The Financial Rights Legal Centre’s report on family violence policies

This report provides valuable insights into insurers’ practices regarding family violence policies, and we appreciate the FRLC’s ongoing efforts to support vulnerable customers.

We are disappointed to see minimal progress from many insurers since the FRLC’s original report in 2021. Given the importance of this area and the significant role that these policies can play in supporting victim survivors, the lack of progress is concerning.

The General Insurance Code of Practice (the Code) requires insurers to have policies for supporting customers affected by family violence published on their websites (paragraph 95 of the Code).

Protecting vulnerable customers, including people impacted by family violence, is a key focus area for us. We will consider the findings of the FRLC’s follow-up report in our ongoing work to improve compliance with the Code. As part of our ongoing monitoring, we will:

• Assess compliance with obligations in the Code regarding the support of customers experiencing vulnerability, particularly family violence.
• Engage with insurers that do not meet these Code obligations to ensure they rectify this as a priority.
• Seek to strengthen these obligations through the current review of the Code.

We thank the FRLC for its important work following up on industry practices in this area. We will continue to hold insurers accountable for their practices, ensuring they implement improvements in line with Code obligations and deliver on their promises to customers.