Andrew Wilkie has the first independent questions and it is on:

The insurance industry is failing Australians. For instance, health insurance premiums are sky high but returns to policy holders are at rock bottom. While payments to private hospitals are in fact still so bad that many are in financial distress or closing. Meanwhile, for property insurance, premiums are going through the roof and vast areas are being declared uninsurable. What exactly is the government doing about this?

A reminder – that is also thanks to climate change.

Daniel Mulino the assistant treasurer says:

I thank the member for his question and I commend his long-term advocacy for the people of Clark and his thoughtful contribution on a wide range of policy issues. I do acknowledge that a number of households across our community are feeling cost of living pressures in insurance, whether it be property insurance or health insurance.

I’ll deal with property insurance first. And can I say this is a longstanding and complex issue.

I do wants to acknowledge the member for Calare and my predecessor for having initiated or promoted an inquiry into flood insurance which I chaired in the previous term. That was an inquiry which dealt with a range of issues which were much broader than flood insurance and went to systemic issues of risk across a number of communities.

Can I say out of that inquiry, there were 86 recommendations, most of which were unanimous across members of the government, members of the opposition and the crossbench. There are already a range of things that are occurring as a results of those recommendations. For example, the general insurance code of conduct is now going to be approved by ASIC, a measure which the industry has accepted and I say is at least in part a result of that inquiry. In addition the general insurance code of conduct will be enforceable going forward once it is redesigned by the industry in consultation with other stakeholders.

They are measures which make a real, which will make a real difference to consumers. In addition, work is under way to standardised certain terms which the industry is undertaking. And which I am engaging with industry and consumer groups in relation to.

Again, that will make insurance policies easier for consumers to digest. There’s a range of other processes under way to make sure the actual clauses in the insurance code of conduct provide protections, appropriate protections around cash settlement, temporary accommodation and other issues.

Can I also say the work of my colleague, the Minister for Emergency Services, continues the disaster ready fund and the has partnership are key measures and informing those projects through the hazards insurance partnership.

Those projects as they roll out will significantly reduce risk in high risk areas and those projects will see premiums come down in those communities that benefit. Those are practical things occurring and in terms of consumer protections but also dealing with the underlying risk. The member raises health insurance.

While it’s not directly in my portfolio, can I say the Minister for Health and ageing is working closely with the sector on this issue? He has established a CEO forum by which CEOs across both health insurers and hospitals are working collaboratively on very complex issues. The government presented a package of reforms to the private health CEO forum to make maternity, mental health and hospital in the home services more available and affordable. Across both those areas, general insurance on property but health, the government has a range of short-term and long-term measures for the benefit of consumers.