Insurers, groups ally for planning reform – ICA

A roundtable discussion called on state and territory governments to reconsider planning rules.

Australian state governments must urgently revamp their land use planning approach to avoid building homes without considering flood risk, according to organisations representing planners, builders, and insurers. 

“Without insurance, homeowners likely can’t access a mortgage, and that is the wrong direction for our country. Today’s roundtable set out the actions governments must take to ensure future financial losses to homeowners, businesses and the community are avoided, and better government planning and investment is taken seriously,”  Andrew Hall, CEO Insurance Council of Australia said.

In response to recent flood emergencies, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), Master Builders Australia (MBA), and the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) jointly organised the National Industry Roundtable: Land Use Planning and Resilience. 

The roundtable, attended by around 60 experts from various sectors, called on state and territory governments to reconsider planning rules and prevent further construction in high-risk flood-prone areas. 

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“By adopting new risk-based policies and investing in better mapping and data, we can ensure development avoids or minimises exposure to flood hazards. Australia’s town planners support governments taking clear action to ensure more climate-conscious planning systems, and this roundtable is an important step towards this goal.” Matt Collins, CEO Planning Institute of Australia stated.

A communique outlining reform recommendations has been released and will be shared with planning ministers who discussed the matter in their meeting today. 

Attendees stressed that failure to reform planning laws would lead to more development on flood-prone land, endangering lives, costing billions in recovery efforts, and straining the insurance sector.