nick Hawkins weathered the perfect storm
In the past four years, the CEO of the $20b insurance giant has battled both cyclonic conditions and swirling regulators and politicians.
- James Eyers
Changing of the Guard cancelled as Storm Bert batters Britain
Homes, schools and businesses were flooded as a month’s rain fell in parts of Britain over the weekend.
- Fiona Parker
Thousands of Spaniards protest bungling of flood response
Huge numbers of angry flood survivors marched in the streets and clashed with riot police to demand the resignation of Valencia’s regional political leader.
- Paolo Santalucia and Joseph Wilson
Spain flood death toll surpasses 200, rescuers struggle to reach some parts
Rescuers have opened a temporary morgue and battled to reach areas still cut off in Europe’s worst weather disaster in five decades.
- David Latona and Charlie Devereux
Spain flooding death toll rises to at least 158 lives
More horrors emerged from the debris and mud left by the walls of water behind the nation’s most deadly natural disaster in living memory.
- Alberto Saiz, Joseph Wilson and Teresa Medrano
October
Spanish floods kill 95 as extreme weather keeps coming
Highway pile-ups and submerged farmland caused chaos in Valencia as a storm – mostly likely caused by climate change – dumped a year’s worth of rain in eight hours.
- Andrei Khalip
How insurers failed when flooded customers needed them the most
A parliamentary report has made 86 recommendations to improve claims handling, calling for government intervention to stop new developments on flood plains.
- James Eyers
June
Bad repairs and blacked-out costs: when insurance claims turn ugly
Stuff-ups and a rapid acceleration in claims expenses are the hallmarks of boiling customer frustration with insurers, who are also facing higher costs.
- Liam Walsh
April
Floods prompt calls to revive dam wall plan
Residents in the Hawkesbury region experiencing their fifth major flood in two years are urging the government to reconsider a plan to raise Warragamba Dam.
- Samantha Hutchinson
200 rescues but NSW floodwaters begin to subside
Queensland escaped forecast heavy storms on Sunday, but there are still dozens of warnings in place along rivers near Sydney.
- Nick Bonyhady
March
32nd storey deemed ‘flood risk’ in insurance farce
A Melbourne apartment 120m above street level, with no ground storage, was denied contents cover because of a “heightened flood risk”.
- Liam Walsh
‘Radio silence, on hold for hours’: How insurers treat their watchdog
Justin Untersteiner helps run the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. But that didn’t stop him getting “radio silence for months” and being kept “generally on hold for 2½ hours” when he tried to claim.
- Liam Walsh
February
RACQ chief moved out for a week in ‘terrible’ flood ordeal
“I, too, found myself out of my home after the 2022 floods,” David Carter said. Which he did. Briefly.
- Myriam Robin
Insurers on top in spats with customers about flood experts
A federal parliament inquiry is examining how insurers handled claims in the 2022 flooding. There were mea culpas from CEOs on Monday for errors.
- Liam Walsh
January
Locals ‘traumatised’ as more heavy rain hits Queensland
Queensland’s south-east has again been saturated by heavy rainfall, causing flash flooding in areas still reeling from severe weather last month.
- Keira Jenkins
- Updated
- Inflation
Suncorp surprised by older car claims, freak house fires
The insurer is the latest to see older claims come back to haunt it, while 500 claims have been lodged for damage from Cyclone Kirrily.
- Updated
- Liam Walsh
- Analysis
- Federal election
Albanese ditches playbook in his hustle for a reset
Traditionally, politicians pipe down until after Australia Day. Here’s why the Prime Minister is doing just the opposite.
- Jacob Greber
Home owners left exposed in disaster insurance cost spiral
When a 70-year-old pensioner who painstakingly cares for her home can’t afford disaster cover, what does it say about Australia’s insurance problems?
- Updated
- Liam Walsh
Wet weather may return in 2024 following El Nino’s peak
El Nino has peaked and may make way for La Nina later this year, increasing the risk of tropical cyclones and damaging flooding, reinsurer Munich Re has warned.
- Michael Read
PM promises funding for Queensland tourism, Victoria demands flood aid
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is inspecting flood damage in two states as clean up efforts continue.
- Andrew Tillett and Gus McCubbing