The Insurance Council of Australia and the Master Builders Association are uniting to develop plans to strengthen homes and communities against natural disasters.
The industry groups have heeded key findings from the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements and will host a series of roundtable discussions to create a pathway towards national policies that improve property resilience, building standards and land-use planning.
The Building Stronger Homes Roundtable will enable builders and insurers to work together, harnessing industry insights from both insurance data and builders experience, to help map actions that can improve the resilience and insurability of homes.
The final report of the Royal Commission recognised the importance of mitigation and resilience, better building standards and land-use planning in protecting properties and communities from natural disasters.
It recommended the establishment of a national body to champion making Australia more resilient to natural disasters, focusing on reducing long-term disaster risk and harmonising approaches.
ICA CEO Andrew Hall says: “The Royal Commission has identified clear priorities that can reduce the risks to homes. Whatever efforts we can take to reduce vulnerability and reduce the risk of loss must be a priority for industry and Australian governments.”
