Insurance

The 2022 flood event was the costliest in Australia's history, with 244,000 insurance claims made — but almost two years on, more than 7,000 of those are outstanding.

The general insurance industry's delaying and denying of claims and low-balling of cash settlement offers in the aftermath of the 2022 floods weren't isolated — the tactics are rife across the sector, writes Adele Ferguson.

Businesses that offer claim management services are regularly confusing and misleading customers, leaving them with hefty bills and driving insurance premiums higher, the industry council says.

A report from consumer group Choice claims health insurers have been increasing premiums for top-tier hospital cover by more than three times the amount set by the federal government in the past three years without breaking the law.

The federal government's immediate financial package will result in some customers in the Kimberley being reimbursed, but others will miss out.

Some of the more unsavoury practices of the country's multi-billion-dollar general insurance sector were on full display last week, including delays, denials, predatory low-ball cash settlement offers and gaslighting, writes Adele Ferguson.

A Tasmanian couple has been fighting for compensation from the state-owned water company after it took almost a month to fix a water main outside their home — with a TasWater employee even describing the company's response to the leak as "disgraceful".

Thousands of Australians who collectively lost millions of dollars to failed funeral insurer Youpla could now get some of their money back, under a newly announced government scheme.

Millions of Australians face ever-increasing monthly and yearly bills, and increasingly, they are related to services many deem necessary.

Farmers consider running the gauntlet and leaving machinery uninsured as premiums go through the roof, with insurers blaming erratic weather, inflation, and increasing costs for the price hikes.

There are calls for an ASIC investigation after an Indigenous pensioner was charged an annual insurance premium of almost $10,000 by QBE for an asbestos-clad home in a remote town in Western Australia.

After a teen's death at a western Victorian burnout event, the rivalry of regulators competing to represent Australian motorsport, and its safety, has returned to the spotlight.

More than 300,000 claims were lodged after the 2022 floods, but consumer groups say that is no excuse for what has been described as "appalling behaviour" by the insurance industry.

After two years of floods inundating the east coast of Australia, thousands of customers are still waiting for their claims to be finalised.

A Perth woman thought she was calling her insurer to make a claim, but found herself caught up in a scheme that whisked her car away and cost more than $6,000 to undo.

The comedian has a 97-per cent chance of contracting cancer, but taking a genetic test to shed more light on the risk could ruin her chances to obtain life insurance.

As tens of thousands of insurance claims are lodged in the wake of the deadly Christmas storms, there's a big damage bill many property owners will have to stump up for themselves.

The desperation and despair of flood victims has been laid bare by submissions to a federal inquiry into the insurance industry's response to the 2022 floods, which resulted in claims worth a total $7.4 billion being lodged.

Fran Ross has never made a home and contents insurance claim and says her property isn't at significant risk of natural disasters. The Brisbane pensioner's premiums are still going up by close to 400 per cent.

Travel insurance can give you the protection you need if your holiday doesn't go as planned. But don't count on it if something happens to you and alcohol is a factor.

When Suzan's insurance company told her earlier this year her annual premium was going up by $7,000, she switched providers. Under the new insurer, she doesn't have specific flood cover.

The business is the latest to shut up shop due to what has been dubbed the "amusement insurance crisis", with caravan parks, community events and pubs also finding it increasingly difficult to secure public liability insurance.

Countless homes have been damaged or destroyed in Far North Queensland since Tropical Cyclone Jasper and flooding hit the state last week. If you've been affected, here's what you need to know.

A major insurer says the state's Far North must prepare to pay higher premiums, due to a critical flaw in a $10 billion federal government scheme designed to limit costs in disaster-prone areas.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired missiles at container ships in the Red Sea. As one of the world's major trade routes closes, there are fears it could derail a fragile global economy.