It's been an extraordinary year for Australian business, but it's hard to imagine a sector that's had a tougher nine months than the insurance sector.

Bushfires caused havoc and destroyed scores of homes in NSW and Queensland in September 2019. Catastrophic storms in November 2019 quickly gave way to Australia's worst bushfire season in years. In late January, a freak hailstorm lashed Canberra. In February, the industry declared a catastrophe after flooding hit the east coast.