Insurers clear air on claims
MORE than 70 per cent of claims resulting from Cyclone Debbie have been finalised, the latest Insurance Council of Australia data shows.
The industry data reveals that in the Whitsundays region, 13,500 claims have been lodged and 72 per cent of those claims have been closed.
The data shows $ 108 million has been paid to date to the Whitsundays region from an estimated insured damage bill of $ 331 million.
But Whitsundays MP Jason Costigan said there were still many residents in the Whitsundays region who were frustrated with the insurance process following Cyclone Debbie, which crossed the Whitsundays coast on March 28.
“If 70 per cent of claims have been finalised then 30 per cent of people must be very p----- d off,” he said.
“I might add, of that 70 per cent, even if it ( that figure) is true, there’s probably a fair chunk of people p----- d off too.
“There is no doubt some companies have been processing claims pretty well but others have been treating my constituents like dirt. They know who they are, disputing this and disputing that.”
Mr Costigan said there were still many Whitsunday residents who had no answers as to when their claims would be finalised.
“Some people are just in limbo waiting for decisions and living in alternative accommodation wondering what the hell is going on,” he said.
“If the Insurance Council of Australia is giving themselves a pat on the back, I think they are kidding themselves.
“They should be giving themselves an upper cut.”
Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox said although the region had cleaned up and repaired much of the damage from Cyclone Debbie, there was still a lot of repair work left to do.
“One major project that is nearing completion is the lagoon at Airlie Beach, so that is very good news but there is still many buildings that still need to be repaired,” he said.
“The insurance claims pro- cess can be very complex for many businesses and individuals and that no doubt can take its toll.”
RACQ general manager personal insurance claims Andy Johnson said the rebuild was well ahead of previous events like Cyclone Yasi and Cyclone Larry which, across the industry, were less than 57 per cent finalised at the same stage.
“We are well on track to have most of our claims finalised by Christmas,” Mr Johnson said.
“In the past, it has taken 12 months to reach the same stage of completion so it’s great news for our members that we have been able to get them back in their homes sooner than expected.
“In fact, RACQ finalised 25 per cent of claims within the first 10 days.”
Mr Johnson said claims that remained open were large, complex ones which required rebuilding of all or part of the building.
An Insurance Council of Australia spokesman said the council and key insurers would deploy teams in the Whitsundays on September 8- 10 to assist policyholders with any issues they were experiencing.