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Insurance

'A horrid scam on the Indigenous community': Government to pay thousands of families after funeral insurance 'fiasco'

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.
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Cheryl Fernando and Donald Craigie

Electricity industry 'riddled' with questionable prices while insurance customers 'treated like second-grade citizens'

Millions of Australians face ever-increasing monthly and yearly bills, and increasingly, they are related to services many deem necessary.
Lady holding a wallet with 20 dollar bills.

Farmers hit with $100,000 insurance bills as extreme weather events become more frequent

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.
Ryan Milgate standing in a paddock of crop

Calls for investigation after pensioner charged $54k for home insurance on 'asbestos cottage'

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.
A composite image of Leonard O'Meara and a drone shot of his house in Derby, WA.

18-year-old spectator's death puts motorsport insurance under the spotlight

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.
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spectators watch a car doing burnouts from behind a metal fence and barricades

Insurance industry slammed for 'rude, aggressive, bullying behaviour' by consumer groups during flood response inquiry

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.
A house sits in high flood waters.

After years of extreme weather, this couple would 'prefer to deal with Satan' than their insurer

After two years of floods inundating the east coast of Australia, thousands of customers are still waiting for their claims to be finalised.
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A man and a woman stand in front of a house, with tarp covering the front window.

How insurance 'claim farmers' can tow your car away and charge thousands for its return

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.
A woman sitting in a car.

Future of genetic testing threatened by life insurance catch as Australian comedian Michelle Brasier discovers

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.
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image of woman with curly hair in green shirt smiling

Clearing trees and deadly 'hangers': The Christmas storm damage bill that's not covered by 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.
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A person climbs near the top of a damaged gum tree with ropes and a harness.

Federal inquiry to probe claims of a 'confusopoly' of 'soul-crushing' insurance nightmares after 2022 floods

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.
An aerial view of houses and commercial buildings in the middle of Lismore, totally surrounded by floods.

'Absolutely extreme': Pensioner 'sick to my stomach' as home and contents insurance premiums quadruple

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.
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a woman sits at a kitchen table with a cup of tea reading a stack of documents

How drinking on holiday could impact your travel insurance claim

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.
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Two glasses of bubbly wine on a bench with water and islands in the background

'I have no-one to help me': Far North Queenslanders facing mammoth flood clean-up

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.
A man stands with his arm around a woman, both looking at the camera

Insurance 'crisis' hits indoor adventure businesses, forcing popular WA ninja gym to close its doors

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.
Obstacle equipment attached to the ceiling with rock climbing walls in the background.

What you should know about insurance claims after a flood or cyclone disaster

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.
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a woman sits on her curb which is laoded with flood-damaged belongings

Insurance premiums in flood-hit Queensland to increase due to gaps in government plan to keep prices down

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.
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a family walks down the side of a closed highway carrying bags of belongings

Rebels with drones are sending billions of dollars of cargo on an expensive 10-day detour and you may pay the price

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.
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The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023.

Health minister tells insurers to 'have another go' after rejecting premium increases

Under federal law, health insurers can increase premiums once a year but must seek the minister's approval.
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A close shot of Mr Butler's face, looking serious.

Surviving flood, theft and caring for elderly parents, Angela feels forgotten as she tries to rebuild

More than a year after floods in northern Victoria, Angela Black is trying to fix the family home so her elderly parents can leave aged care.
A woman stands in a doorway cutting plasterboard, revealing the rest of the house behind the studs in the wall

Margaret's insurer would only cover basic repairs to her flooded home, but after a long battle she's getting $500k

When a flood devastated Margaret Macintyre's Walgett house, her insurer's reluctance to pay out the $500k cover plunged her family into a two-and-a-half-year nightmare.
A woman in a plain pink jumper sits in a chair at a small cafe table with a large pot plant behind her

'I can't afford it': Caravan parks forced to self-insure due to rising premiums

Operators say they are facing an insurance crisis alongside the growing threat of natural disasters, with premiums up by as much as 300 per cent nationwide.
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A rusted metal sign outside a caravan park that reads Apex Riverbeach

'Out of step with expectations': The rules allowing insurers to discriminate on mental health grounds

Belle Grati sought help after a sexual assault and her mother's death. Those two traumas would later see her denied coverage for life insurance.
A young women with blonde hair and a pink tshirt smiles at the camera

'Clear message to insurers': RACQ slugged with $10m fine for misleading customers

Hundreds of thousands of RACQ customers were promised discounts on their insurance premiums, but a court has found they missed out on more than $86m in savings.
A yellow RACQ flag flies in a blue sky

'That's a deliberate strategy': How perpetrators of domestic violence can manipulate car insurance to control partners

New research has highlighted the ways perpetrators of violence and coercive control use vehicles — and the paperwork associated with them, like insurance policies — against their partners.
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a black-and-white close-up of a woman's hand passing a set of car keys to a man