Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Media Release, 23 October 2023
Lockyer Valley Regional Council says the integrity of the Insurance Council of Australia should be questioned, following months of unanswered correspondence from the region’s Mayor.
Mayor Milligan wrote to the Insurance Council of Australia CEO and Executive Director, Andrew Hall in April and again in September, inviting Mr Hall and members of his team to meet with herself, fellow Councillors and Council’s Executive Leadership Team to discuss how Council’s Flood Information Portal (FIP) and Draft Lockyer Valley Planning Scheme might improve insurance outcomes for local residents and businesses.
The lack of contact and disregard is both frustrating and unacceptable, she said.
“I am extremely disappointed that, to date, no response to any correspondence has been forthcoming.
“Let’s call this what it is – complete and utter disregard.
“We have received no response or engagement from our attempts to make headway and given the region’s long history of being exposed to severe natural weather events and hazards, and the considerable impacts of these natural disasters on the region, I have simply had enough.
“Council has undertaken a significant amount of work, at a considerable cost, on the development and implementation of the Flood Information Portal (FIP) and finalisation of the Draft Lockyer Valley Planning Scheme for statutory community engagement to improve our understanding of the risks and impacts associated with these hazards.
“As a Council, we are committed to doing all we can to provide accurate and timely information to minimise the risk to people, life and property within our community.
“Following the 2022 floods, the Insurance Council advised us they were willing to engage and could encourage insurers to undertake consistent and meaningful assessments for those impacted from flooding, but unfortunately it seems to have been empty promises.
“We acknowledge there has been a run of disasters, including floods and fires across Australia since the beginning of last year and while everyone is busy, the support our region needs should not be ignored,” she said.
Since its release, the FIP website page has been viewed 13,659 times and 2005 individual property reports have been downloaded, Mayor Milligan said.
“The FIP is the first of its kind for Local Government in Australia and provides specific GPS-point data on flood levels across a block of land so rather than make a blanket assessment of risk, the parts of the block that are dry should be assessed differently.
“A significant number of queries have been received regarding whether the proposed changes in zoning and or flood mapping, as presented in the Draft Planning Scheme, will affect residents’ insurance premiums.
“As part of the development of the community engagement strategy, it was identified this would be queried by residents, hence my invitation to meet with the team prior to the statutory period of public consultation commencing.
“As a result, unfortunately Council staff have been unable to answer such queries and have advised residents that efforts were made to meet with the Insurance Council of Australia, but to no avail.
“Several community members have expressed their disappointment at the lack of response.”
Insurance plays a vital role for residents in our community, Mayor Milligan said.
“Council values opportunities to collaborate with industry partners to ensure our community has access to the timeliest information available to them to help guide their decision making in respect to their personal circumstances.
“It is an expectation of our community that our Council demonstrates leadership and accountability in ensuring that we advocate to industry partners to work with us and to ensure that, where appropriate, we share information that impacts on or benefits our community.
“That is exactly why I extended the invitation to engage and discuss these important issues further – and I genuinely hope our region receives the respect it deserves in the near future,” she said.
