Community Candidate Forum
Betting Against Climate Change: The Impact on Insurance costs
Join our free community candidate forum, hosted by Resilient Blue Mountains and the Macquarie Alliance for Climate with an expert guest speech and federal election candidate Q&A session.
We all know the cost of living is hurting, and, understandably, dominating our election. As climate-fuelled disasters like floods and bushfires become more frequent and more severe, insurance companies are raising premiums or pulling out altogether. For folks in the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains, we have some of the highest insurance premiums in NSW. That’s no accident.
This event will dig into the links between climate change, insurance, and disaster recovery – and what needs to change. This event is crucial in helping you understand how climate impacts will affect your insurance premiums, and what policies our federal politicians can fight for to protect our communities from disasters and their economic impacts.
See full program below ⬇️
More info:
In Australia, insurance for natural disasters typically covers events like bushfires, floods, cyclones, and storms. However, the extent of coverage varies between providers and policies, with some exclusions for high-risk areas or specific circumstances. Climate change is already exacerbating cost-of-living pressures on everyday people, from food scarcity, to energy bills, to the costs of cleaning up after worsening floods, fires and cyclones. Rising insurance premiums are another serious and growing concern, driven by the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, inflation, and higher reinsurance costs. Many Australians are struggling to afford coverage, with some opting out entirely, which raises concerns about underinsurance. Efforts are underway to address these challenges, including calls for urgent action to curb the impacts of climate change, insurance sector policy reforms and better disaster resilience planning.
Louise Hayes will be presenting on the rising cost of insurance and its impact on disaster recovery. There will be a Q&A session and local candidates for the federal election have been invited to participate.
Speaker
Hear from Louise Hayes, a leading expert in insurance for disaster recovery and the National Coordinator for Disaster Recovery at Financial Counselling Australia’s (FCA). Louise has a background in disaster related financial counselling working with clients impacted by flood, fire and cyclone.
Facilitator
Brett Bond is a firefighter with Fire and Rescue NSW. Brett joined the NSW Fire Brigades in 1993 and was stationed at Glebe, Parramatta and Penrith before being transferred to Katoomba where he has worked for the past 28 years.
Confirmed Candidates
Program
