Insurance Council backs calls for better disaster recovery

10 September 2026

Insurance Council backs calls for better disaster recovery

Nationals Member for Euroa, Annabelle Cleeland says a new national report hasvindicated what her community has been saying for nine months: Victoria'sdisaster recovery system is failing regional families.

The Insurance Council ofAustralia's A Safer and Stronger Victoria report, released this week,calls on the next Victorian Government to establish a centrally coordinated,state-led clean-up and recovery model for bushfires and other disasters - andto cut stamp duty on home, contents and business insurance.

It comes after Ms Cleeland used ascathing attack in Parliament this week to lay bare the failures of EmergencyManagement Victoria's response to the January bushfires.

Ms Cleeland told Parliament thatof more than 600 individuals who registered for the clean-up program, only 240were deemed eligible - and after nearly five months, just 30 of thoseproperties had been cleaned up.

Ms Cleeland contrasted that withthe Black Summer bushfires in 2019-2020, where all 736 registrations for theclean-up program were deemed eligible and cleaned up within eight months.

"This is not a difficultcomparison to make about how dysfunctional this program and the response fromEMV and the Carroll Labor Government has been," Ms Cleeland said.

"It is the difference betweena functioning recovery agency and a failing one.

"People in our community havespent nine months asking the Labor Government for basic support to rebuildtheir lives after the January bushfires," Ms Cleeland said.

"Now the ICA is sayingVictoria needs a centrally coordinated, state-led clean-up and recovery model.That should be a wake-up call for this Government."

Ms Cleeland said the findings wereparticularly relevant to communities across Strathbogie and Mitchell Shiresstill rebuilding after the January fires.

"We have seen firsthand whathappens when there isn't enough government leadership after a disaster. Peopleare being told they're eligible for help, only to wait more than seven monthsfor it to arrive.

"The Labor Government cannotkeep talking about resilience while leaving communities to pick up the piecesthemselves."

The report also calls for Victoriato abolish stamp duty on insurance, arguing it would ease cost pressures onhouseholds already facing rising premiums.

"Victorians shouldn't beslugged with another tax simply for trying to protect their home andfamily," Ms Cleeland said.

"People in regional Victoriaknow the cost of insurance is going up — and they know exactly how importantthat cover is when disaster strikes.”

The ICA’s data also showedVictoria recorded more than 12,300 insurance claims for stolen or broken-intovehicles in 2025–26, costing insurers $244 million, along with 3,900 burglaryclaims costing a further $56 million. A vehicle was stolen or broken intoroughly every 43 minutes across the state.

"Crime doesn't just cost theperson whose car is stolen or whose home is broken into — it feeds into thecost of insurance for everyone," Ms Cleeland said.

"Regional Victorians need agovernment that's prepared before disaster strikes, acts decisively when itdoes, and stands with communities for the long recovery that follows. The ICAhas put practical solutions on the table - the question now is whether theLabor Government will actually listen."

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