Australia governments funding for property clean-up after bushfire to protect insured entitlements: insurance council

The move by the federal and Western Australia (WA) governments to make more funds available for cleaning up properties destroyed or damaged in the Parkerville bushfire will help to protect property owner entitlements, suggests the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).

The funding assistance will alleviate a significant amount of stress for those affected by the bushfire and help preserve their sum insured and entitlements under their policies, with these directed towards rebuilding their homes, council CEO Rob Whelan said in a statement late last week.

Marise Payne, minister for human services, announced that residents affected by the devastating Perth Hills bushfires could still access Australian Government recovery assistance this past weekend. Department staff were to be available to “provide support and assist those affected to claim the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment of $1,000 for eligible adults and $400 for eligible children,” Payne said in a statement.

On Jan. 13, the ICA declared a catastrophe for the bushfire-affected Perth Hills area of Western Australia, where bushfires had destroyed or damaged many homes, businesses and vehicles. One fatality had been reported.

Bushfire ADVICE for the western part of Parkerville and eastern part of Hovea in the Shire of Mundaring http://t.co/bsI3FUOod9

— DFES (@dfes_wa) January 20, 2014

As early Jan. 16, more than 300 claims had been lodged, with estimated insurance losses of slightly more than $15 million. More claims were expected.

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“The decision by the federal and WA Governments to allocate funds will speed up the clean-up process and help all those affected by the fires to move on and focus on rebuilding their lives,” Whelan said.

Work was continuing by insurance assessors to review claims in bushfire-affected communities, with insurers gearing up to prioritize inquiries and claims.

At the time, the insurance industry was continuing to monitor the heat wave affecting southeastern Australia. Grass fires and bushfires were burning in several states and there was concern the heat wave could create severe to extreme bushfire conditions in many regions.

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This past weekend, it was announced disaster assistance would be available to Victorian and South Australian communities affected by the recent bushfires.

Under Australia’s Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, assistance is available to eligible affected individuals and families through emergency relief, and emergency-reestablishment grants, as well as measures to assist with emergency accommodation, food and clothing, and the removal of debris, repairs, rebuilding and replacement of essential household contents.

In October 2013, ICA reported that catastrophes since the beginning of 2010 have caused billions of dollars of damage across Australia and insurance losses of more than $8.8 billion.