Monday, 12 October 2026
Australia is 50 days out from a summer that could bring the strongest El Niño on record, and insurers and support organisations are in Canberra this week with a clear message: the time to reduce disaster risk is now.
The Insurance Council of Australia is this week hosting Community Resilience Week at Parliament House, bringing together insurers, emergency management and community organisations to show how they work alongside government before, during and after disasters.
The week will also focus on the decisions that influence communities’ exposure to those risks, including investment in extreme weather mitigation, land-use planning arrangements, the resilience of homes, and recovery arrangements.
Community Resilience Week coincides with the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on Tuesday 13 October, underscoring the shared focus on reducing risk before disasters strike, rather than relying on recovery after the damage is done.
Insurers have strengthened their preparedness through better forecasting and catastrophe modelling, earlier warnings for exposed customers, and technology that helps assess damage, triage claims and deploy resources faster after disasters.
Community Resilience Week will commence with a showcase on Monday 12 of October at 9am in the Mural Hall at Australia’s Parliament House.
The showcase will bring together 23 organisations working to strengthen Australia's resilience, providing an opportunity for parliamentarians to meet representatives from across the insurance, emergency management, community support, and research sectors, and learn more about the work being done to help communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters.
Quotes attributable to Insurance Council of Australia CEO Andrew Hall:
The Bureau says the current El Niño is likely to become the strongest on record, reinforcing the need for governments, insurers and communities to be ready for extreme weather this summer.
We cannot predict precisely when or where the next major flood, cyclone, bushfire or storm will hit, but we do know that hotter conditions and extreme weather can communities under enormous pressure and there is more governments can do now to reduce that risk.
Better forecasting and faster disaster response are important, but they cannot address the underlying risk on their own.
Greater investment in projects that improve community resilience, better land-use planning, and stronger homes can reduce the damage disasters cause and help ease pressure on insurance costs over time.
Insurers are looking forward to having these discussions with policy makers at our Community Resilience Week events at Parliament House this week.
