Public Liability Claims Management

Abstract

In this report commissioned by the Australian Government, the Commission found that claims management practices for public liability insurance should not prevent benefits from recent government policy changes being passed onto consumers. The Commission found that the market environment in which public liability claims are managed remains competitive and should provide sufficient incentives for insurers to make their claims management practices efficient and cost effective. While the broad steps in managing claims are common across the industry, claims management practices between insurers vary significantly because of the diverse nature of risks covered and differences in institutional arrangements and regulatory regimes. As a result, there is no single best practice for claims management.