Latest Australia Headlines
All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Frequent Wildfires Decimating Forests Becomes Concern Worldwide
Sep 22 2020 // Wildfires among ponderosa pines and Douglas firs of the U.S. West have long been part of nature’s cycle of renewal, as much as the changing of the seasons. But as climate change makes the region more arid, wildfires...
Hamilton Re Appoints Former AXIS Capital Executive as New CEO
Sep 10 2020 // Hamilton Re has named Megan Thomas, a former AXIS Capital and AIG executive, as the company’s new chief executive officer. She succeeds David Brown, the chairman of Hamilton Re who was appointed interim CEO in early...
Search for Crew from Capsized Cattle Ship Continues; Records Reveal Ship Defects
Sep 4 2020 // A crewman from a cattle ship that capsized enroute from New Zealand to China has died after being pulled unconscious from water by the Japanese coastguard on Friday, while it emerged the vessel had a history of mechanical...
More Than 40 Crew Members Missing After Ship with 6,000 Cattle Capsizes Off Japan
Sep 3 2020 // More than 40 crew members were missing after a ship carrying cattle from New Zealand to China capsized in stormy weather in the East China Sea, the Japanese coastguard said on Thursday. A lone crew member from the Gulf...
McDonald’s Has a Trademark Beef With Australia’s Hungry Jack’s ‘Big Jack’
Sep 3 2020 // Global fast food giant McDonald’s Corp. has filed a trademark infringement notice in Australia after the local unit of Burger King created a similar product called the “Big Jack,” according to a local...
Former Australia Bank Unit Sued Over Insurance Commissions
Sep 3 2020 // Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) said on Thursday a class action lawsuit had been filed over commissions paid to its former subsidiary and advice given by it on financial products including insurance. The lawsuit was...
Actuaries Index: Extreme Climate Conditions Hit New High in Winter 2019-20
Aug 27 2020 // A multiyear trend of increasing climate condition measurements from the U.S. and Canada hit a new high in winter 2019-2020, according a new Actuaries Climate Index released this week. The quarterly data’s key metric...
Class Action Targets Commonwealth Bank of Australia Over Insurance Advising
Aug 21 2020 // Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) said on Friday a class action lawsuit was filed over advice given on life insurance policies issued and recommended by three former subsidiaries. The lawsuit was filed by Shine Lawyers...
Australia Detains Cargo Ships for Alleged Labor Violations Related to COVID Lockdowns
Aug 12 2020 // Australian authorities detained at least two cargo ships for alleged labor violations related to demands from seafarers to be sent home, some of whom have spent more than a year at sea. The ships, which are or will be...
New Risk to Global Supply Chains Emerges as Weary Crews, Stuck Offshore, Halt Work
Aug 7 2020 // A new risk to global supply chains is emerging as exhausted seafarers stuck offshore for months halt work, a breaking point caused by restrictions on crew changes amid coronavirus precautions. Three vessels are idled in...
Australia to Spend $1.2B to Beef Up Private Sector’s Cyber Defenses After Rise in Attacks
Aug 7 2020 // Australia will spend A$1.66 billion ($1.19 billion) over the next 10 years to strengthen the cyber defenses of companies and households after a rise in cyber attacks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. Cyber...
AIR Worldwide Releases Updated Earthquake Model for Australia
Jul 27 2020 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide (AIR) announced the release of its updated Earthquake Model for Australia. These updates were prompted by findings in the National Seismic Hazard Model from Geoscience Australia...
January’s Hailstorms in Australia Cost Insurers an Estimated A$1.8B (US$1.3B): PERILS
Jul 21 2020 // The industry loss footprint for the January 2020 Australian hailstorms, which occurred Jan. 19-21, 2020, are estimated at A$1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that...
Anglo-Australian Miner BHP Faces $6.3B Lawsuit in UK over 2015 Brazil Dam Disaster
Jul 15 2020 // More than 200,000 Brazilian people and groups will next week kick off a 5 billion-pound ($6.3 billion) lawsuit against Anglo-Australian miner BHP in Britain over a 2015 dam failure that led to Brazil’s worst...
Insured Losses for 2019/2020 Australia Bushfires Estimated at A$1.9B (US$1.3B): PERILS
Jul 7 2020 // The insurance industry’s loss footprint for the Australian bushfires of 2019/2020 is estimated at A$1.9 billion (US$1.3 billion), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization providing industry-wide...
Australia to Spend Nearly $1 Billion on Cyber Security During Next Decade
Jun 30 2020 // SYDNEY – Australia will spend A$1.35 billion ($926.1 million) over the next 10 years to boost its cyber security defenses, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday, as Canberra seeks to combat a wave of attacks. The...
State-Based Hackers Target Australia Government, Critical Infrastructure: Prime Minister
Jun 19 2020 // Australia’s government, health and education services and various industries are being targeted by sophisticated state-based cyber attacks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday. Morrison said that while the...
Sustainable Recovery Plan Pitching Pandemic as Opportunity to Grow Greener
Jun 18 2020 // Economic growth can be boosted, jobs can be saved or even created and greenhouse gas emissions can be cut if we take advantage of the worldwide changes that have occurred as we hunkered down in response to the COVID-19...
Insurers Distance Themselves from Disputed Australia Coal Project as Backlash Grows
Jun 12 2020 // Global insurance companies linked to Adani’s Carmichael coal mine in Australia are distancing themselves from the controversial development, as pressure mounts on financial institutions to cut their ties to the...
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Australia’s CA Insurance Brokers
Jun 9 2020 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based broker, announced the acquisition of CA Insurance Brokers in Australia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2002 by Andrew Howard, CA...
