Significant events

AFCA activates significant event response plans for events that could potentially result in large numbers of related complaints being lodged with AFCA, such as natural disasters and severe weather events.

The significant event response plan provides for early communication with relevant stakeholders, and a more streamlined, expedited process for the resolution of related complaints.

AFCA also regularly engages with industry including ASIC, the Federal Treasury and APRA, as well as industry representatives, such as the ICA, to ensure our approach to handling these disputes is appropriate.

In the last financial year, AFCA activated three significant event response plans to support those directly impacted.

These related to:

• Victorian earthquakes – September 2021
• South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania severe storms – October 2021
• South East Queensland and New South Wales severe weather and flooding – February 2022.

In total, AFCA received 5,202 complaints related to significant events in 2021–22 (including those related to significant events that had been declared in previous financial years). This is significantly down on the previous year’s numbers, where we received 9,097 complaints about significant events, which can be attributed to the decrease in COVID-19 complaints.

However, the majority of 2021–22 significant event complaints (3,552) still related to COVID-19, which was declared a significant event in 2019–20.

COVID-19

Top five issues in complaints

Issue	Total
Financial firms’ failure to respond to request for assistance	721
Repayment history information	337
Decline of financial difficulty request	311
Service quality	282
Default listing	252

Victorian earthquakes – September 2021

Top five issues in complaints ¹

Issue	Total
Denial of claim – exclusion /condition	229
Delay in claims handling	81
Denial of claim	49
Claim amount	26
Service quality	11
Denial of claim – no proof of loss	11

South East Queensland and New South Wales severe weather and flooding – February 2022

Top five issues in complaints

Issue	Total
Delay in claims handling	210
Denial of claim – exclusion /condition	107
Claim amount	83
Service quality	22
Denial of claim	19

South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania severe storms – October 2021

Top five issues in complaints

Issue	Total
Delay in claims handling	67
Claim amount	50
Denial of claim – exclusion /condition	34
Denial of claim	14
Service quality	12

 

¹ Two issues in equal fifth position.

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