Latest Australia Headlines

All the headlines from our Australia Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Australia Orders Recall of 2.3M Vehicles with Takata Air Bags

Feb 28 2018 // Australia has ordered the recall of 2.3 million vehicles fitted with Takata Corp air bags that have been linked to deaths worldwide, in the country’s biggest compulsory product recall.The manufacturers of the...

XL Catlin Launches Protect & Assist in Australia

Feb 27 2018 // XL Catlin has launched Protect and Assist, an accident and health insurance solution designed to help Australian businesses protect their people and meet their duty of care in the face of emerging risks and heightened...

XL Catlin Promotes Powell to Chief Underwriting Officer for International Financial Lines

Feb 13 2018 // XL Catlin’s insurance operations announced that Tim Powell has been promoted to chief underwriting officer for international financial lines (IFL), effective March 1.Powell will be responsible for the underwriting...

QBE Expects US$1.2B Loss in 2017 from ‘Unprecedented’ Natural Catastrophes

Jan 24 2018 // QBE announced to the market this week that it expects a US$1.2 billion after-tax loss in 2017 on “unprecedented” natural catastrophe claims.“This has been a challenging year for QBE, reflecting an...

Search for Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Resumes – 4 Years After Disappearance

Jan 9 2018 // Malaysia’s government said Saturday that it has approved a new attempt by a private company to find the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, nearly four years after its disappearance sparked one of...

Allianz’ Property Unit Plans to Double Asian Investments in Next 3 Years

Jan 4 2018 // Allianz SE’s property unit plans to double investments in Asia over three years as the German firm is drawing in more money from its insurance operations in the region.Property investments may swell to 3.75 billion...

QBE Insurance Settles Shareholder Class Action in Australia for US$103.2M

Dec 29 2017 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd. has agreed to pay A$132.5 million (US$103.2 million) to settle a shareholder class action in Australia.The class action was commenced by Money Max Interest Pty Ltd on Sept. 9, 2015 in the Federal...

Chubb Names French & Hill to Asia-Pacific Leadership Positions

Dec 14 2017 // Chubb announced two leadership appointments in the company’s Asia Pacific business.John French, currently country president for Australia and New Zealand, has been appointed to the position of senior vice president,...

Zurich’s Acquisition of ANZ Life Unit Designed to Boost Dividends

Dec 12 2017 // Zurich Insurance Group AG’s decision to acquire the life-insurance businesses of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. should help Switzerland’s biggest insurer fulfill its ambition to increase its...

Zurich Insurance to Acquire ANZ’s Life Businesses in Australia for US$2.14B

Dec 11 2017 // Zurich Insurance Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of ANZ’s life insurance businesses, OnePath Life, in Australia, for A$2.85 billion (US$2.14 billion).Both parties expect...

Australia’s IAG Forms Capital-Releasing Deals with Munich Re, Swiss Re, Hannover Re

Dec 8 2017 // Insurance Australia Group Ltd. said on Friday it will share 12.5 percent of its premiums and costs with Munich Re, Swiss Re and Hannover Re, in a series of deals that will release capital for Australia’s biggest...

Allied World Appoints MacLeod as Australia Country Manager

Dec 6 2017 // Allied World Assurance Co. Holdings announced that Iain MacLeod has been appointed senior vice president, Country Manager, Australia. He will report to Michael Garrison, president, Asia Pacific. “Australia is a key...

BHSI Introduces Contractors Plant & Equipment Cover in Australia

Nov 22 2017 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Co. (BHSI) announced it has introduced a new Contractors Plant & Equipment (CP&E) policy for customers in Australia.“With this new policy, contractors can easily and...

Malaysia, Australia Investigate Massive Commercial, Governmental Data Breaches

Nov 2 2017 // Malaysia is investigating the theft of mobile-phone records for 46.2 million customers, while an online security lapse in Australia exposed personal details of almost 50,000 employees.The Malaysian government is working...

RMS Opens Office in Sydney to Support Client Growth in Australia, New Zealand

Oct 25 2017 // RMS, the Newark, Calif.-based global risk modeling and analytics firm, has opened a new office in Sydney, Australia, as part of its drive to support clients’ expansion in the Australian and New Zealand markets.The...

Rio Tinto Plans to Use Driverless Trains to Ship Iron Ore in Australia

Oct 3 2017 // Rio Tinto is set to use driverless iron ore trains in Western Australia in 2018, the world No. 2 miner of the steelmaking commodity said on Monday after completing its first long-haul journey with a completely autonomous...

Uber Drivers Will Need Licenses, Insurance in Australia’s Queensland

Oct 2 2017 // Ride-booking operators and drivers, such as those from Uber Technologies Inc., will need licenses to offer their services in the Australian state of Queensland under new regulations announced Sunday in Brisbane.The...

PERILS Raises Insured Loss Estimate for Cyclone Debbie to A$1.7B (US$1.34B)

Sep 28 2017 // The property insurance market’s loss for tropical cyclone Debbie has risen to A$1.7 billion (US$1.34 billion), according to PERILS, the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry-wide catastrophe...

Chubb’s Launches Business Pack Insurance for Australian SMEs

Sep 25 2017 // Chubb has launched a package insurance solution called Chubb Business Pack Insurance for small and medium enterprises in Australia.This solution aims to provide broad coverage for property and liability exposures to help...

AIA Buys Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Life Insurance Business for A$3.8B

Sep 21 2017 // AIA Group Ltd. agreed to buy Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s life insurance business for A$3.8 billion (more than $3 billion), in its most ambitious foray beyond the Hong Kong-based company’s core markets in...