General insurance
Did flood or storm ruin Eugowra’s homes? Thousands of dollars rest on the answer
Eugowra residents will get almost nothing if their homes were devastated by flood water. They will be much better off if the damage was due to the storm.
- by Jordan Baker
Latest
Scheme needed to cut insurance premiums amid ‘market failures’: Consumer lobby
Natural disasters are making household insurance unaffordable, the lobby group for insurance customers says.
- by Mike Foley
Extreme weather, war tip QBE catastrophe costs over $100 million
The cost of catastrophe claims at the insurance giant is climbing faster than expected, with QBE’s assumed net catastrophe costs for 2022 to come in at $1.06 billion.
- by Simone Fox Koob
Opinion
Health insurance
Six weeks (and six ways) to milk this year’s health cover for all it’s worth
It’s just possible you can claim enough on your health insurance over the next six weeks to cancel the cost for the rest of the year.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Exclusive
Planning
New laws needed to stop building houses in flood, bushfire zones: federal minister
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt has warned planning laws are not fit for purpose in the face of escalating natural disasters driven by climate change.
- by Mike Foley and Tom Rabe
Eugowra residents faced $40,000 insurance bills. Now they’re counting the cost of floods
Record-breaking floods have devastated central western NSW communities over the past three days, with hundreds rescued by helicopter and boats after rivers rose.
- by Jordan Baker and Catherine Naylor
Rising disasters demand national discussion, home buybacks, Labor says
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt says Australia needs a new response to increasing threats from floods, fire and other natural disasters.
- by Mike Foley
Exclusive
To the bone
Munjed Al Muderis’ ability to operate on amputees ‘fully restored’
Medical insurer Avant suspended Al Muderis’ medical insurance following a media investigation. Ten days later, Al Muderis says his ability to operate on amputees has been restored.
- by Charlotte Grieve
Exclusive
Floods
Sydney home owners fear premium hikes, hit to property values after shock flood rating
Thousands of residents were blindsided by an official notification from their council warning their properties were at risk of flooding.
- by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Opinion
Big home insurance increases to put more pressure on households
Some insurers have said they will raise home insurance premiums by up to 15 per cent, the biggest increase since the Queensland floods and cyclones nine years ago.
- by Joel Gibson
New homes could be built in flood risk zones, town planners warn
New homes are likely to be built in areas at risk of flooding because many flood maps that guide planning decisions are out of date, Victoria’s peak body for town planners warns.
- by Elizabeth Redman