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Cuts to free legal aid amid spike in climate-related insurance problems
As insurance issues surge and the resources in free legal sources plummet, financial service lawyers have predicted that thousands of at-risk Australians are expected to be affected while governments and communities prepare to pay more in the long run.
Naomi Neilson
With an uptick in extreme weather events, the Financial Rights Legal Centre found that not only are urgent reforms needed to better respond and assist vulnerable Australians, but that without any further funding invested into free legal assistance services, governments should expect to fork out much more in the long run.
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Financial Rights Legal Centre chief executive Karen Cox said that the centres’ Insurance Law Service experienced a surge in calls from people impacted by bushfires, storms, floods and hail since the 2019 Black Summer bushfires. At the same time, the centre was forced to cut back its hours due to a lack of funding.
“In this fraught and traumatic environment, disputes are inevitable,” Ms Cox said. “An inability to access free, specialised legal advice to help resolve insurance problems could put the welfare and livelihoods of thousands of people around Australia at risk and end up costing communities and the government a lot more.”
Ms Cox found that many people are being left behind by rising insurance premiums in the face of increasing climate-related risks, with the centre’s report concluding that insurance and the law have failed some of the most vulnerable Australians who are experiencing severe weather conditions related to global warming.
She said that governments and the insurance sector should be working together with consumer groups and free legal services to urgently address these issues, including introducing targeted subsidies for vulnerable residents in high-risk areas.
“With extreme weather events increasing in both frequency and intensity due to climate change, national leadership is required to address these pressing issues,” Ms Cox commented.
