The Committee recommends that the General Insurance Code of Practice be amended to require insurers’ identification of vulnerable customers and training of staff be designed so that customer interaction is compliant with ISO 22458 2022-04, the International Organization for Standardization’s docu

The Committee recommends that there should be insurer and regulator oversight of Scopes of Work through the following mechanisms:

The Committee recommends that building codes and planning rules be strengthened and future-proofed to improve the resilience of communities and households, consistent with Recommendation 2 of the Actuaries Institute’s Funding for Flood Costs report.

The Committee recommends that, if a policy renewal falls due when there is long delay in claim handling or the completion of the project, the insurer should:
- be required to offer a reduced form of cover, with an appropriately lower premium

The Committee recommends that the General Insurance Code of Practice be amended to include a minimum 30 day ‘cooling off period’ with respect to cash settlements.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Securities and Investment Commission update RG 271 Internal Dispute Resolution to provide further guidance on what constitutes a complaint and how complaints should be recorded.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission develop and define key outcomes measures for the consumer experience, including:
- Communication (outcome measures)

The Committee recommends that state and territory governments develop buyback and resilience programs for households with very high flood risk and where alternative mitigation measures are unlikely to manage the risk.

The Committee recommends that insurers be required to ensure that people paying premiums monthly do not pay more.

The Committee recommends that the General Insurance Code of Practice be amended to require insurers, when offering a final cash settlement, to:
- Advise the consumer to obtain legal advice in relation to a final cash settlement;

The Committee recommends that all insurers be required to establish a dedicated internal dispute resolution monitoring and review team to identify systemic issues arising through complaints and implement the Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s feedback to improve internal dispute resoluti

The Committee recommends the Australian Securities and Investments Commission publish quarterly insurer and brand level data on their performance on the metrics recommended in Recommendation 51.

The Committee recommends the Australian Government work with state and territory governments to review the operation of existing buy-back schemes to ensure they are targeted appropriately and to evaluate the outcomes for households that have received assistance.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) appropriately use powers that it has as a result of the removal of the exemption of claims handling of insurance products under the Corporations Act 2001.

The Committee recommends that insurers explore offering innovative insurance products that have the potential to improve the operation of the insurance market, including:
- More flexible insurance products for small business, including:

The Committee recommends, in alignment with recommendation 3 of the 2023 Deloitte report, that insurers be required to build into their staff resourcing plans, strategies to adequately increase resourcing for key services, including call centre and claims management staff, when significant or cat

The Committee recommends that the General Insurance Code of Practice be amended to require insurers when offering final cash settlements to include areasonable uplift/contingency sum to reasonably compensate policyholders for the risks they take on in project managing the repairs to their proper

The Committee recommends that insurers improve their processes to facilitate the escalation of cases that remain unresolved after 12 months to a more experienced case manager.

The Committee recommends that the General Insurance Code Governance Committee publish aggregate data on code breaches by clause, individual insurer, and brand.

The Committee recommends that for each declared event, insurers be required to report the number of unresolved cases after 12 months to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the overarching strategy for resolving these cases.

The Committee recommends the Australian Government collaborate with state governments to implement measures to repurpose areas with high flood risk for alternative purposes, including returning developed land into a predeveloped state or repurposing land for recreational or agricultural use.

The Committee recommends that the New South Wales and Tasmanian governments collaborate with industry and local governments to reform emergency services levies, aiming to enhance premium affordability and reduce barriers to insurance uptake.

The Committee recommends that insurers devote additional resources to providing vulnerable customers with assistance. Insurers should evaluate the effectiveness of this assistance after each declared event.

The committee recommends that the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements be amended to set aside a proportion of funding to be offered to local governments up-front to help facilitate disaster recovery and resilience to ensure councils do not always have to bear the burden of financing repairs up

The committee recommends that the Australian Government establish a national disaster mental health hub to coordinate and provide mental health resources, training, and support for first responders and communities affected by disasters across the nation.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government design and implement consistent national trauma-informed care principles, ensuring that first responders—both professional and volunteer—receive training and support in these national principles to better address the mental health and well-b

The committee recommends that the Australian Government convene a disaster resilience mental health summit to hear from all related agencies and stakeholders to identify solutions to the mental health impacts of disaster.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider how it can further support Disaster Relief Australia, and other similar organisations, not only with funding beyond 2026, but also how the Australian Government can further incorporate Disaster Relief Australia into its national dis

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 to legislate time off for volunteers working with registered organisations and for volunteers to be granted leave from employment, similar to the provisions provided to Reservists under the Defen

In circumstances where the cost of relevant training is not covered by the organisation, the committee recommends that the Australian Government consider amendments to legislation, policy and guidelines to allow volunteers working in organisations such as State Emergency and Rural Bushfire Servic

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider ways to incentivise young Australians to participate in volunteer organisations that provide support for disaster response and recovery.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government establish a national asset register to improve the efficiency of the deployment of resources in the aftermath of a disaster.

The committee recommends that the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and relevant guidelines be amended to enable funds to be distributed for the purpose of building betterment into recovery and reconstruction, ensuring that this funding is available to all jurisdictions.

The Commonwealth should ensure that all non-self-governing Australian territories are clearly eligible for financial support during and after a natural disaster.

The Commonwealth should lead the development of a Nation-wide Natural Disaster Risk Profile (Risk Profile) to enable the Commonwealth to identify risk reduction and resilience priorities and allow the Commonwealth, states, and territories to address agreed risk. The Risk Profile should:

To the extent possible, all current guidelines and frameworks in operation across Commonwealth disaster management funding arrangements should be superseded by the Outcomes Policy.

The Outcomes Policy should:
- Outline natural disaster related investment priorities of the Commonwealth and apply to all Commonwealth departments and agencies investment initiatives.

The Commonwealth should develop an agreed methodology to underpin the Risk Profile that would identify at-risk communities, capabilities, and assets.

The Commonwealth should align all existing and new Commonwealth disaster-relevant programs to the Outcomes Policy and require them to demonstrate how they are helping to deliver these outcomes.

The Commonwealth should ensure that the Outcomes Policy includes outcomes that directly reference disadvantaged or disproportionately impacted groups to ensure their needs are appropriately considered by disaster funding programs.

The Commonwealth should require state and territory governments to complete complementary disaster risk assessments to inform the Risk Profile and guide priority areas for Commonwealth investment and support.

The Commonwealth should develop a common vocabulary for disaster management that can be used at national, regional and local levels in both government and non-government sectors to support the Outcomes Policy.

When designing disaster management outcomes for First Nations communities, the Commonwealth should consider flexible funding arrangements to support community self-determination towards disaster preparedness, risk reduction and resilience as part of the Outcomes Policy.

To support a comprehensive risk-based approach, the Commonwealth should require state and territory governments to develop local or regional Disaster Management Plans. These Disaster Management Plans should:

The Commonwealth should institute a range of program reforms required to support a disaster management system that is scalable, sustainable, effective, equitable, transparent and accessible.

The Commonwealth should adopt an evidence-informed, risk-based approach to Commonwealth disaster funding.

The Commonwealth should mandate regular capability assessments of local governments by state and territory governments.
- Where possible, these assessments should form part of the local or regional Disaster Management Plans.

To the extent possible, where programs are requested to be funded by the Commonwealth that have previously been agreed as part of the Risk Profile, thresholds and administrative arrangements should be streamlined to encourage pre-planning and a risk-based approach.

In compiling the Risk Profile, the Commonwealth should draw upon existing activities including, but not limited to, the National Climate Risk Assessment and the High-Risk Weather Season Outlook.

The Commonwealth should streamline nationally consistent standardised measures, focused on response and short-term recovery that can be delivered quickly following a disaster event. The standardised measures should:

The Commonwealth should clarify the role of the DRFA in the current Commonwealth disaster arrangements. This should be achieved through:

The Commonwealth should use the results of the Risk Profile to work with state and territory governments to identify and prioritise disaster funding.

The Commonwealth should remove existing current DRFA Category A, B, C, and D and negotiate their replacement with a criteria framework that categorises measures into short- (or immediate), medium-, and long-term recovery initiatives and groups initiatives according to their domain (natural, socia

The Commonwealth should publicly release a version of the Risk Profile and associated methodology to inform the efforts of communities, industry, local and state and territory governments, and the not-for-profit sectors, to prepare for future natural disasters.

The Commonwealth should clarify and more narrowly define an exceptional circumstances consideration (currently Category D). This should include:

The Commonwealth, via NEMA, should work with state and territory governments to adopt a leadership and oversight role in ensuring adequate capability, capacity and/or investment exists across Australia for local government and communities to adequately respond to natural disaster events, and to e

The Commonwealth should review the existing DRFA cost sharing arrangements with state and territory governments, taking into consideration simplicity, equity and the capacity of the individual state and territory governments.

The Commonwealth should implement an enhanced national training and exercise regime that tests local capabilities, but also encourages better information sharing, continual improvement, cross-Local Government Area (LGA) and jurisdiction collaboration, and the identification of gaps or weaknesses

The Commonwealth should introduce a systematic and consistent approach to measuring and evaluating the impact of disaster programs against the nationally determined outcomes specified in the Outcomes Policy.

The DRF should be underpinned by an investment strategy that is informed by the Risk Profile. This should be done through:
- Prioritising state and territory projects that address needs identified through the Risk Profile.

The Commonwealth should develop a capability, with agreed accountability measures, to capture and track all Commonwealth expenditure relating to natural disasters.

The Minister for Emergency Management should deliver an annual Statement to Parliament that:
- Defines the Commonwealth’s role in prioritising risk reduction, prevention, resilience, and mitigation against natural disasters.

The Commonwealth should reconsider, with a view to increasing, the current amount of funding allocated to the DRF, or other similar future programs, to address the disaster risk reduction and resilience priorities identified by the Risk Profile.

The Commonwealth should convene a Disaster Management Advisory Council to provide a constructive view of the Commonwealth’s current disaster arrangements, outcomes, and funding options.

The Commonwealth should embed regular sharing of lessons learnt from program outcomes between state and territory governments, and the Commonwealth, to develop a continuous improvement culture.

The intent of the AGDRP should be refined to clarify its role in the disaster management funding system. This should be achieved through:
- Prioritising a clear intent statement that clarifies the purpose of the AGDRP.

The capability and capacity of NEMA should be aligned with the reforms proposed by the Review.

The Commonwealth should use reporting established by the Outcomes Policy to inform requirements associated with international obligations (e.g., the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction).

The Commonwealth should require all Commonwealth government departments and agencies to incorporate natural disaster risk reduction and resilience into department or agency strategic considerations.

The Commonwealth should prioritise the redirection of AGDRP funding, which occurs because of a refined role, towards natural disaster resilience and risk reduction program/s.

The Commonwealth should develop a National Natural Disaster Outcomes Policy (Outcomes Policy) that describes the outcomes the Commonwealth is seeking to achieve through its disaster funding.

The Commonwealth should engage with state and territory governments on the design and implementation of the Outcomes Policy.

Disaster funding investments should elevate the role of local First Nations leadership in emergency management through formal recognition and resourcing for their actions and decision-making during disasters.

The Commonwealth should prioritise its data coordination efforts, including the provision of timely decision relevant information to assist decision makers to manage their risks and satisfy their disaster management objectives.

The Commonwealth should seek to establish enhanced relationships with key nongovernment and private sector partners as part of reforms to the disaster management system.

The Outcomes Policy should be subject to periodic review by the Productivity Commission (or a similar entity with an evaluation focus) to provide advice to government on the degree to which the outcomes are being realised and provide suggestions for improvement.

The Commonwealth should prioritise nation-wide investment in disaster risk reduction and resilience initiatives.

The Commonwealth should conduct a stocktake to map existing partnerships in natural disaster management across various sectors including but not limited to, construction, healthcare, infrastructure, logistics, technology, philanthropy and the charitable sector.

The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C), jointly with the CoordinatorGeneral of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), should co-chair a coordination mechanism between Commonwealth departments and agencies to promote natural disaster risk reduction and resilience.

The Commonwealth should ensure consistency with state and territory governments by also mandating regular capability assessments of all non-self-governing Australian territories that are administered by the Commonwealth to inform the Risk Profile.

The committee recommends that future reviews of the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool consider the sum insured limit under the business property policy.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government review:
- the availability and coverage of insurance in Northern Australia, specifically the insured versus the uninsured, including nonparticipation; and

The committee recommends that the Australian Government direct the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission to monitor the cyclone insurance markets in Northern Australia, and report on:
- instances where thin markets may be impacting both insurance coverage and cost; and

The committee recommends that the Australian Government announce a position on the inclusion of marine insurance in the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government’s 2025 review of the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool consider:
- evidence and data on whether to ‘sunset’ the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool’s coverage of policies for new builds past a certain date; and

The committee recommends that the Australian Government facilitate a coordinated approach to land use planning, building codes, mitigation and disaster resilience that includes the National Emergency Management Agency and other levels of government.

The committee recommends that the Australian Government ensure that future releases of modelling are provided well in advance of key dates in the ongoing roll-out of the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government develop legislation to provide for the introduction of measures to protect the rights of insured persons living in areas at risk of natural hazards, giving consideration to New Zealand’s Natural Hazards Insurance Act 2023.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government strengthen bilateral ties with New Zealand and Samoa, particularly in relation to disaster management and infrastructure issues.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government highlight opportunities for Australian partnerships with Samoa through Austrade and communicate opportunities for joint ventures with Australian organisations.

The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool be utilised by the Australian Climate Service to examine projected impacts on strategic road network routes.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government’s National Emergency Management Agency increase awareness and education around betterment options under Category B Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government consider development opportunities between the Australian Volunteers Program for Samoa and the Australian Engineers Association mentoring program and other relevant Australian mentoring programs.

The Committee recommends that clearer demarcation of climate data and sharing responsibilities between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and state and territory and local governments be established to facilitate adequate warning and ris

The Committee recommends all levels of Government to undertake a proactive approach to build and strengthen their data skills and capabilities to inform better decisions, particularly on road conditions and accidents.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government work with its state and territory counterparts and industry to raise awareness and education of innovative technologies and recyclable materials and construction methods to support

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government consider options for a formal exchange program between the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency and the Australian National Emergency Management Agency.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government encourage state and territory governments to work with local governments to develop skillsbased networks across council collectives to support asset management training and education to address workforce skills shortages across road construc

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government establish a review into the distribution formula of the Financial Assistance Grants road component.

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government review funding allocation to support road asset maintenance works under its Infrastructure Investment Program and consider other measures to incentivise increased investment in maintenance works.