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Australia has just recorded its hottest spring on record.
We've lived through the Black Summer fires and severe storms this year - like this tornado that hit the Wimmera in Victoria just this week and this wild weather in central and northern NSW.
We know our way of life is going to have to change and adapt to hopefully slow this changing climate. But what about our businesses? More specifically our insurance companies.
As insurance claims skyrocket - it's not looking like a great formula for a business anymore.
See insurance companies have been on my mind lately - ever since we defended our home in December against the Gosper's Mountain fire.
Not because we needed it - we were one of the lucky ones - the fire left us mostly unscathed. But because we got a kick in the teeth come renewal time.
A few months after those fires our insurance renewal landed. For our efforts staying and defending our home they thought they'd pop up the premium by 16 per cent.
I was outraged. When I rang the call centre, the lady on the end of the phone told me I should have let our home burn: "That's why you have insurance," she pointed out.
She also happily suggested I could lower the premium by reducing the amount our house was insured for, or raising the excess.
Sure I could, but isn't the point of insurance so you aren't out of pocket when the worst happens?
Aren't we always told you should never be underinsured or uninsured?
I shopped around. And I was shocked.
The price for insurance in my town had become unattainable.
Most companies wanted about $5000 a year to insure a home.
It made the price I had seem like a steal.
I went back, tail between my legs, paid the sum. What else was to be done I thought?
But the thing is, how does anybody afford insurance if that's the price going forward?
Are we saying people shouldn't live in fire or flood affected areas? Because this is Australia, most of our population lives by the sea or near bush.
And if the COVID-impacted housing market has shown us anything, it's that capital cities aren't the lifestyle many of us are chasing.
But the question is how long will it be before none of us can afford the cover we need to protect our Australian dream, the insurance to be able to start again?
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