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Importance of Management Liability Insurance in Australia

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In today’s modern business landscape, it is important for businesses to have the right management liability insurance coverage. 

With the ever-changing legal and financial regulations, having a comprehensive management liability policy can protect your business from potential risks and liabilities. This blog post will discuss the importance of management liability insurance in Australia and why your business should not go without it. 

What is Management Liability Insurance? 

Management liability insurance is an important form of protection for businesses operating in Australia. This type of insurance covers a range of risks that could potentially cause financial losses for public and private companies, or resources if they were to occur. 

What Does Management Liability Insurance Cover? 

Management liability insurance covers a range of exposures that could be faced by businesses in Australia, including wrongful acts, wrongful dismissal, employment practice liability, corporate criminal liability, fiduciary liability, and statutory liability, tax audits and penalties. 

This type of insurance is designed to protect directors and officers liability from personal financial losses in the event of a claim being made against them or their companies for wrongful acts committed while managing the business. 

By having management liability insurance cover, business directors and officers can protect themselves from costly lawsuits or other legal action taken against them by their employees or customers. The policy covers the legal costs associated with defending these claims, regardless of whether or not they are successful. 

Why do Businesses Need Management Liability Insurance? 

As a business owner, you have a responsibility to ensure that the company is operating in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. However, even with proper procedures in place there is still risk involved when running a business – especially if there are multiple people involved in decision-making processes.

This means that having management liability insurance is essential for any business operating in Australia as it provides financial protection from potential risks and liabilities. As businesses are exposed to a wide range of potential liabilities each day, having this type of coverage will provide peace of mind that your business is protected should any claims arise. 

Without adequate protection, your personal assets may be exposed if someone takes legal action against you or your company for any kind of wrongdoing. With management liability insurance in place, you can rest assured knowing that your assets will be protected from any claims made against you or your company.

Additionally, most insurers and insurance brokers offer additional benefits such as access to risk management services and professional advice to help you stay ahead of any potential threats to your business. 

How Can I Get Management Liability Insurance? 

In conclusion, having suitable management liability insurance in Australia is essential for any business operating within the country’s borders. With the ever-evolving legal and financial climate, having this type of coverage can provide peace of mind knowing that your company has adequate protection from potential risks and liabilities should they arise. 

So, if you’re looking for management liability insurance for your business in Australia, it’s important to work with an experienced provider who can tailor a policy that meets your specific needs. 

At Business Insurance Consulting we specialise in helping businesses find the right coverage for their circumstances. We have years of experience helping businesses secure the right policy so they can focus on what matters most – running their business operations successfully and confidently! 

To ensure your business is protected, contact us today to get started!

Credits

Business Insurance Consulting – https://businessinsuranceconsulting.com.au/management-liability-insurance/

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Is Landlord Insurance Valid In The Event Of Malicious Damage?

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If you have an investment property, then you probably already know about landlord insurance. But do you know exactly what it covers?

We know that not all tenants are as respectful of your property as you would hope and expect. When damage occurs to your property, whether it’s accidental or malicious, you will often be the one left with the legal liability and bill. 
To ensure that your losses are minimal, you must protect yourself with comprehensive insurance.

What Is Landlord Insurance?

Landlord insurance covers your rental property and its contents against a range of risks, including weather events, fires, and tenant-caused damage. 

Damage to your property can lead to months worth of repairs or refits that leave your property empty. We understand that for landlords, this loss of rent, paired with the cost of the work, can have a major impact on your financial status. 

Having Steadfast Direct landlord insurance will ensure you will not be left with endless bills and no profits due to property damage.

Is Malicious Damage Covered?

Property with significant damage.

In the case that you’ve walked into your property for an inspection or following the end of a lease, you hope to find it in a similar condition to when you first leased it. 

But what happens when it’s not?

What happens when you walk in to see holes in the walls, or shattered windows? 

If you don’t have insurance then the first thing is likely to stress out and frantically try to call builders and rearrange your budget. Whereas, if you do have landlord insurance then you can skip all the stress and calmly contact your insurance provider. 

Unless the tenant is still living in your property, and likely even if they are, it’s going to be difficult to know for sure whether the damage was caused with malicious intent. 

That is unless you take them to the RTA or court. However, this can also be a lengthy process that can leave you without a rental income while the case is being processed. 

Each policy is unique, some will only cover accidental damage, while others will cover all damage. For example, our Steadfast Direct landlord insurance will cover the damages caused by your tenants and their guests – malicious or not – and the associated financial losses. 

However, like all good things, there are a few exclusions. Most policies will not cover damage caused by general wear and tear, or neglect. It’s important to check with your insurance provider to find out exactly what kinds of damage your policy covers.

Malicious Damage Process

Living room all messed up with a broken TV.

If you or your property manager notice signs of malicious damage during an inspection there are a few steps you can take. 

The first and most important step is to take photographic evidence. You will then be able to use this if legal action is required. 

The second step is to issue your tenant with a breach notice, and give them a chance to repair the damage within a set period of time. If the tenant fails to make the repairs then you can lodge a police report.

In Australia, malicious damage charges can carry large fines or even involve imprisonment if the damages are excessive. Thus, you should never face these damages lightly.

To avoid facing more damages in the future you can screen your tenants to find renters that are more likely to respect and care for the property. You can also carry out more regular inspections, to keep better track of the state of your property.

The final thing you can do is to ensure your insurance policy is comprehensive and will cover you in the case of any future tenant damages.

Protect Your Investment

If you are a landlord and do not have landlord insurance, we can help. Our team of insurance experts can provide any guidance and set you up with a comprehensive policy.


You can visit our website or contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help protect your investment property.

Credits

RentWest – https://www.rentwest.com.au/advice-for-property-owners/dealing-with-malicious-damage/

Why Management Liability Insurance Is Important

Why Management Liability Insurance Is Important

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As a business owner you are personally liable for most things that go wrong in your business whether you are actually at fault or not, the liability will always be on your shoulders as the owner. 

And it’s not just larger businesses that are at risk, small and medium sized businesses can be affected as well, so it is important that you protect yourself and your business. 

Investing in management liability insurance can save you from unexpected liability expenses and legal costs from any claims that arise. 

To give you an idea of what this insurance can do for you exactly, here are a few of the protections that management liability cover offers.

Employment Practice Liability

When running a business you will have your own inhouse systems for managing employee disputes and ensuring everyone is being treated fairly. However, if any of your employees claim that a wrongful act such as wrongful dismissal, workplace bullying, or discrimination has occured it can be costly to you and your business. 

Having management liability insurance cover can protect you by financing the payouts for employment breach claims. 

Directors and Officers Liability

As a business owner you are responsible for protecting everyone that works for you including directors, officers and employees.

Having business insurance can help protect your company’s past, present and future directors, officers and managers against claims of wrongful acts, such as misrepresentation or breach of duty. 

Crime

There are a range of crimes that can occur in the workplace, so it is important to be prepared. While management liability cover won’t protect against all forms of criminal activity, this cover will protect your business from claims of employee or third party fraud. 

There are additional policies you can look into for cover for various workplace crimes, depending on the severity of the crime. 

Statutory Liability

Statutory liability covers costs associated with defending and settling claims from outside parties who are alleging wrongful conduct, as well as investigation into the affairs of the company.

This ensures your business can afford to get a high level of legal defence and protection without facing large financial losses which could bankrupt your business. 

Defence Costs

If your business ends up in court for any reason it can be expensive to seek legal advice and great defence lawyers. Without insurance, going to court can destroy a small business if they cannot come up with sufficient funds. 

Having management liability insurance can protect your business, no matter the size, by covering all the costs associated with going to court. 

If you are a business owner and do not yet have liability insurance or are looking to upgrade your policy we can help. 
Business Insurance Consulting specialises in a wide variety of business insurance policies including management liability. To learn more about our services and how we can help protect your business, you can visit our website or contact us to request a quote.

Benefits Of Cyber Protection Insurance

Benefits Of Cyber Protection Insurance

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It is no secret that the majority of our lives and business is completed online, this also means however, that the risk of cyber attacks is now higher than ever. So, it is essential to protect yourself and your business from cyber attacks. 

You can do this by investing in cyber protection insurance. This is a relatively new form of cover as cyber risks have recently begun to become more prevalent. 

Some of the biggest benefits of cyber protection insurance include covering financial and reputational losses incurred by cyber attacks, as well as providing liability protection.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways that cyber protection insurance can help your business. 

Business Interruption Losses

Having cyber insurance will ensure any and all financial and work related losses that you may suffer as a result of a cyber incident or attack are covered, so your business is not significantly impacted. 

Cyber Extortion

Depending on the nature of the cyber attack, the hackers may try to blackmail your business by requesting a payment in exchange for your data or systems. 

Without insurance this can be costly, and if you cannot afford the ransom amount you risk losing all your data. With cyber insurance, all the costs of hiring professional negotiators, covering the demands, and preventing future threats will be covered. 

Electronic Data Replacement

Repairing, recovering and replacing your business’s data can be a time consuming and expensive process following a cyber attack. 

If you have insurance, through this process won’t hurt as much, as all costs will be reimbursed. This ensures you can get back to normal business operation as soon as possible, with minimal financial losses. 

Security and Privacy Liability

Cyber breaches can result in damage to your reputation if any third party data held in your system ends up in the wrong hands. 

Having cyber liability insurance your insurance company will help minimise the damage to your business. They will cover the included costs of immediate responses, ensuring payments are made on a no fault basis without admission of liability. This will ensure your business’s reputation is protected. 

Legal Costs

If you need to seek any legal defence or have to face court for any reason related to a cyber breach or attack, your insurance will cover all relevant legal costs. 

As well as covering defence costs, your insurance company will also cover all legal expenses and costs that arise from government regulator investigations.

Electronic Media Liability

Cyber attacks can result in a massive data breach, which can have detrimental effects on your business, financially and reputationally. 

Cyber insurance will ensure your reputation remains intact and cover all costs associated with data breaches, including copyright infringement, defamation claims, and the misuse of certain types of intellectual property online.

Crisis Management Expenses

If you have to call in crisis management experts to help manage the effects a cyber attack has had on your business or team, your insurance provider will cover for the costs. 

Notification and Monitoring Expenses

Notifying all of your customers of a security breach and monitoring all of their data against future attacks can be expensive and time consuming. However, with insurance it doesn’t have to be, your insurer will cover all of these expenses for you. 

If your business has a website or any electronic data online, it is important that you protect it. If your business is in need of cyber protection insurance we can help. 
You can visit our website to learn more about our insurance services or contact us to request a quote to start protecting your electronic data.

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High level of underinsurance in flood affected areas

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The Queensland and NSW floods have caused losses reaching an estimated $2.3 billion. This devastating extreme weather event has deeply impacted many families and businesses.

A survey conducted by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has highlighted a significant level of underinsurance among the affected communities. 

The ICA reported on March 21st that insurers had received 153,769 claims, which is a 2% increase from the previous week’s figures. 

ICA also released results from a survey of more than 1000 people from three flood-prone areas in southeast Queensland and NSW. The survey found that 37% of respondents say they wouldn’t have enough insurance to rebuild. 

Two-thirds of respondents also stated they don’t believe governments are investing enough to properly protect homes and communities from extreme weather events. More than 90% of those respondents said the spending should at least double. 

From the survey the ICA reports that an astonishing 94% of people said there should be better controls on where homes are built so they are not at risk of flood. 

On affordability and availability constraint drivers, the survey finds 47% say flood cover can be difficult or expensive to obtain due to the risk of flood, one in five says it is driven by insurer profits and 11% cite climate change. 

“The Insurance Council has long called for greater investment in measures that better protect homes and communities from the impact of extreme weather,” ICA CEO Andrew Hall said. 

“This most recent flood has unfortunately brought this issue into sharp relief, and now those directly impacted have added their voices to this call.”

The ICA survey was conducted from March 11th-14th across the Northern Rivers, Western Sydney and Greater Brisbane regions. 

If you wish to discuss your home or business insurance options, you can contact Craig from Business Insurance Consulting. 

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0412 212 099

Credit: https://www.insurancenews.com.au/local/flood-losses-rising-as-survey-shows-high-levels-of-underinsurance

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Personal hardship assistance extended to more flood-affected areas across South-East Queensland

by Uncategorized

On March 2nd, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) stated that insurers received 48,220 claims related to the flooding in South-East Queensland and the New South Wales coast. 

This was a 53 percent increase from the previous day’s claims count, and further demonstrated the significant impact from this event. 

37,807 of the claims were from Queensland, with the remainder from New South Wales. The New South Wales figures are expected to increase, as more policyholders return to their homes and businesses. 

Eight-four percent of the total claims relate to property, with the rest being motor vehicle claims. Insurers do not currently have an estimate of claims costs. 

The personal hardship assistance has been extended to more flood-affected individuals and families, as flooding continues to affect people across South-East Queensland. 

Grants are available through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) for eligible flood-affected residents in Ipswich, Lockyer Valley, Moreton Bay and Somerset. The personal hardship grants have also been extended to the entire Local Government Area of Gympie Regional Council, Fraser Coast and Sunshine Coast.

The Federal Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie said that if eligible, the DRFA assistance would provide grants of up to a maximum of $900 for a family of five or more, or $180 per person. 

“These payments are designed to cover essential items such as food and clothing for people who are doing it tough as a result of the floods, in addition to the reconnection of essential services once it’s safe to return home.” 

“Areas affected by flooding in Brisbane and Logan are currently being assessed for the provision of personal hardship financial assistance and those assessments are being progressed as a matter of priority.” 

“Brokers are contacting their clients in affected areas and are offering their assistance,” said NIBA CEO Philip Kewin. 

“The Australian and Queensland governments continue to work closely to support ongoing recovery efforts and identify where further assistance is required to ensure all flooded communities have the assistance they need to get back on their feet.”

You can find more information on Personal Hardship Assistance and Essential Services Hardship Assistance here, or contact the Community Recovery Hotline 1800 173 349. 

Credit: 

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Insurers step up their commitment to tackling climate change

by Uncategorized

Allianz Australia has stepped up their climate commitment in 2021 by becoming the first insurer to join Climate League 2030. 

Climate League 2030 is a private sector-focussed 10-year initiative that aims to reduce Australia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the targets set by the Paris Agreement in 2015. 

The Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) launched the initiative in October 2020, starting with investor participants. 

IGCC is a collaboration of both Australian and New Zealand investors focussed on the financial impact of climate change on investments. 

Supporting Climate 2030 means Allianz must commit to taking at least one new action each year that will make a demonstrable contribution to reducing Australian emissions. 

Allianz Australia MD Richard Feledy says the business is “proud” to be the first insurer to join the initiative.

“Allianz is committed to a net-zero emissions future and we are decarbonising our operations, insurance portfolio and investments to help us achieve that goal,” Mr Feledy said. 

“We believe climate risks are better mitigated when we collaborate with other organisations, industries and markets.”

“By joining initiatives such as Climate League, we hope to enable an orderly transition.” 

IGCC CEO Rebecca Mikula-Wright says hopefully more insurers will follow Allianz and join the initiative. 

“More and more investors, banks and insurers are now recognising that reducing emissions on a Paris-aligned pathway represents responsible action to secure a healthy economy for Australia,” she said.

“The Investor Group on Climate Change continues to support other organisations, including hopefully more insurance firms, to join Climate League to support a stronger 2030 national emissions reduction commitment, which will remain in focus in the lead up to COP27 in Egypt next year.”

Allianz also announced changes to reduce their ties with fossil fuels. They are removing thermal coal from proprietary investment and underwriting portfolios and in 2021 the insurer stopped insuring or investing in infrastructure facilities that derive more than half their revenue from thermal coal. 

From 2023, Allianz plans to no longer provide property & casualty insurance or make proprietary investments in companies that plan new coal mines, generate more than 25% of revenue from thermal coal mining, or produce more than 10 million tons of thermal coal annually. 

This focus on handling climate change is no new thing, and has been a hot topic in the insurance industry. 

After a turbulent year last year in terms of extreme weather events, Suncorp CEO Steve Johnston also made comments on the need to face this issue head on. 

“Call it La Nina, climate change, or just bad luck, it really doesn’t matter – the results and impacts are the same.” he said. 

“At a time when homeowners really need adequate home insurance, allowing tax revenue from insurance to keep growing due to climate change makes little economic sense.

“Pushing people out of the insurance market simply transfers the cost of the extreme weather event, and the one after, to the taxpayer.”

Mr Johnston said “climate change is an intergenerational challenge that must be tackled” by setting ambitious targets and providing support for industries and jobs impacted by the transition.

You can read more about what he had to say here. 

Australia continues to face extreme weather conditions each year. 

If you want to discuss your personal, home or business insurance, get in touch with us today! 

Credit: 

https://www.insurancenews.com.au/corporate/allianz-steps-up-climate-commitment
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Questions remain after cyclone reinsurance pool details are released

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After announcing that they would be going ahead with the long-debated proposal, the Federal Government has quickly moved to develop a cyclone reinsurance pool. 

The draft legislation was released December 2021. It provided various details, but still left key questions regarding the pool unanswered. 

The two-week public consultation period on the draft bill closed on the 17th of December 2021, and the legislation is due to be introduced into Federal Parliament this year, and the pool is set to commence from July. This is ahead of the election due by late may this year. 

The pool will cover cyclone and related flood damage for claims that arise from the beginning of a cyclone until 48 hours after it ends. The cover includes wind, rain, rainwater, rainwater run-off, storm surge, and riverine flood damage. 

The Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC) will administer the scheme, and based on advice from the Bureau of Meteorology they will declare an event. The initial announcements regarding the proposed pool had referred to a region above the Tropic of Capricorn, however the new material simply refers to “cyclones in Australia”, including offshore territories such as Norfolk Island. 

The eligible policies include, household property, residential and mixed-use strata, small business, charity and not-for-profit property policies, and farm residential policies. 

However there are certain restrictions. 

Business property policies would need to have sums insured of $5 million or less and strata and community title properties will be eligible where at least 80% of the total floor space of units are used mainly for residential purposes. Business marine cover remains a work in progress and is set to be included from the middle of 2023. 

This cyclone pool will be mandatory and insurers are expected to start entering into agreements with the ARPC from July. 

Large insurers have until December 31 next year to join the scheme, and small insurers have an extra 12 months to ensure all eligible risks are reinsured with the scheme. 

The pool will be funded by insurer premiums but the scheme is backed by a $10 billion annual Government guarantee. In the case of rare cyclone activity levels that draw down the available funds, the Government guarantee can be increased after talks involving the Prime Minister, Treasurer and Financial Minister. 

Premiums determined by the ARPC will be subject to actuarial review, and won’t include a profit margin. The pricing formula is set to be finalised before July and will use property-level data such as geography, building characteristics, and mitigation. 

Treasury says key principles for the formula include that it should lower the reinsurance cost for most policies with medium-to-high exposure to cyclone risk and have minimal impact on premiums for lower cyclone-risk properties. 

The treasury says it should also maintain incentives for risk reduction and offer discounts for properties that undertake mitigation. 

From July to June 30, 2025, the cyclone pool should cover the entire cost of eligible cyclone and related flood damage claims above the policyholder excess, “to support insurer transition and maximise the potential premium reductions through the pool”. 

After that time, the pool will operate on a risk sharing arrangement with the insurers, where the pool will continue to cover a significant proportion of eligible claims. 

Insurers will continue to manage any of the claims, while the policyholders will still be able to choose their insurer. 

“The scheme is expected to improve insurance access and affordability in cyclone-prone areas, build the financial capability of affected households and small businesses to recover from natural disasters, and support the economic resilience and development of cyclone-prone areas,” the Treasury paper says.

“The scheme is also expected to increase competition by encouraging greater insurer participation in cyclone-prone areas and support higher levels of insurance coverage by property owners.” 

Pricing and the pass-through of savings from the scheme will be monitored by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commision. The first review is scheduled for three years after it commences, and every five years thereafter. 

While the scheme is expected to commence in July this year, critical issues around the setting of premium pricing are still to be determined. Debate continues about the breadth of this cover, and the expected level of savings for policyholders remains unknown. 


You can read the draft legislation, along with further details here. 

Credit: https://www.insurancenews.com.au/analysis/cyclone-pool-details-revealed-but-questions-remain

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AFCA says there is no excuse for not disclosing your claims history

by Uncategorized

A couple has lost their claims dispute after failing to remember their previous claims history when purchasing an Auto & General motor policy. 

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has ruled that the oversight was a breach of the disclosure obligations and the insurer was entitled to decline the latest claim for damage to the couple’s vehicle. 

When purchasing their policy, the couple was asked how many claims they had made in the last five years. They indicated they were unsure whether it was one or two, and the insurer’s representative suggested that they disclose two claims. 

The couple should have disclosed four claims. If they had disclosed the full extent of their claims history, the insurer’s underwriting criteria would have ruled them out. 

“The complainants say they forgot about one of the non-recoverable claims,” the AFCA’s ombudsman said. 

“While this may have been the case, it does not change the outcome.”

“It is reasonable to expect a person to know their claims history. I do not accept forgetting means the claims history was not known to the complainants for the purpose of section 21A(5)(i) of the [Insurance Contracts] Act.”

The AFCA said that an innocent non-disclosure is still a non-disclosure, and therefore a breach of the complainant’s duty. 

“I am satisfied that, by failing to disclose two of the four claims the complainants had in the five years prior to policy inception, the complainants failed to comply with their duty of disclosure.”

“I am satisfied if the complainants disclosed their full claims history, the insurer would not have agreed to offer the policy and would not have insured the complainants.”

“Therefore, under section 28 of the Act, the insurer is entitled to reduce its liability to nil and refuse to pay the claim.” 

You can read the full ruling here.

Interested in a dedicated broker for your home or business? Contact us for your own specialised quote. 

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