Insurers, banks, and loss adjusters are ramping up their claims and customer service operations across Queensland and the Northern Territory as flood-related claims move beyond 2,000 and access improves in several affected locations.
The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) says insurers have received more than 2,000 claims from the latest flooding in Queensland, with a significant share coming from the Bundaberg region and the Burnett River catchment. The ICA declared it a Significant Event last week, prompting insurers to deploy assessors, place staff at the Bundaberg recovery centre, and make changes to claims handling processes. Insurers are contacting customers in affected areas, and the council is urging policyholders with damage to contact their insurer and lodge claims when conditions allow. ICA chief executive officer Andrew Hall said claims and customer contact remain the immediate focus. “Our priority right now is making sure flood-affected Queenslanders are supported. Insurers are on the ground, and we want people to know help is available, contact your insurer, and make a claim as soon as it is safe to do so,” Hall said.
Hall linked the current claims experience to ongoing discussions about mitigation and resilience spending in Bundaberg. He referred to the proposed 1.7‑kilometre Bundaberg East Levee, first advanced in 2014 but not built. “Had the levee been constructed when originally proposed, the losses experienced in this event could have been avoided,” he said, adding that “investment in resilience infrastructure is the only way to break the cycle of repeated disaster and recovery.” The Burnett River floodplain has recorded several major events in recent years, including Tropical Cyclones Debbie and Marcia and significant flooding in 2020 and 2021, leaving Bundaberg among the more flood‑exposed regional centres on insurers’ flood risk maps.
IAG, whose brands include NRMA Insurance, RACQ Insurance, CGU, WFI, and Rollin’, reports 526 claims across its brands associated with the current weather system. Extended rainfall lifted river levels in parts of Queensland, but IAG’s flood team says the main peak has passed Bundaberg and levels have fallen below the major flood threshold. IAG executive general manager claims Luke Gallagher said the group has reallocated claims and assessing staff into affected districts and will staff the Bundaberg recovery centre. “We’ve mobilised our claims teams to impacted areas, with our property assessing teams already on the ground surveying damage,” Gallagher said.
Suncorp, which operates AAMI, Apia, Shannons, and Vero, has received about 480 claims related to the event as of March 13, with more than 400 concerning home policies. Claim concentrations are emerging in Gladstone, Bundaberg, and Mackay. Executive general manager home claims customers Alli Smith said Suncorp’s Disaster Management Centre in Brisbane has been tracking river levels and rainfall patterns in Queensland and the Northern Territory and planning deployments. Customer Support Teams and Mobile Disaster Response Hubs have been operating in Bundaberg from Saturday to help customers lodge claims, access short‑term assistance, and understand available recovery steps. She added that customers in affected postcodes are receiving SMS messages with links to online resources and claims forms, and that call centres are operating 24/7 for those seeking assistance.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has activated its Emergency Assistance program for individual and business customers in impacted areas of Queensland and the Northern Territory. The package includes customised repayment arrangements for home, business, and personal loans; certain fee waivers; temporary overdrafts or emergency credit limit increases subject to approval; and fee‑free early access to term deposits, including Farm Management Term Deposits.
For home insurance customers whose policies are provided by Hollard and distributed by CBA, the bank is assisting with temporary accommodation and claims enquiries under relevant policy terms and conditions. CBA is also highlighting scam risks, reminding customers that it does not send text messages containing links that request passwords and directing them to verify contacts via the CommBank app or official phone numbers.
QBE has added staff to handle claim lodgements from customers affected by flooding in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The insurer advises customers to contact it once they are safe, even if assessors and trades are not yet able to access some locations due to road closures and other constraints. QBE is arranging urgent “make safe” repairs, temporary accommodation, and emergency cash payments where appropriate. The insurer is also restating guidance on returning to properties, managing electrical hazards, dealing with flood‑damaged vehicles, and assessing unsolicited offers of repair or claims assistance. Customers are being asked to photograph or film damage and to dispose of items that may pose health risks after documenting them.
Loss adjusting firm Sedgwick says it continues to monitor conditions across the Northern Territory and Queensland and to plan on‑site deployment in line with changing access and safety conditions. In the Northern Territory, flooding in the Katherine River catchment has pushed levels to about 17 metres, limiting on‑site activity for adjusters. Sedgwick points to variable highway conditions, differing road closure advice, debris, livestock on roads, and flood‑affected infrastructure as factors delaying inspections. The firm says it is registering claims and arranging make‑safe work where possible while waiting for conditions to stabilise.
In Queensland, Sedgwick reports that conditions in Bundaberg are improving, with receding floodwaters and access expected to be restored soon. Claims are already being lodged, and the company expects further increases as more residents return to their properties. Response teams are preparing to deploy more staff on the ground, supported by local and regional resources. Across the event, Sedgwick has outlined processes for identifying and managing claims from vulnerable customers, including adjustments to communication and claims handling where customers are experiencing hardship or displacement.
