Strengthening national leadership on housing delivery, land use planning and improving the resilience of existing housing stock at the point of repair, renovation or replacement have been identified as key practical priorities to protect Australians against the impacts of extreme weather, according to a new report by IAG.
The 96-page new report “The Resilience Delivery Gap Turning Australia’s Housing Resilience knowledge into Action’ commissioned by IAG and produced by McKell Institute, calls for coordinated national action to strengthen Australia’s housing resilience in the face of escalating climate risks and costs.
The report draws on insights from experts across government, insurance, finance, construction, manufacturing, property, planning, research and community sectors to identify practical pathways for translating existing resilience knowledge into meaningful, large-scale action. IAG is Australia and New Zealand’s largest general insurer.
Since 2019, the Insurance Council of Australia has declared 29 extreme weather events, totalling A$20.7bn ($14.43bn) in insured losses, from more than 760,720 home and building claims. In the 2026 financial year alone, declared extreme weather events generated A$3.98bn in insured losses.
As Australia experiences more frequent and severe weather events, the report highlights a critical implementation gap between what is known about housing resilience and what is being delivered.
Without stronger adaptation, the combined costs of residential damage from cyclones, floods, and bushfires, insured and uninsured losses, and government recovery payments are projected to exceed A$35bn annually by 2050. A