Australia’s general insurance complaints environment reached a multi-year high in 2024-25, putting claims handling under renewed industry scrutiny. Against that backdrop, the National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) has opened nominations for two annual awards recognising broker performance in claims and community engagement – two areas where independent data and association-commissioned research, read together, give insurance professionals a more complete picture than either provides alone.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) received 34,231 general insurance complaints in 2024-25, a 17% increase on the prior year, with claim handling delays identified as a persistent and avoidable pressure point. AFCA chief ombudsman David Locke was direct about the industry’s responsibility. “Persistently high volumes of complaints about general insurance demonstrates there is more to be done by the sector to prevent complaints reaching AFCA, particularly in cases where escalation could have been avoided if the issue was simply a claim delay,” Locke said. The broker channel’s profile within that data diverges markedly. According to NIBA’s analysis of AFCA’s 2024-25 Datacube, general insurance broker complaints totalled 788 – up from 447 the prior year, representing approximately 0.8% of total complaints. Much of that increase was linked to historic add-on insurance matters.
The Claims Broker of the Year draws its evidential framing from NIBA’s February 2026 consumer research report, Complexity to Clarity: The Broker Advantage. The report was produced in partnership with Insurance Advisernet, drawing on CoreData research and covering Australian businesses currently using a broker as well as those that have used one previously. It found that 95% of clients view brokers as critical to claims resolution, 98% report their claims have been successfully resolved, 84% trust brokers to act in their best interests, and 91% say brokers helped them achieve better business outcomes.
The survey population – businesses that use or have used a broker – means respondents are not drawn from the broader insured market, including those who purchase direct. The full sample size is not published on the public-facing report page. These are standard limitations of industry-commissioned research, and the findings are best read alongside independent AFCA data rather than in isolation. That said, the 0.8% broker share of total AFCA complaints provides external corroboration that aligns directionally with the self-reported figures.
NIBA CEO Richard Klipin cited the research in framing the award. “As NIBA research has demonstrated, claims is an integral area where the value of broking comes to life for clients,” Klipin said. Colin McEnery, client director at Sedgwick, put the stakes in transactional terms. “A claim is often the moment a client finds out what their broker is worth. Sedgwick is proud to partner with NIBA on an award that recognises the people who get that moment right,” McEnery said. The Claims Broker of the Year is now in its fourth year.
The Community Excellence category sits within a different but equally relevant context. The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) reported that extreme weather events in the first half of 2025 alone generated more than $1.8 billion in insured losses, led by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which exceeded 125,000 claims and $1.36 billion in losses. The ICA’s Insurance Catastrophe Resilience Report 2024-25 covers this catastrophe season, which included Alfred, North and Central Queensland floods, and Mid-North Coast and Hunter flooding in New South Wales. It is in this context that Klipin referenced broker community involvement. “At the heart of every great broker is a commitment to helping others. From standing beside clients during their toughest moments after floods and natural disasters to giving back through local charities, events, and community initiatives, brokers make a meaningful impact where it matters most,” Klipin said.
Peter O’Leary, vice president of relationship management and marketing at Liberty, said the company backs the award because of what it reflects about the profession. “Brokers turn up for their communities well beyond what the job asks of them. Liberty is proud to support an award that recognises how brokers go above and beyond to help families, businesses, and communities thrive,” O’Leary said. Unlike the claims award, the Community Excellence category has no equivalent independent dataset against which broker activity can be benchmarked – it is assessed on demonstrated activity submitted through nominations.
NIBA represents approximately 380 member firms and more than 14,000 individual brokers nationally. Nominations for both awards are open now and close August 9, 2026.
