The Code Governance Committee is the independent body that monitors and enforces insurers’ compliance with the General Insurance Code of Practice. Our purpose is to drive better Code compliance, helping the insurance industry to improve its service to consumers.

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What we do

The Committee adds value to the industry by assessing how well Code subscribers are complying with the Code’s standards, highlighting both best practice and emerging risks, and guiding insurers on how to lift compliance and, ultimately, improve service. Our functions, responsibilities and processes are set out in our Charter and we are supported by a secretariat at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

We monitor compliance

To monitor how well insurers are complying with their obligations under the Code, we:

  • require insurers to self-report to us on breaches and significant breaches of the Code.
  • investigate reports from consumers and others that an insurer has breached the Code. (Please see If an insurer breaches the Code on the Consumers & Small Business  page for more information).
  • conduct detailed monitoring activities and investigate compliance in specific areas of emerging risk.

The Committee’s Priority Monitoring Framework (PMF) helps us manage our priorities and focus our work so we can help Code subscribers comply with their obligations to the Code and improve customer outcomes.

Its four elements enable us to:

  • monitor compliance with the Code
  • encourage best-practice compliance among subscribers, and
  • identify priority focus areas.

It ensures we use our resources effectively and conduct crucial aspects of our work with rigor and consistency.

We guide improvement

To drive improvement with individual insurers and industry-wide, we:

We hold insurers accountable

To hold insurers accountable for their compliance with the Code, we:

  • publish and share information about insurers’ compliance and our monitoring work with government, regulators, consumers, small business and the community
  • have the power to impose sanctions on insurers who breach the Code.

Committee members

The Committee is made up of three members: an Independent Chair, a Consumer Member and an Industry Member.

Veronique Ingram PSM GAICD - Independent Chair

With degrees in law and politics, Veronique has extensive experience across corporate governance and financial regulation in Australia and internationally.  She has held a number of senior positions in the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department and the Treasury.

Veronique was the former Chief Executive and Inspector-General in Bankruptcy at the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) from 2009-2017. She previously served as the Australian Ambassador to the OECD in Paris from 2005-2008 and was Chair of its Audit Committee and Committee on Corporate Governance. Prior to that she was General Manager, Finance System Division, in the Commonwealth’s Treasury Department where she had responsibility for providing advice to the Treasurer about regulatory policy issues relating to banking, insurance and superannuation. She advised the government on financial system issues during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008 and also in relation to the collapses of Ansett Australia and HIH Insurance.

Veronique has also held the position of Chief Adviser, International, in the Treasury with responsibility for advising the government on international economic developments and financial policy issues as well as Australia’s participation in the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, OECD, Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and G20 meetings of finance ministers.

Veronique was recognised in the 2016 Australia Day Honours List for outstanding public service to the financial sector in Australia and internationally in the areas of public policy, administrative initiatives and service delivery.

Philippa Heir - Consumer Member

Philippa Heir is currently the Managing Lawyer – Insurance at the Consumer Action Law Centre in Melbourne. Having started her career in private practice acting for insurers, for the last four years, she has been advising and advocating for consumers experiencing insurance issues.

She is also involved in insurance campaigns at Consumer Action, including the Stop Selling Junk campaign, which involved the development of a self-help web tool, DemandARefund.com, to help people seek refunds for add-on insurance. In 2018, Philippa represented and supported two clients to give evidence at the Financial Services Royal Commission about their experience with the insurance industry.

Cheryl Chantry - Industry Member

Cheryl Chantry is an experienced senior executive who has significant capability in Board engagement, governance and management committees, as well as not for profit director experience. Cheryl has worked at senior executive levels in large, complex organisations such as IAG and Suncorp. She recently established her own business focused on executive coaching and consulting. Prior to this Cheryl was the Executive General Manager, Customer Development at IAG. Cheryl is a passionate advocate for the development of engaging organisational cultures where employee and consumer well-being are a central focus, and a champion of the important role the insurance industry plays in the Australian economy.

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