Presenters: Vanessa Beenders, Executive General Manager, Public Policy & Professionalism - Actuaries Institute of Australia and Emma Vitz, Finity
Vanessa leads the Actuaries Institute’s thought leadership program, working closely with actuaries across a wide range of areas to deliver insights on key societal issues in major reports, papers and submissions. She is also responsible for delivery of Institute support to its Practice Committees, providing technical and professional support to its members. Before joining the Institute, Vanessa worked across government, financial services and education, in both public and private sectors.
Emma is an actuary and a consultant at Finity. She advises insurers and banks on personal lines pricing and natural perils and climate risk assessment. Emma compiles the Australian Actuaries Climate Index on a quarterly basis, which quantifies the changes in the frequency of extreme weather in Australia. She coordinates communication on the index with a variety of audiences, including the actuarial community and the wider public.
Vanessa and Emma will be joined in conversation by Christopher Zinn. Christopher has used a geographical perspective throughout his journalistic career in print, radio and television. He graduated with a Geography MA from Oxford and, after training in newspapers, left the UK to report from Asia and the Pacific. For the ABC, he covered the Royal Geographical Society's expedition for the Kimberley Research Project in WA in 1988. He has reported for Channel Nine, ABC Radio and TV as well as various newspapers in Australia and overseas. He recently moved to Brisbane and is intent on exploring Queensland and its people with a geographer's eye.
Vanessa and Emma will present the Institute’s Home Insurance Affordability Index and the Australian Actuaries Climate Index (AACI), key contributions which have received extensive coverage in the media and public policy discussions.
The most recent analysis of the AACI shows that once-extreme weather events have become increasingly common, highlighting the long-term trend of more frequent severe weather conditions. This shift significantly impacts insurance affordability.
The 2024 report on home insurance affordability finds that 15% of households are now "affordability-stressed", facing premiums of more than four weeks of gross household income. Recognising the broader implications of this stress on the financial system and society, the report includes a discussion about what this could mean for residential mortgages.
These analyses provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between climate change, extreme weather events and the insurance industry, offering a nuanced understanding of critical issues affecting Australia's environmental and financial future.
When: 13 November 2024 PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS DATE IS A WEDNESDAY
Time: 7:30 PM - 8:30 pm AEST
8:00 – 9:00 pm ACDT
8:30 – 9:30 pm AEDT
Location: Zoom Only
Please note: The ZOOM link for this event is included in the confirmation email which you will receive once you have registered. You will find it at the bottom of the notice Please keep this in a place where you can find it when needed. A reminder email will be sent with the link on the day of the event close to Close of Business hours.
This event may be recorded. If you have any questions, please email us at info@rgsq.org.au
