Murweh Shire Mayor Appears Before Select Committee

Last Friday August 9, the Mayor of the Murweh Shire, Cr Shaun ‘Zoro’ Radnedge appeared in Brisbane before the Select Committee on the Impact of Climate Risk on Insurance Premiums and Availability.

The drastically increased cost of insurance premiums has forced many Charleville residents into a position where they are unable to insure their homes and small businesses. 

Mayor Radnedge explained that this problem of extremely high insurance costs is not solely an issue impacting the Murweh Shire: “when we explain what is happening in Murweh Shire with the cost of insurance premiums, we come to realise that the acutely rising costs associated with insurance is having an enormous impact across many parts Australia than what we initially thought.”

During his evidence to the Senate Committee, Cr Radnedge addressed several key points including:

• The unaffordability of insurance in some regions due to climate-driven disasters
• The unavailability of insurance for some people due to climate-driven disasters
• The underlying causes and impacts of increases in insurance premiums
• The extent to which increased climate risk is being priced into insurance products not exposed to climate-driven risks
• The distributional impact of increases in insurance premiums across communities, demographics and regions
• How the pricing of risk from climate-driven disasters can be better redistributed across the economy

As part of his evidence on behalf of the residents of the Murweh Shire, Cr Radnedge asked the Select Committee to seek answers from the insurance industry as to how their insurance premium pricing takes into consideration the mitigation that has been strategically put in place to protect private property within the townships of Charleville and Augathella.

Cr Radnedge continues: “if governments are serious about bringing down the cost of living, this is where it has to start now - as we’ve seen rises of up to 300 & 400 per cent in the cost of basic home insurance.”

Cr Radnedge went on to say: “that the Senators involved as part of the Select Committee enquiry were very engaged and wanted to hear in significant detail about what’s happening in Murweh Shire in relation to the costs of insurance and the burden this is placing on families, the elderly, small businesses and his communities generally.”

In his closing, Cr Radnedge commented: “it has been an absolute privilege to appear in front of this enquiry on behalf of the Murweh Shire Council in representing our communities and thanked the Senators for their time in hearing his evidence in relation to the high costs of insurance and its impact on his constituents.”

More information will be available as this issue moves forward.

END

For all media enquiries, please contact Daryl Kirkup, Media & Communications Officer, Murweh Shire Council on 0427 589 662 or via email at media@murweh.qld.gov.au  

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