Starting 18 months ago as FCVic’s Disaster Recovery Coordinator – in a role inaugurated by Joy Mason following the Black Summer Bushfires 2019-2020 – presented an exciting learning opportunity to build on my local experiences during the Black Saturday fires in 2009. My commencement followed catastrophic flood events in regional and inner-city areas late in 2022, and devastating storms across the Dandenong Ranges. It was a sobering introduction to the vulnerabilities of communities most at risk to climate change impacts where they would suffer major losses and trauma – sometimes through multiple events. What was unexpected, but not surprising, was the extraordinary extent of issues and disputes related to insurance claims and insurer behaviours that financial counsellors were encountering.
Returning to the sector after a long hiatus from practising as a financial counsellor, I reflected that insurance issues, especially home and contents or small business insurance, weren’t something that featured much in the sector. It quickly became evident that supporting clients to fight for their insurance entitlements was not only the bulk of presenting issues following a disaster, but it was emotionally challenging, complex and lengthy work – and a whole new emerging scope of work. FCVic recognised the need to proactively reach out to councils and community service organisations, to profile the importance of financial counsellors in recovery and encourage early referrals.
The sector was fortunate to have some financial counsellors stepping into flood impacted areas, bringing bushfire case expertise. In some areas, generalists were recruited with a lag in commencement for a few months, so the experience-level across the state was varied. It was important to identify their needs, and supporting the Disaster Recovery Network became an important place for sharing peer learnings, identifying systemic issues and training needs for newer and more experienced members.
In 2023, FCVic held an insurance forum bringing partner organisations together – again, profiling our sector as important players within this space. Training for financial counsellors was rolled out over 2023 on post-disaster resilience; flood insurance, as well as an insurance masterclass; external dispute resolution and reporting code breaches (there were many being identified); community-led recovery; disaster recovery case support; the Insurance Brokers’ Code, and small business insurance. In addition, a packed conference breakout session featuring disaster recovery financial counselling case experiences was a huge success and well-received.
In 2024, this growing interest was followed up by a two-day introductory disaster recovery training for generalist practitioners, in partnership with Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) to bring a national context for the work. The FCVic 2024 Summit put climate change and insurance issues for consumers front and centre.
FCVic, during its strategic plan review, reflecting on the unfortunate likelihood of future need determined that disaster recovery would be one of its core priorities going forward.
Coming out of the learnings of this casework, FCVic made two submissions to the General Insurance Code Governance Committee’s Monitoring and Compliance priority reviews to advocate for the needs of vulnerable consumers and hardship supports (as well as supporting financial counsellors to participate in a desktop review of insurer websites). We provided feedback on Victoria’s Bushfire Management Strategy Draft, and also gave evidence alongside financial counsellors (and their clients) at hearings for the House of Representatives Inquiry into Insurer’s responses to the 2022 major flood claims.
More recently, and with extensive input from members of the Insurance Working Group, FCVic provided a lengthy submission to stage one of the General Insurance Code of Practice Independent Review. Informing part of this, FCVic also commissioned Dr Antonia Settle to compile an issues paper on problematic insurance cash settlements and solutions – again, with great contributions from financial counsellors sharing their extensive experiences. Another submission underway to the Inquiry on Climate Resilience, demonstrates our sector has grown substantially in its knowledge and has important perspectives to share on the experiences of vulnerable and low-income consumers who face the most challenges in recovery.
The extensive advocacy and desire for positive change by financial counsellors on systemic insurance issues has been a personal highlight – the passion and dedication of time (over and above casework loads) has been inspiring. The willingness to support each other as peers, and support FCVic and me in my role has been heartwarming. Likewise, the support given to clients – including to self-advocate for systemic change – is a testament to the trust and value established.
I have also enjoyed meeting various experts across a range of organisations contributing to disaster recovery and particularly thank: FCA, Consumer Action Law Centre, AFCA, the General Insurance Code Governance Committee members and staff, Disaster Legal Help Victoria, Emergency Recovery Victoria, Financial Rights Legal Centre, and John Berrill from Berrill & Watson for their support to our sector; insurance representatives from Hollard, Suncorp, and IAG for their openness to share information, as well as the various expert speakers we have had attending our training, the Disaster Recovery Network and Insurance Working Group meetings all supporting financial counsellors with their complex practice inquiries in this specialised area.
I would especially like to recognise Peter Gartlan and Vicki Staff from FCA for your wonderful induction and support along the journey; and James Degenhardt, FCVic’s Systems and Operations Manager – an extraordinary mentor and all-round amazing human, for his unwavering support; and Lyn Dundon, my wonderful colleague who collaboratively job shared the role this year. It has been an honour to work in a high values-driven, knowledgeable team of professionals striving to support members to deliver quality services, and to grow the profession. I thank each and every one of you for all your expertise, guidance and assistance. Will miss you.
Although the funding for my role, and many others in the disaster space, has now come to a close, and I recognise the difficulties this creates both for agencies and FCVic to support members – I’m grateful for the opportunity and wish to acknowledge the many financial counsellors I got to know around Victoria who bravely stepped up into these positions, and smashed it! I’ve tried to capture the breadth of your experiences in an issues paper as a legacy that will hopefully inform the development of a scope of practice, a future diploma unit, and help prepare future financial counsellors embarking on the work. Good luck.