Today
Trump slams ‘weak and ineffective’ Malcolm Turnbull
Donald Trump has taken a swing at former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull; Bruce Lehrmann switches solicitor ahead of rape trial. How the day unfolded.
Yesterday
In flood-prone Lismore, an all-too familiar grind
Business owners in the NSW Northern Rivers town are counting the cost of shutting down to prepare for another flood emergency.
This Month
Banks deploy mobile branches, generators to cyclone zone
Major banks have sent mobile banking units powered by their own diesel generators to Brisbane, after Armaguard halted cash deliveries to ATMs due to high winds.
Canberra shields insurance companies from cyclone losses
The Australian Cyclone Reinsurance Pool covers insurers for damage when weather is classified as a cyclone – and for 48 hours from the time it is downgraded.
February
Insurers call for $30b flood defence fund to protect properties
After Peter Dutton said he wanted to break up insurers, the industry wants to partner with governments to strengthen infrastructure and relocate the most vulnerable buildings.
Suncorp confident it can rise to challenge of Queensland floods
The deluge will not push up insurance premiums thanks to strong buffers, the CEO of the Brisbane-based insurer said after its interim results impressed.
November 2024
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
October 2024
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.
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.
June 2024
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.
April 2024
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.
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.
March 2024
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”.
‘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.
February 2024
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.
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.