Flood Insurance Inquiry Seeking Hawkesbury Voices

Last month’s flood was another reminder that in the Hawkesbury we live on a floodplain. Large areas of rural land suffered badly however only a small number of homes were inundated.

For me there are many policy issues that are not yet properly addressed around flood.

The first is insurance – this once again highlights how vital it is that insurance for our region be more accessible and affordable. And even when people have insurance, having a claim for flooding is often far from a smooth process.

That’s why a Parliamentary Inquiry I am part of is holding hearings in the Hawkesbury on Thursday 9 May, to hear the local experience of flood insurance.

The Inquiry is looking into insurers’ responses to the 2022 major floods claims, however it also covers issues of uninsurance and unaffordability. We’ve been collecting evidence from insurers, consumer advocates and now it’s time to hear directly from home and business owners

It’s clear that the current insurance arrangements are not serving flood-prone communities like ours. The Hawkesbury has a unique perspective, given the multiple floods over recent years and I want to make sure our views are heard.

For people who made claims during 2022, the claims timeframes, obstacles to resolving claims, as well as the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims are all relevant to the Inquiry’s work when we report back to Parliament later this year. Many people did have insurance in 2020 and 2021, but not in 2022 – you are all welcome to give evidence.

Part of the hearing will be for residents and businesses to make a short public statement, sharing their experience of insurance in the Hawkesbury publicly. I’m a member of this Committee myself, so I’ll be there. The location of the hearing will be released shortly.

If you’re interested in attending or being a witness at the hearing contact me at susan. templeman.mp@aph.gov.au

More information about the inquiry is available at www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_ Business/Committees/House/Economics/FloodInsuranceInquiry or simply google “Flood insurance inquiry”.