If you are looking for help with an insurance claim please check our Insurance Law or Extreme Weather pages.
The Insurance Law Service (ILS) at the Financial Rights Legal Centre has been providing free, specialist legal advice about insurance to Australians since 2007. We are the only free, independent, national specialist insurance legal advice service in Australia.
In the last 15 years we have:
- Answered more than 71,000 calls for specialist insurance legal advice;
- Represented nearly 1,400 insurance law clients;
- Assisted consumers to obtain millions of dollars in entitlements in the form of refunded premiums, paid insurance claims, ex-gratia payments and compensation;
- Worked closely with the insurance sector to improve their performance in better meeting community expectations;
- Contributed to the work of regulators and government through evidence-based policy submissions; and
- Supported legislation to improve the insurance sector and outcomes for consumers.
Insurance plays an important role in supporting Australians in the face of catastrophic events. Adequate insurance cover is integral to protecting consumers’ most valuable assets and to maintaining and protecting the living standards of all Australians.
Insurance also plays a critical role in the economy. It enables Australians to get back on their feet after events such as extreme weather, accidents, crime, illness or the death of a loved one. When insurance works as expected, it puts people on the path to resilience and recovery. However, when things go wrong, people who are often already traumatised, are ill-equipped to understand and assert their legal rights. Critical problems such as underinsurance and affordability have serious ramifications for the economy, and wellbeing of Australians.
The voice of the insurance industry and large insurance companies is much louder than that of consumers, and has led to some imbalance in the realisation of interests and rights.
We welcome the announcement in 2022 that the Federal Government will sustainably fund this service through the Attorney General’s Department. This ongoing support for the ILS from the Government will assist in promoting compliance in the insurance sector and empowering Australians to assert their legal rights.
