Year: 2017

Categories
weather alert

Prepare & get ready for Victoria thunderstorms this weekend

Bright lightning illuminates dark cloudy sky during a thunderstorm. Natural dangers and majestic beauty. Real cloudscape with computer generated lightning. Copy space on image side.

As thunderstorms are due to hit Victoria this weekend it’s important to stay safe and think ahead to be prepared.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned an “unprecedented” amount of rain is expected to fall in Victoria over a three-day period. Very heavy rainfalls are expected in Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo around the same time with torrential rain expected to continue well into the early hours of Saturday.

Where to get information?
With these warnings it is vital to be prepared. The VicEmergency website provides excellent information on preparing for floods and preparing for storms.

They have clear and precise information on what to do when you hear a warning, when flooding may happen soon, during the flood, after the flood, etc.

Video: Benalla’s mass flooding in 1993
The video below interviews residents and business owners from Benalla (north-east Victoria) when they were hit with a disasterly amount of 200 mm of rain in 24 hours in 1993.

https://youtu.be/3rVa1kowUz0

Categories
Community Education Program

Community Education Program: FAQ’s

Hero Community Education Program image to represent the Australian youth participating in the grants program

As the applications for this years 2017/ 2018 CEP Grants are nearing a close, Friday 13 October, we compiled some questions and answers that we have regularly being asked in the lead up to people submitting their applications.
If you have not yet submitted your application as you are unsure about some things please read the below.

1) Do we only offer Ansvar CEP grants to customers?
-No, the Ansvar CEP Grant Program is open to any program so long as you meet the eligibility criteria listed on the application.

2) Are the CEP Grants only offered to certain states?
-The Ansvar CEP Grant Program is a National program, open to all states across Australia. It does not matter if Ansvar do not have a presence in some regions, and will not disqualify your application.

3) What is the preferred program duration?
-Twelve months is the preferred program duration. However, we do look at all applications on a case by case basis.

4) Can we apply for a CEP Grant when other companies are also sponsoring the program?
-Yes, certainly.

5) Do you prefer certain programs?
-So long as the program falls under one of two categories (Empowerment & Education or Outreach & Support) and fulfills the other eligibility criteria all programs will be considered.

6) When will we be notified of the outcome and how?
-You will be notified of the outcome of your application by email on the 1st March 2018.

7) Do we need to fit into all of Ansvar’s core values – faith, care, community, service organisations, education, heritage
-We ask that you align yourself to at least one of our values as these are core sectors that we represent within Australia. We want to continue to invest and support within these areas.

Apply online here before Friday 13 October
If you have any queries please contact us on CEPGrants@ansvar.com.au

Categories
Weather

The Risk Management flipside of good weather

Rockingham Lake regional park.Female scientific environmental conservationist working with the aid of technology to collect data. The Australian Bush has been damaged by fire.

While it has been a pretty great winter in Melbourne and around Sydney, this good fortune could give way to some potentially catastrophic events for people and their property as the relative risk of bushfire rapidly increases.

Associate Professor Matthias Boer, at UWS’ Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment has been quoted in the media as saying “Much of the Sydney Basin is dangerously primed for major bushfires, at least until it receives major rainfall. Get ready for a bad bushfire season this year. Unless we get significant rainfalls, the fuel is not likely to become wetter.”

The BOM doesn’t think that is very likely based on their latest outlook for the next 3 months.

Now is the time to:

  • -Sort out your bushfire plan (see one of our previous articles here)
  • -Check the adequacy of your insurance coverage
  • -Make sure the sum insured value you choose for your buildings includes the likely increase in the actual cost of rebuilding in a bushfire prone area to meet current Building Code of Australia and Local Council requirements.

Media Coverage:

Insurance News http://insurancenews.com.au/local/sydney-basin-primed-for-early-bushfire-season

News.com.au http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/swathes-of-australia-so-dry-deadly-bushfires-could-happen-before-winter-even-finishes/news-story/6d8270175f62115d7970f8c68959af3e

Categories
Broker Forums

Ansvar Insurance Announces 2017 Education Forums

Rear view of a businessman raising his hand to ask the question on a seminar with large group of his colleagues.
Rear view of a businessman raising his hand to ask the question on a seminar with large group of his colleagues.

Ansvar Insurance, one of Australia’s leading specialist insurers, has announced the 2017 Education Forum series scheduled to occur across Australia in August. Titled Understanding the NDIS; its implications for service providers and those who provide services to the Sector, this forum is your number one event in enabling you and your organisation to understand what the NDIS means for the disability sector, its service providers and those who support the service providers in this new market.

Speakers from the National Disability Services (NDS), Australia’s peak body for non-government disability service organisations and other industry experts will be included in our forum.

The NDIS will provide all Australians under the age of 65 who have a permanent and significant disability with the reasonable and necessary supports they need to enjoy an ordinary life. The scheme represents a fundamental change to how supports and services for people with a disability are funded and delivered across Australia.

Both existing providers, new market entrants and organisations providing services to the sector need to understand:

  • *How the scheme operates
  • *Obligations of service providers
  • *Quality and Safeguarding Framework development
  • *Changing workforce models

Please see below for the forum details and registration links. If you wish to attend one please register your details for that forum.

Date Location Venue
Wednesday 2nd August Brisbane

Registration closed

 Brisbane Marriott Hotel

515 Queen Street

Brisbane
Thursday 10th August Sydney

Registration closed

 The Grace Hotel

77 York Street

Sydney
Thursday 17th August Melbourne

Registration closed

 Citadines

131-135 Bourke Street

Melbourne
Tuesday 22nd August Adelaide

Registration closed

 Mercure Grosvenor Hotel

125 North Terrace

Adelaide
Wednesday 30th August Perth

Registration closed

 Mercure Hotel,

10 Irwin Street,

Perth

A light breakfast and registration will be held from 8:30 – 9am, with the forums starting promptly at 9am. Each forum will close with a networking lunch provided by Ansvar.

The Ansvar Australia Education forum for Broker Partner and Customers is an excellent opportunity to learn more on the NDIS from the experts and ask questions.

Categories
News

NSW ESL reintroduction from 1 July 2017

A cross processed image of the dictionary definition of the word: Legislation.

Ansvar Insurance have previously advised that the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) paid on insurance was being removed and would be replaced by a new Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) to be collected with council rates effective from 1 July 2017.

Prior to the Government’s announcement to defer the FESL reform, we progressively removed the ESL for policies falling due between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017. However given the deferral of the new FESL legislation, ESL will be reintroduced on insurance policies as follows:

Product

ESL rate % of Base premium

 For policy inceptions from
Commercial Property

36.5%

1 August 2017
Residential & Residential Strata

20.0%

1 August 2017
Motor

0.0%

1     July 2017

*Note that due to the late announcement by the Government of the reinstatement of the levy on the insurance industry, each insurance Company has had to make its own decisions about its ESL rates to collect enough from policyholders to pay the levy. Ansvar expects some further adjustments to ESL rates over the next few months and therefore will only offer indicative ESL rates for inception dates after 30 September 2017. We expect to review ESL rates for inceptions after 30 September 2017 by mid August 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Emergency Services Levy?

The ESL is a charge that is added by the insurance company to the cost of your property insurance to recover its required contribution to emergency services agencies in NSW. The ESL paid with any premium on a policy is used to fund emergency services in NSW in the financial year in which the policy commences.

What does this charge mean for me?

If your policy has an amount charged for ESL, this is your contribution for NSW emergency services for the financial year in which your policy starts.

If your policy had an inception date in June 2017 and does not have an amount charged for ESL, this is also correct. This is because we removed the ESL in preparation of the FESL reform. You will not be asked to pay ESL at a later date for the current term of your policy unless you add a new risk or new cover.

What do I need to do?

Nothing. Just follow any payment instructions provided with your renewal policy. Any ESL collected with your policy will be used to fund NSW emergency services and your policy documentation will show your contribution.

Will I be charged ESL with my council rates in the same financial year?

No. With the deferral of the FESL legislation, councils should not be charging any ESL as it will be collected on insurance policies

The ESL on my policy has changed from last year. Why?

Prior to the Government’s announcement to defer the FESL legislation, we progressively removed ESL for policies falling due between 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017. As we reintroduce ESL on insurance policies from 1 July 2017, some customers may see an increase in their ESL contribution from last year. All ESL charges relate directly to the funding of NSW emergency services.

Who is the ESL Monitor?

The ESL Insurance Monitor was established in June 2016 as an independent body. One of its functions is to monitor the prices for the issue of regulated contracts of insurance. Professor Allan Fels AO and Professor David Cousins AM have been appointed by the NSW Government as the ESL Insurance Monitor and Deputy Monitor, respectively.

For more information on the Monitor visit their website. http://www.eslinsurancemonitor.nsw.gov.au/