Australia's insurance affordability crisis deepens as flood-hit communities struggle to recover
By
James Eyers
Properly proved. Has structure, has flavour, has a point.
Summary
The article examines Australia's growing insurance affordability crisis, using Bundaberg as a case study. After severe flooding in March 2026, many homes and businesses (like the Melbourne Hotel) remain closed. Rising insurance costs are forcing Australians to drop coverage, exacerbating inequality and hindering community recovery from natural disasters.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledBundaberg's town centre sits on a picturesque bend of the Burnett River, before it turns north and runs out to the Coral Sea.
Six blocks in from the waterfront, a shopping area has been built on an old swamp along Saltwater Creek.
Three months after the deluge, the Melbourne Hotel, a favourite watering hole for locals, remains closed.
It was one of around 200 homes and businesses inundated with hip-deep, brown, muddy water, forcing residents to get around in runabouts.
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