Latest Australia Headlines
All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Australian Woman Wins Multi-million Thalidomide Payout from Diageo
Jul 18 2012 // An Australian woman has won a multi-million dollar payout from UK Company Diageo Plc, the local distributor of the drug Thalidomide that caused birth defects in thousand of babies around the world in the 1960s, her lawyers...
El Nino Indicators Ease; Still Expected in Late 2012
Jul 17 2012 // Climate indicators for an El Niño event in the western Pacific have eased slightly in the past two weeks, but meteorologists still expect the weather pattern, which can bring drought to the Asia-Pacific and damage crops,...
Kerr to Head BMS Growth in Australia, Asia-Pacific
Jul 10 2012 // Global broker BMS Group announced that it has “achieved another major strategic goal with the appointment of respected Australia-based facultative broker, Glenn Kerr.” Kerr will join the BMS’ wholesale...
Insurance Australia Group to Review UK Business
May 21 2012 // Insurance Australia Group’s Managing Director and CEO Mike Wilkins has indicated that it is an “appropriate time to assess the options for the UK business, given the improvement in its performance and the...
Lockton to Open New Australian Operations in Perth and Sydney
Apr 25 2012 // Privately held insurance broker Lockton announced that it will open two new offices in Australia, establishing a new insurance brokerage, Lockton Australia Pty Ltd, with locations in Perth and Sydney. “Adding Lockton...
Tsunami Watch Cancelled; AIR Worldwide Analyzes Quake Risk
Apr 12 2012 // Yesterday the world held its breath, as two strong earthquakes within hours of each other shook the Indian Ocean sea bed, not far from the epicenter of the quake in 2004, which generated a tsunami that took over a quarter...
March’s Severe Weather Proved Deadly, Costly in U.S., Globally
Apr 6 2012 // March was a deadly and costly month in parts of the United States. A significant severe weather outbreak affected parts of the U.S. Midwest, the Tennessee Valley and the Southeast during the first week of March, killing at...
Pilot Forced to Land after Snake Pops out of Dashboard
Apr 6 2012 // An Australian pilot said he was forced to make a harrowing landing reminiscent of a Hollywood thriller after a snake popped out from behind his dashboard and slithered across his leg during a solo cargo flight. Braden...
Aon Benfield March Cat Recap: Severe U.S. Weather, Quakes & Floods
Apr 6 2012 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corp, has released the latest edition of its Global Catastrophe Recap report, which reviews the natural disaster perils that occurred worldwide...
Cooper Gay Names Calverley New Managing Director for Australia
Apr 5 2012 // Cooper Gay Australia, the Sydney based reinsurance broker, announced that Jon Calverley will be assuming the responsibilities of managing director, effective immediately. The bulletin noted that he “will be key to...
Ratings Recap: ACS (NZ) Ltd., Transmonde, Risk Re, Ansvar Australia
Mar 27 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to ‘B+’ (Good) from ‘B++’ (Good) and issuer credit rating to “bbb-” from “bbb” of New Zealand’s ACS (NZ)...
Tropical Cyclone Lua Hits Northwest Coast of Australia as Cat 4 Storm
Mar 19 2012 // Following earlier predictions, tropical cyclone Lua came ashore on Australia’s northwest coast, the “Pilbara” coast, as a strong category 4 storm; i.e. wind speeds from 130 to 156 mph – 209 to 251 km/h....
IAG to Restructure CGU Operations; 600 Jobs to Go
Mar 9 2012 // Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) announced that it is restructuring its “operating model” for its Australia Intermediated business, CGU. The changes are aimed at generating “annual cost savings of...
HSBC Sells General Insurance Business to AXA, QBE for $914 Million
Mar 7 2012 // HSBC has agreed to sell its general insurance businesses to French insurer AXA Group and Australia’s QBE Insurance Group for $914 million in cash, as Europe’s biggest bank moves ahead with its plan to divest...
Alabama Judge Acquits Man in Australia Honeymoon Death
Feb 27 2012 // A judge on Thursday acquitted a man accused of drowning his newlywed wife during a honeymoon diving trip to Australia eight years ago, saying in an unusual ruling that prosecutors did not prove the man intentionally killed...
Insurance Called Motive in Alabama Trial Over Bride Drowning in Australia
Feb 16 2012 // An Alabama man drowned his new bride during a dive on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in hopes of collecting $210,000 in insurance benefits and belongings that included her diamond engagement ring, a prosecutor told...
Australia Evacuates Flooded Towns; Coal Mines Close
Feb 3 2012 // Heavy rains shut four coal mines in eastern Australia on Friday as military helicopters evacuated stranded residents from inundated towns, and authorities warned of further flash flooding. More than 11,000 people in...
New Global Risks Create Need for Expanded Directors & Officers Liability Program
Jan 23 2012 // The risk of lawsuits against senior executives has long been a major concern for businesses in the United States. But in the last few years it has become a much more serious global exposure as well. The international legal...
2012 Off to Bad Weather Start for P/C Insurers
Jan 13 2012 // A tree lays in a yard after a possible tornado roared through Icard, N.C,. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012.Damaging hailstorms in Australia. Unprecedented tornadoes in the southeastern United States. Constant windstorms in...
Australia’s QBE Slashes 2011 Forecast; Shares Dive
Jan 12 2012 // Australia’s QBE Insurance Group said on Thursday its 2011 net profit would fall by as much as 50 percent after record catastrophe claims and it would cut its final dividend, sending its shares down as much as a...
