Latest Australia Headlines
All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Climate Change Is Making Australia a More Difficult Place to Live: Prime Minister
Mar 9 2022 // Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded that a changing climate is making the country a more difficult place to live as he declared recent destructive flooding on the east coast a national...
Property, Motor Vehicle Insurance Claims From Severe Australia Floods at A$900M and Rising
Mar 4 2022 // Property and auto insurers in Australia have received 60,163 claims related to the ongoing disastrous flooding in South-East Queensland and New South Wales. Based on previous flood events, the Insurance Council of...
Record Floods on Australia’s East Coast Have Cost At Least 14 Lives
Mar 3 2022 // Sydney was preparing on Wednesday for dangerous flash flooding as population centers farther north began a massive cleanup operation after record floods that have claimed at least 14 lives along Australia’s east...
HDI Global Restructures Asia-Pacific Operations, Simplifying Reporting Structures
Feb 17 2022 // Industrial insurer HDI Global SE has restructured its Asia Pacific operations in a move designed to simplify reporting structures in the region and strengthen its offering for customers and business partners. The reform of...
Gangs Now Arbitrate Payment Disputes as Ransomware Growth Continues
Feb 14 2022 // Cyber criminal gangs are getting increasingly adept at hacking and becoming more professional, even setting up an arbitration system to resolve payment disputes among themselves, according to a new report by the United...
‘Disturbing’ Culture of Sexual Harassment, Racism, Bullying Found at Rio Tinto: Report
Feb 1 2022 // A report released by Rio Tinto on Tuesday outlined a culture of bullying, harassment and racism at the global mining giant, including 21 complaints of actual or attempted rape or sexual assault over the past five...
First Online M&A Insurance Marketplace Launches in Australia
Jan 31 2022 // io.insure, the world’s first online mergers and acquisitions (M&A) insurance marketplace for small and medium-sized business (SME) transactions, announced it has launched in Australia. The io.insure marketplace...
Australia’s Adani Coal Mine Nears 1st Shipment, Despite Climate Activists’ Campaign
Dec 27 2021 // MELBOURNE – India’s Adani Group is preparing to ship the first coal cargo from Australia’s most controversial mine, after battling a seven-year campaign by climate activists and defying a global push away...
Insurance Losses for October Storms in Southern Australia Estimated at A$1.03B
Dec 13 2021 // The initial industry loss estimates for Southern Australia’s severe storms, which occurred during the period of Oct. 28-30, 2021, are A$1.03 billion (US$739 million), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based...
Severe Australia Floods to Worsen, Raising Costs to Farmers
Dec 3 2021 // Severe flooding episodes across vast swathes of eastern Australia this week show no signs of relenting as costs to farmers continue to mount, with another bout of heavy rain on course to hit the already sodden growing...
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Buys Australia’s Sound Insurance Services
Dec 2 2021 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Caulfield, Victoria-based Sound Insurance Services in Australia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Gallagher Completes $3.25B Purchase of Willis’...
Australia’s Westpac Bank to Pay $80.6M in Penalties, Admits Charging Dead People
Nov 30 2021 // Westpac Banking Corp. agreed to pay A$113 million ($80.6 million) in penalties after the Australian regulator alleged the lender had widespread compliance failures that included charging dead people. The case includes a...
Australia’s Weather Bureau Declares La Niña for 2nd Consecutive Year
Nov 23 2021 // Australia’s weather bureau said on Tuesday a La Niña weather phenomenon had developed in the Pacific Ocean for the second year in a row that could bring above average rainfall across the country’s center,...
Australia’s Corporate Regulator Sues MLC Life for Causing Financial Harm of $13M
Nov 19 2021 // Australia’s corporate regulator said on Friday it was suing MLC Life Insurance for causing financial harm of A$17.5 million ($12.73 million) to over a quarter million customers by not paying benefits and charging...
Severe South Australia Storms Declared a Catastrophe by Insurance Council
Oct 29 2021 // The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has declared an insurance catastrophe for parts of South Australia, which were hit by significant hail, rain, and strong winds over the past 24 hours. Insurers have received more...
Australian Publisher Urges Government to Compel Facebook to Negotiate Content Deal
Oct 26 2021 // SYDNEY – A small Australian publisher is calling for the government to enforce a new law to compel Facebook Inc to negotiate a content deal, prompting the architect of the rule to say he was “concerned” about...
Australia’s Regulator Sues Unit of IAG for Failing to Honor Promised Discounts
Oct 15 2021 // Australia’s corporate regulator commenced civil proceedings against a unit of Insurance Australia Group on Friday, for failing to pass on discounts worth A$60 million ($44.51 million) to nearly 600,000 customers. The...
Climate Class Action Suit to Proceed Against Australia Government
Oct 11 2021 // A class action lawsuit that claims Australia is misleading investors by failing to disclose the impact of climate risk in its bonds will proceed after government lawyers failed to get the case dismissed. The lawsuit may...
Australia’s Top Law Officer Wants Defamation Rules Redrafted for Internet Age
Oct 7 2021 // Australia’s top law officer has written to her state counterparts urging them to redraft the country’s defamation law after a High Court ruling that publishers of social media posts are liable for reader...
Catastrophe Data Firm PERILS Launches Real-Time Hailstorm Loss Platform for Australia
Oct 1 2021 // PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe insurance data, has announced the launch of a new platform providing real-time industry loss estimates for hailstorm events in...
