THE House Standing Committee on Economics will hold public hearings in Cairns and Townsville, Queensland, as part of its inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

The hearings will be held at Cairns RSL Club on Wednesday July 24 and Townsville RSL Clubon Thursday July 25.

Committee Chair Daniel Mulino MP said the committee hoped to learn from northern communities’ claims experiences following recent disasters, including cyclones.

“We are also interested in evidence of any improvements by the insurance industry since the Deloitte report on insurers’ responses to the 2022 floods and the related 2023 ASIC report on claims handling," Mr Mulino said.

Invitations have been issued to councils, business associations and community groups. Other organisations and individuals that wish to give evidence can email their interest to the Committee secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The committee is interested in:

• the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;
• timeframes for resolving claims;
• obstacles to resolving claims;
• insurers’ communication with policyholders;
• accessibility, affordability and quality of hydrology reports and other expert assessments;
• affordability of insurance premiums; and
• claimants’ experiences of insurers’ dispute resolution processes.

Dr Mulino said it may not be possible to accommodate everyone interested in speaking, but those who miss out “can still make a public or confidential submission, and/or complete our online survey".

More than 600 people have completed the inquiry’s survey about their experience with their insurer. The survey is open until July 31 and is available here.

Submissions can be uploaded through this online link or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. until July 31, 2024.

Programs for the Queensland hearings will be posted on the inquiry website closer to the time. A live audio stream of the hearings will be available on the APH website.

The committee’s final public hearing, to be held online in late July, will take evidence from expert and state government bodies.

The committee will report its findings by October 18, 2024.

For further information contact the Committee secretariat on 02 6277 4707 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the administration of Commonwealth regulations.

Chair of the JCPAA, Julian Hill MP, said, "Compliance with Commonwealth regulations is critical to achieving policy outcomes. Numerous Commonwealth agencies have to police regulatory compliance with limited resources, hence proper evidence-based risk-based activities are essential to focus limited resources.

"This inquiry will examine how agencies assess compliance risk, inform compliance and enforcement strategies, and identify and address incidences of non-compliance with Commonwealth rules and regulations," Mr Hill said. "The Parliament provides regulatory power to agencies, and we will assess the extent to which full and appropriate use is being made of these powers.”

The inquiry will have particular regard to any matters contained in or connected to the following Auditor-General Reports:

• Auditor-General Report No.3 of 2023–24 Management of Non-Compliance with the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 for Unapproved Therapeutic Goods.
• Auditor-General Report No.5 of 2023–24 Trade Measurement Compliance Activities.
• Auditor-General Report No.8 of 2023–24 Design and Early Implementation of Residential Aged Care Reforms.
• Auditor-General Report No. 15 of 2023–24 Australian Taxation Office’s Management and Oversight of Fraud Control Arrangements for the Goods and Services Tax.
• Auditor-General Report No.26 of 2023–24 Department of Home Affairs’ Regulation of Migration Agents.

Submissions to the inquiry addressing the terms of reference are invited by Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Details of the inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – will be made available on the Inquiry website.

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has commenced an inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities.

Chair of the JCPAA, Julian Hill MP, said, "Recent major inquiries into Commonwealth Procurement and Probity and Ethics revealed serious failings. Recent audit reports have highlighted similar issues ‘downstream’ of procurement in how agencies manage contracts once executed.

"The committee will examine whether the frameworks supporting contract management by various Commonwealth entities are fit for purpose to ensure project delivery.”

Mr Hill noted in this regard that “successful outcomes are very unlikely to be achieved from government procurement activities without effective contract management. This is therefore a vital capability for public sector agencies but one that commonly goes under the radar and is often lacking for a number of reasons".

"We will be carefully evaluating the levels of expertise, governance arrangements, record-keeping, performance measures, and policies and guidelines of a number of recently audited agencies with respect to their external contracts," Mr Hill said. "There are also ongoing probity issues which arise during the management of a contract and the committee will consider whether current frameworks and practices are fit for purpose.”

The inquiry will have particular regard to any matters contained in or connected to the following Auditor-General Reports:

• Auditor-General Report No. 21 2023–24 Management of the Australian War Memorial’s Development Project.
• Auditor-General Report No. 36 2023–24 Procurement of My Health Record.
• Auditor-General Report No. 37 2023–24 Administration of the Adult Migrant English Program contracts.
• Auditor-General Report No.47 Defence's management of contracts for the supply of munitions: Part 1.
  [This audit has been conducted in two parts and Part 2 is currently expected to be tabled in the Parliament in November 2024] 

• Defence’s procurement and implementation of the myClearance system (due to table in July 2024).

Submissions to the inquiry addressing the  terms of reference are invited by Thursday, August 15, 2024.

Details of this inquiry – including the submissions received and public hearings – will be available on the inquiry website.

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THE House Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public hearing in Devonport, Tasmania, as part of its inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims.

The hearing will be held at the Paranaple Convention Centre on July 17.

Committee Chair Daniel Mulino MP said he wanted to hear first-hand from local councils, businesses and residents about their experiences.

Invitations have been issued to key councils, business associations and community groups. Other organisations and individuals that wish to give evidence can email their interest to the Committee secretariat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The committee is interested in:

• the experiences of policyholders before, during and after making claims;
• timeframes for resolving claims;
• obstacles to resolving claims;
• insurers’ communication with policyholders;
• accessibility, affordability and quality of hydrology reports and other expert assessments;
• affordability of insurance premiums;
• claimants’ experiences of insurers’ dispute resolution processes.

Dr Mulino said it may not be possible to accommodate everyone interested in speaking, but those who miss out “can still make a public or confidential submission, and/or complete our online survey".

More than 600 people have completed the survey about their experience with their insurer. The survey is open until July 31 and is available here.

Submissions can be uploaded through this online link or emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. until July 31, 2024.

The hearing program will be posted on the inquiry website closer to the time. A live audio stream of the hearings will be available on the APH website.

The committee will next be travelling to Cairns and Townsville in Far North Queensland on July 24 and 25.

For further information contact the Committee secretariat on 02 6277 4707 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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