Insurance Australia Group (IAG) is celebrating 100 years of NRMA Insurance, reflecting on a century of helping Australians through everything from road safety reforms to natural disasters.
Founded in 1925 as part of the National Roads and Motorists Association, NRMA Insurance began by aiming to protect Australia’s earliest motorists. Within a year, it expanded into home insurance, later pioneering initiatives such as instalment payments and plain-English policies.
By the mid-20th century, it had issued half a million comprehensive car policies and campaigned for safety measures including compulsory seatbelts.
Natural disasters have shaped much of NRMA Insurance’s history. Following the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, the company reviewed its approach to catastrophe modelling and supported building code reforms. The 1994 eastern seaboard bushfires and the 1999 Sydney hailstorm prompted expanded community response, including immediate cash payments and temporary accommodation.
More recently, NRMA Insurance supported customers during the Black Summer bushfires, processing more than 8,200 claims and flying its helicopter for 410 hours over three months.
In 2000, NRMA demutualised, and the new NRMA Insurance Group Limited was listed on the ASX. In 2002, it became Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG). That year, IAG established a Natural Perils team of scientists and experts to strengthen understanding of extreme weather risk.
In recent decades, NRMA Insurance has deepened its partnerships with community organisations, including the Australian Red Cross and GIVIT, to support disaster preparedness and recovery. Its on-the-ground responses have ranged from immediate cash payments to emergency accommodation for customers impacted by catastrophic weather.
Since 2024, IAG reports that NRMA Insurance teams have answered more than 1.6 million calls for help, flown 43 helicopter missions to assist communities, and delivered hundreds of Red Cross EmergencyRedi workshops to strengthen local resilience. Customers who take resilience measures, such as bushfire-proofing their homes, are now eligible for premium benefits under new initiatives.
The group also advocates for stronger disaster mitigation policies. Following long-term lobbying by IAG and NRMA Insurance, the federal government launched the Disaster Ready Fund in 2021, committing $200 million annually to resilience projects.
Looking ahead, IAG said its ambition is to cement NRMA Insurance as “A Help Company” for the next century. This includes expanding technology such as telematics to encourage safe driving, enhancing digital claims support, and scaling up climate action advocacy.
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