Other Insurance

Zurich Australia’s decision to exclude concussion and head trauma from certain TPD policies held through the AFL Players Association superannuation fund raises questions about how professional and community sport should manage long-term brain injury risk, and who ultimately carries the cost when insurers step back.

Federal flood insurance has long filled a gap left by standard homeowners’ policies, but the National Flood Insurance Program faces persistent financial strain, outdated coverage limits, and pricing that often fails to match true risk. Here are the key questions behind calls for reform and what proposed changes could mean for premiums and participation.

As storms, droughts and floods intensify across Africa, economists argue that cheaper, technology-assisted insurance models—such as smartphone photo claims and flexible “coupon” coverage—could help close the protection gap for small-scale farmers, provided products are transparent, well-regulated and paired with practical climate adaptation.

As extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe, insurance premiums are rising and pushing more households into underinsurance or no insurance at all. A proposed government-backed reinsurance pool aimed at northern Australia may not deliver lower premiums to customers and does little to address the underlying drivers of disaster losses.

The Los Angeles County fires have highlighted how rapidly insurance can become unaffordable or unavailable when risk escalates. With large losses flowing through global reinsurance markets, Australian households — already facing rising premiums and insurance stress — could feel the effects, even though the disaster occurred overseas.

Disasters can leave households facing huge costs, yet insurance often fails to provide the safety net people expect. With many owners and renters uninsured or underinsured—often due to cost, complexity, and distrust—policy debate needs to move beyond individual blame toward making insurance and disaster recovery systems work better for everyone.

Wildfires and other catastrophes are making home insurance harder to find and more expensive in several states. When private markets pull back, public backstops can help—but they also face limits. Clarifying the goals of insurance, who belongs in the risk pool, and how risk is classified is a necessary starting point for any workable solution.

After major events such as the Canterbury earthquakes and Cyclone Gabrielle, some New Zealand homeowners are finding insurance difficult to obtain as insurers reassess what is financially viable. With a new consumer-fairness duty arriving in mid-2025 and a public natural-hazards scheme already embedded in home cover, the debate is shifting from whether the problem exists to what mix of innovation and public-private coordination could keep protection available.

Fresh flooding in New South Wales has again left thousands of households and businesses facing damage, displacement and difficult rebuilding decisions. Beyond the immediate clean-up, the event highlights a broader shift: insurance cover that is increasingly expensive, incomplete or out of reach, raising questions about how communities can stay protected as disasters escalate.

Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has disrupted air routes, reduced capacity and pushed up jet fuel prices, creating higher fares and less reliable schedules. For travellers who still need to fly, understanding pricing, routing options, and the limits of protection across separate tickets can help reduce stress and avoid costly mistakes.