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Homeowners are spending thousands to reduce bushfire risk. But will insurers reward their efforts?

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[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 11 points 14 hours ago

Christ i hate headlines like this .

It's talking about insurance costs in the face of climate catastrophe

[-] No1@aussie.zone 1 points 14 hours ago

I'm waiting on the government programs and handouts to waterfront property owners when sea levels rise....

[-] eremophila@lemmy.zip 3 points 14 hours ago

Another poorly written meandering article with a rubbish title

This seems to be the only bit possibly worth reading:

"Insurance costs hit homebuyers

Professor Paula Jarzabkowski, an expert on insurance protection gaps at the University of Queensland, says there's already significant evidence that many Australians are struggling to get adequate cover for their properties — either because it's too expensive or because policies exclude specific risks, like certain types of flood or fire.

She says these issues are not isolated to small communities in regional areas.

"Brisbane is built on a floodplain, parts of Sydney are built on floodplains, so we have seen catastrophic flooding in these major cities as well," she tells SBS News.

"We've seen bushfires at the urban bush interface in Perth."

This is not something happening to a few isolated communities, this is something that’s happening in our cities.

Newcastle conveyancer Leah Stevens sold her business in April but says insurance costs appear to have risen, particularly over the past five years.

She says about 30 per cent of the Newcastle local government area is designated flood-prone land, and she began advising clients to always obtain a home and contents insurance quote before exchanging contracts to avoid a "rude shock" once they were already locked in.

"We've had clients that have obtained [insurance] quotes and decided not to proceed with certain purchases," she tells SBS News.

Stevens warns lenders generally require borrowers to have building insurance in place before settlement, and some policies have costs up to $14,000 a year, which can be a significant additional expense for prospective buyers."

this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2026
8 points (83.3% liked)

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