House of Representatives Committees

| House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs

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In the wake of disasters: The operation of the insurance industry during disaster events (volume 1)

27 February 2012

View the report as a single document - (PDF 1774KB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Preliminary Pages	(PDF 137KB)

Chapter 1 Introduction	(PDF 119KB)
Purpose of inquiry Scope of inquiry Relevant reviews and inquiries Australian Securities and Investments Commission Reports Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry Natural Disaster Insurance Review: Inquiry into flood insurance and related matters Conduct of the inquiry Structure of the report

Chapter 2 The general insurance industry in Australia	(PDF 103KB)
Background to the general insurance industry Regulatory framework Contract law Government bodies Insurance Council of Australia Financial Ombudsman Service

Chapter 3 General Insurance Code of Practice	(PDF 126KB)
About the Code Proposed amendments Monitoring and enforcement of the Code Effectiveness Committee comment

Chapter 4 Lack of consumer awareness	(PDF 124KB)
Insurance contracts Policy coverage Underinsurance Committee comment Consumer awareness of rights in making a claim Committee comment

Chapter 5 Lack of consumer protections	(PDF 172KB)
Claims handling process Delays in processing claims Third-party assessments Independence and accuracy of third-party assessments Lack of information Difficulties with communication Access to documents Committee comment

Chapter 6 Dispute resolution processes	(PDF 149KB)
Internal dispute resolution Consumer awareness of IDR Timeliness Effectiveness Committee comment External dispute resolution Duty of insurers Barriers to participation in EDR Impact of legal aid Effectiveness of dispute resolution Committee comment

Chapter 7 Recommendations	(PDF 157KB)
Insurance contracts Standard cover Standard definition of flood Unfair contracts terms Claims-handling process Managing disputes Topics for further investigation Premium increases Emotional impact

Appendix A—List of Submissions	(PDF 39KB)

Appendix B—List of witnesses appearing at public hearings and community forums	(PDF 78KB)

Appendix C—List of Exhibits	(PDF 40KB)

Appendix D—Survey results	(PDF 224KB)