Inquiry Search
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC317-4097 | 9 - Community education | State and territory governments should ensure that the implementation of the Australian Warning System is accompanied by a carefully developed national education campaign that considers the needs of all Australians. |
REC317-4083 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Australian Government should work with state and territory governments and critical infrastructure operators to improve information flows during and in response to natural disasters: |
REC317-4075 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Australian Government should afford appropriate legal protections from civil and criminal liability to Australian Defence Force members when conducting activities under an authorisation to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters. |
REC317-4095 | 9 - Community education | State and territory governments should deliver education to ensure that the public understands the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System ratings, the potential danger attached to each rating, and the action that should be taken in response to each rating. |
REC317-4082 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Australian Government, working with state and territory governments and critical infrastructure operators, should lead a process to: |
REC317-4084 | 9 - Community education | State and territory governments should continue to deliver, evaluate and improve education and engagement programs aimed at promoting disaster resilience for individuals and communities. |
REC317-4070 | 10 - Infrastructure | Australian, state and territory governments should expedite the delivery of a Public Safety Mobile Broadband capability. |
REC317-4112 | 9 - Community education | State and territory governments should: |
REC317-4124 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | In reviewing the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, Australian, state and territory governments should examine the small disaster criterion, and financial thresholds generally. |
REC317-4100 | 9 - Community education | Australian, state and territory governments should: |
REC317-4113 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The insurance industry, as represented by the Insurance Council of Australia, working with state and territory governments and other relevant stakeholders, should produce and communicate to consumers clear guidance on individual-level natural hazard risk mitigation actions insurers will recognise in setting insurance premiums. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC280-1402 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services and NSW Treasury: |
REC280-1379 | 9 - Community education | That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns. |
REC280-1401 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the NSW Government take all reasonable steps to expedite the process of establishing any legal liability for the losses incurred by property owners as a result of the Wambelong fire, and in the event that it is found liable, expedite the process of paying compensation claims. |
REC280-1400 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Office of State Revenue investigate mechanisms to enhance the affordability of insurance for properties and assets in fire affected areas. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC267-1162 | 10 - Infrastructure | Telecommunications and Power Infrastructure |
REC267-1159 | 9 - Community education | Improving Community Preparedness and Resilience |
REC267-1150 | 9 - Community education | Media Engagement Consideration should be given on future recovery operations to adopting a more structured approach to media engagement, with regular media briefings undertaken at a frequency dependent upon the phase of the recovery activities and the level of media interest. These briefings could be conducted at different locations around the region, if appropriate, and would provide the opportunity for communication of key messages and provide journalists with the opportunity to ask questions regarding the recovery. This could be complemented by media coverage of community engagement visits. For all recovery operations, |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC261-1496 | 9 - Community education | That the NSW Rural Fire Service develop and implement a comprehensive community education campaign aimed at increasing community understanding of and support for hazard reduction burns. |
REC261-1500 | 10 - Infrastructure | That the NSW Government improve the protection of media and telecommunications towers around New South Wales by: |
REC261-1519 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Ministry for Police and Emergency Services and NSW Treasury: |
REC261-1518 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the NSW Government take all reasonable steps to expedite the process of establishing any legal liability for the losses incurred by property owners as a result of the Wambelong fire, and in the event that it is found liable, expedite the process of paying compensation claims. |
REC261-1517 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Office of State Revenue investigate mechanisms to enhance the affordability of insurance for properties and assets in fire affected areas. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC259-1044 | 9 - Community education | That where, in the future a similar process for land clearing is adopted, the rationale and process is better explained and widely promulgated. |
REC259-1047 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the insurance industry be asked to include in its “Code of Practice” the need to consult policy holders in bushfire prone areas on the issue of Bushfire Attack Level (BAL). This will ensure, to some extent, that policy holders insure their properties to a level commensurate with building costs under a variety of building standards and requirements.(For checking with RFS). |
REC259-1045 | 9 - Community education | That recovery policy incorporates the need for regular public meetings which give access to officials and representatives of agencies, as required |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC243-0843 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Government work with the Local Government Association to resolve questions of liability by volunteers who work for Councils, as raised with the Select Committee. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC242-2642 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That with regard to volunteer community safety and emergency service organisations that do not own land where their facilities exist: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC238-0812 | 9 - Community education | Develop mechanisms and arrangements to promote and provide greater access to flood risk information. |
REC238-0811 | 9 - Community education | Monitor, investigate and address community response to flood warnings |
REC238-0810 | 9 - Community education | Undertake, coordinate and evaluate community education programs on flood risk and response. |
REC238-0809 | 9 - Community education | Ensure the SES has the long-term capacity to plan and exercise for the full range of flood events in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC232-2819 | 9 - Community education | The Australian Government, coordinated by the Department of Health and Ageing and in consultation with the wider Australian community, develop a national public awareness campaign to better inform and engage the travelling public about infectious disease issues. This campaign should cover the risks associated with travelling overseas, preventative measures that can be undertaken to minimise these risks, and screening measures used at the border to prevent the importation of infectious disease. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC230-2832 | 10 - Infrastructure | The committee recommends that the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy take appropriate measures to secure, for public service agencies, priority access to an additional 10 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band for public safety purposes. |
REC230-2831 | 10 - Infrastructure | The committee recommends that the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy issue a Ministerial Direction to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to allocate 20 MHz of contiguous spectrum in the 700 MHz band for the purposes of a public safety mobile broadband network. |
REC230-2833 | 10 - Infrastructure | If recommendation 1 is not supported by the Australian Government, the committee recommends that the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy issue a Ministerial Direction to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to allocate as a minimum requirement, 20 MHz in the 800 MHz band for the purposes of a public safety mobile broadband network. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC187-2934 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all insurers offering small business insurance be obliged to include flood cover on an opt-out basis, instead of an opt-in/opt-out basis as at present, in all of their small business package policies. |
REC187-2951 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That access to insurance be enhanced through the development of alternative payment options, in particular: |
REC187-2967 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the current formula for the cost of rebuilding of State and Territory assets under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements be changed to expenditure before any insurance recoveries by the State or Territory rather than net of any insurance recoveries. |
REC187-2923 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That home building and home contents insurance should not be made compulsory. |
REC187-2939 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That for body corporate insurance policies receiving full discounts, policyholders pay for that portion of the risk retained by the insurer and pay nothing for the remainder of the risk up to $500,000 times the number of units. For properties with a value greater than $500,000 times the number of units policyholders then pay the full cost of the portion of risk exceeding $500,000 times the number of units. |
REC187-2956 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That a ‘health warning’ be provided by insurers to the purchasers of home and contents policies that do not include full flood cover or full replacement cover. The health warning should be provided: |
REC187-2928 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That there be limitations on the size of the discount available to high-value homes. |
REC187-2944 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Commonwealth seek reimbursement of some portion of the shortfall from the State or Territory government in whose jurisdiction the flood occurred. |
REC187-2961 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Insurance Council of Australia repeal clauses 4.3 and 4.4 of the General Insurance Code of Practice, so that claims arising from natural disasters are subject to the same minimum standards as other claims — including the four month time limit for a determination on liability and the nature of the loss/damage with respect to the claim. |
REC187-2933 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That discounts be provided, in the same manner as for homes, to home contents insurance policies for eligible properties. |
REC187-2950 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Commonwealth engage with the insurance industry and the States and Territories in planning for the future coordination of charitable and government payments to individuals to assist with recovery after future natural disasters. |
REC187-2966 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Commonwealth and State governments provide funding for legal advice and assistance with insurance disputes following natural disasters. |
REC187-2922 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all home building insurance policies include flood cover. |
REC187-2938 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That for home building insurance policies receiving full discounts, policyholders pay for that portion of the risk retained by the insurer and pay nothing for the remainder of the risk up to $500,000. For properties with a value greater than $500,000 policyholders then pay the full cost of the portion of risk exceeding $500,000. |
REC187-2955 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That, in endorsing the Government proposal for a Key Facts Statement, the Key Facts Statement list replacement cover and all natural disaster events, identified as ‘standard cover’ in the Insurance Contracts Regulations 1985. That insurers issue a Key Facts Statement to policy holders with all new policies written and all policy renewals on an annual basis. |
REC187-2927 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The levels of the discounts and the phasing out periods be reviewed from time to time. |
REC187-2943 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Commonwealth Government guarantee payment of claims from the reinsurance pool by ensuring that, whenever a funding shortfall occurs in the pool through claims exceeding the funds held in the pool, the Commonwealth would meet the shortfall. |
REC187-2960 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Insurance Council of Australia amend the Code of Practice to impose a four month time limit (subject to exceptional circumstances) to make a determination as to liability and the nature of the loss or damage with respect to a claim. That, should a claimant not receive a determination within the four month period, the claim be automatically escalated to an internal dispute resolution complaint and the insurer notify the Code Compliance Committee of the breach of the Code. |
REC187-2932 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all home contents insurance policies include flood cover. |
REC187-2949 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all home, contents and home unit insurance policies cover the policyholder for storm surge, tsunami and landslide, where the storm surge, tsunami or landslide is the result of another event that is covered under the policy and regardless of whether the insured property directly suffers damage from the underlying insured event. |
REC187-2965 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That ASIC conduct a review of the General Insurance Code of Practice three years after the amendments recommended to the Code in this Review are implemented, in order to assess the effectiveness of the Code with a view to determining whether an ASIC Regulatory Guide for claims handling should then be introduced. |
REC187-2921 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Commonwealth Government guarantee the payment of claims by ensuring that, whenever a funding shortfall occurs in the reinsurance facility through claims exceeding the funds held in the facility, the Commonwealth would meet the shortfall and the Commonwealth would seek reimbursement of a portion of the shortfall from the State or Territory government in whose jurisdiction the flood occurred. |
REC187-2937 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That flood premium discounts be delivered through a model that requires insurers to retain and price a portion of the risk with the remainder to be ceded to the reinsurance facility at a discounted reinsurance premium. |
REC187-2954 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That subsection 35(2) of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 be amended so that policyholders are not deemed to be clearly informed of a deviation from ‘standard cover’ by simply being provided a copy of the insurance policy or product disclosure statement. |
REC187-2926 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That flood premium discounts be provided for home building insurance for eligible homes: |
REC187-2942 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That a flood risk reinsurance facility, or reinsurance pool, be established which would have two primary functions: |
REC187-2959 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That every APRA-authorised general insurer adopt and comply with the General Insurance Code of Practice. |
REC187-2931 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the definition of a home for the purposes of flood cover and flood premium discounts be any building for which a homeowner purchases a home insurance policy. |
REC187-2948 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That: |
REC187-2964 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Insurance Council of Australia amend the General Insurance Code of Practice such that the General Insurance Code Compliance Committee: |
REC187-2920 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That a system of premium discounts be introduced in order that most purchasers of home insurance, home contents and home unit insurance policies in areas subject to flood risk be eligible for discounts against the full cost of flood insurance. |
REC187-2936 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the questions of flood cover as standard in small business policies and access to discounted premiums for small business policyholders should be revisited once the recommended arrangements for homes, home units and home contents are in place. |
REC187-2953 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all home building insurance policies providing sum insured cover be modified by the end of 2014 so as to include replacement value cover in the event of total loss of the home. That during the transition period insurers consider how the design features of home building replacement value policies should respond following a natural disaster, including the conditions under which cash settlements are to be offered and finalised. |
REC187-2925 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the following five principles underpin the design of a system of premium discounts: |
REC187-2941 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That homes at high and extreme risk of flood be provided with discounts initially and that they be assessed regularly for mitigation work already undertaken and the potential for further mitigation. |
REC187-2958 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That, in order to give general insurance policyholders the same legal remedies as other consumers, unfair contract terms laws be applied to general insurance. |
REC187-2930 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That flood premium discounts be provided, in the same manner as for homes, to the bodies corporate of eligible properties, and on the same basis as for detached homes. |
REC187-2947 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Agency charge insurers a small administrative fee for each policy ceded to the reinsurance facility. |
REC187-2963 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Insurance Council of Australia amend the General Insurance Code of Practice to require that: |
REC187-2919 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all home insurance, home contents and home unit insurance policies include flood cover. |
REC187-2935 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That flood premium discounts not be provided to small businesses and that the reinsurance facility not offer reinsurance for small businesses. |
REC187-2952 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That lending institutions remind mortgagors annually of their obligations to hold home insurance and of the risks of under-insurance in order to minimise non-insurance and under-insurance of homes. |
REC187-2968 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Government give priority to introducing legislation necessary to ensure that all home, contents and home unit insurance policies include flood cover and to establish a new national agency for flood risk management and flood reinsurance purposes. |
REC187-2924 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That whenever flood cover is included in home building insurance policies: |
REC187-2940 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That for home contents insurance policies, policyholders pay for that portion of the risk retained by the insurer and pay nothing for the remainder of the risk up to $100,000. For contents with a value greater than $100,000 policyholders then pay the full cost of the portion of risk exceeding $100,000. |
REC187-2957 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Commonwealth Government introduce a standard definition of flood in the form proposed in the ‘Reforming flood insurance: Clearing the waters’ consultation paper. |
REC187-2929 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That all home unit insurance policies include flood cover, in the same manner as for homes. |
REC187-2945 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That to facilitate flood risk information being made publicly available, Commonwealth, State and Territory governments grant indemnities to the providers of flood risk information if the information is obtained and provided in good faith and in the absence of any gross negligence. |
REC187-2962 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | That the Insurance Council of Australia amend clause 4.5 of the General Insurance Code of Practice to extend the time within which claimants in natural disasters have the right to make further claims or lodge reviews after the finalisation of an initial claim to seven months from the date of the relevant natural disaster, regardless of when the initial claim was finalised. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC186-0398 | 9 - Community education | The committee recommends emergency service organisations in collaboration with television and radio broadcasters, the print media and other relevant organisations, use regular and ongoing public education well in advance of an emergency situation as an opportunity to teach the public about their responsibilities during an emergency and how they can appropriately prepare themselves for such an event. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC185-1932 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The committee recommends that a particular focus of the Natural Disasters Insurance Review into the adequacy of current insurance arrangements should be on whether the international insurance market offers reinsurance for the states' and territories' road networks. |
REC185-1930 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government consult with state and territory governments to ensure that the states' and territories' captive insurance and reinsurance arrangements are reported transparently and on a comparable basis. |
REC185-1933 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The committee recommends that the Commonwealth Treasury clarify what is meant by the term 'cost-effective' as it relates to the 2011 NDRRA Determination and the scrutiny of the states' and territories' insurance arrangements. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC176-0139 | 10 - Infrastructure | Subject to the findings of the Productivity Commission, the Commonwealth examine options for the funding of replacement of power infrastructure that presents an unacceptable bushfire risk. |
REC176-0138 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Productivity Commission undertake an examination of bushfire risk from ageing power infrastructure, including an assessment of replacement costs and likely suppression costs from bushfires caused by defective infrastructure. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC145-3234 | 9 - Community education | The Committee recommends that the Australian Government nominate 2012 as the Year of the Coast, to further build community awareness about the issues facing the coastal zone. The Australian Government should work with coastal stakeholders, volunteer groups and the general community in determining key activities as part of this initiative. |
REC145-3233 | 9 - Community education | The Committee recommends that the Australian Government undertake an awareness campaign to alert coastal communities to the key challenges facing the coastal zone and the value of community engagement in addressing these challenges. The campaign should aim to build understanding and awareness of coastal management issues to encourage the continued membership and support of volunteer networks in the coastal zone. |
REC145-3212 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Committee recommends that the Australian Government request the Productivity Commission to undertake an inquiry into the projected impacts of climate change and related insurance matters, with a particular focus on: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC128-3613 | 9 - Community education | That the Department of Primary Industries and Rural Lands Protection Boards employ outreach activities to alert these small producers to their responsibilities and improve their awareness of animal and plant pests and diseases. |
REC128-3615 | 9 - Community education | That the Department of Primary Industries should continue to raise awareness among producers of OJD risks and the operation of Sheep Health Statements. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC122-3797 | 9 - Community education | The Committee recommends that the Native Vegetation Council continue to seek mechanisms to interact with, and educate the individual farmer and landholder with respect to the Native Vegetation Act, its regulations and exemptions. |
REC122-3796 | 9 - Community education | The Committee recommends that the government undertake public education programs to increase the awareness of the community to bushfires, the role fire plays in ecosystems and what steps they should take to minimise the impact of a fire. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC098-2183 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | Further to recommendation 21 in Chapter 4, the Committee recommends that the Commonwealth seeks to ensure that the proposed Council of Australian Governments review of the bushfire management, initiate |
REC098-2175 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Committee recommends that insurance companies ensure that potential and existing policyholders are aware of the need to regularly review their insurance policies to prevent undervaluing. This could be done through renewal notices and quarterly reminders. This should include a list of bushfire risk reduction measures that policyholders can implement to decrease the cost of their premium. |
REC098-2167 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Committee recommends that Emergency Management Australia and the Australian Communications Authority, in conjunction with the respective state and territory governments, ensure the survivability of essential communication installations during fire incidents by strategic fuel management around the assets. |
REC098-2172 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Committee recommends that taxes on insurance premiums be calculated only on the premium in order to eliminate the current cascading cost. |
REC098-2163 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Committee recommends that Emergency Management Australia and the Australian Communications Authority jointly with the Australasian Fire Authorities Council: |
REC098-2157 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government work with Australasian Fire Authorities Council to review the insurance cover provided to volunteer fire fighters in all states and territories and ensure that cover is adequate for loss of life or injury and related loss of income and property lost in the line of duty. |
REC098-2174 | 9 - Community education | The Committee recommends that the Insurance Council of Australia coordinates a public education campaign aimed at illustrating the importance of asset protection and how this can be achieved (that is, insurance products). |
REC098-2138 | 10 - Infrastructure | The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth seeks to ensure that the Council of Australian Governments resolve to increase water access points for bushfire fighting on public land to the minimum national standard. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC013_3980 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | To provide that any person desirous of insuring his crops against fire shall first submit his proposal to two responsible persons for their endorsement that, in their opinion, the crop is likely to produce the value for which the insurer proposes to take out the oolicy, and that, in the event of such endorsement not being obtained, the risk be not accepted. |
REC013_3969 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The subsidy of such Fire Brigade organisations by the insurance companies and the Government to be given favourable consideration, from a proportion of which the expenses of the Central Administration might be met. |