The inquiry is now closed.

The Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, The Hon Bill Shorten MP, asked the Committee to inquire into and report on the operation of the insurance industry with specific reference to extreme weather and disaster events.

To gauge community concerns relating to this inquiry, the Committee is conducting an online survey. The survey is targeting members of the community who have made a disaster-related claim on their insurance policies in the last 5 years.

The Committee invites interested persons and organisations to make submissions addressing the terms of reference. Late submissions will be accepted, please contact the secretariat if you would like an extension of time. You can refer to our brochure called  preparing a submission for more information on writing a submission, or you can contact the Committee Secretariat.

Inquiries from hearing and speech impaired people should be directed to Parliament House TTY number 02 6277 7799. Adobe also provides tools at http://access.adobe.com/   for the blind and visually impaired to access PDF documents. If you require any special arrangements to enable you to participate in the Committee's inquiry, please contact the Committee Secretariat.

The Committee cannot investigate or make rulings on particular insurance claims, but invites submissions which address the processes of insurance claims and dispute resolution, and invites policy holders to complete the online survey.

The Social Policy and Legal Affairs Committee is currently trialling an online submission system to assist in the efficient processing of submissions. To assist with this trial, the Committee would prefer submissions to be made  online where possible. Alternatively, submissions in Microsoft Word ® or Portable Document Format (PDF) can be emailed to spla.reps@aph.gov.au. The email must include full postal address and contact details. Written submissions can also be sent to the postal address.

Once the Committee accepts your submission, it becomes a confidential Committee document and is protected by Parliamentary Privilege. You must not release your submission without the Committee's permission. If you do, it will not be protected by Parliamentary Privilege. At some stage during the inquiry, the Committee normally makes submissions public and places them on its website. Please indicate if you want your submission to be kept confidential.