Cyclone Seroja: State Govt hits back at Insurance Council claims closed borders to blame for slow processing

The State Government has hit back at the Insurance Council of Australia’s claims closed State borders are to blame for slow processing of cases for cyclone Seroja victims. Mid West residents still reeling from the effects of the cyclone four months after the catastrophic storm ravaged their properties called on all levels of Government last week to put pressure on the insurance companies which they said had been “making life hell”. Thousands of residents from across 16 different local government areas are still using tarpaulins as temporary roofs during the winter months and struggling to get the ball rolling on insurance claims. An ICA spokesperson blamed the WA Government’s border restrictions for the slow claims process, saying insurance assessors and disaster managers were prevented from entering the State. “The State Government has not approved the ICA’s request to allow an exemption for these workers, including insurance assessors and disaster managers, however, discussions are continuing as the ICA would like a nationally consistent approach to this issue which is also affecting other States,” the spokesperson said last week. WA Emergency Services Minister Reece Whitby said it was disappointing the council would suggest it had been unable to get personnel on the ground. “There has not been a continuous hard border in place for the past four months,” he said. “The hard border with NSW was introduced on June 23. “If there was a requirement to bring people in from interstate to process claims, this should have happened as a matter of urgency.” Mr Whitby said it was also disappointing to think insurance companies with a “considerable number of clients in WA” would not have the staff based locally to carry out the work. “I’d urge these companies to use their WA staff to carry out this work or employ additional Western Australians in these roles,” he said. “Given the worsening situation in the Eastern States, our border controls are more important than ever in keeping Western Australians safe. “WA Police continue to assess applications and make decisions based on the information presented to them.” In a statement, Premier Mark McGowan and Mr Whitby said they had contacted the ICA to ask it to expedite work on cyclone Seroja insurance claims. There have been 6500 claims lodged, with 99.8 per cent accepted and more than 37 per cent closed. About 4000 claims are still outstanding, with the current estimated loss value at $268m.