Recently, many Kingscliff locals have been hit by massive increases in their home insurance. Some properties are located in flood zones but have never flooded; many others sit completely outside flood zones.
Yet, insurance companies continue to blame the generic ‘risk of flooding’ for these soaring premiums. Some residents have even had their policies cancelled entirely, creating a financial disaster for local homeowners.
With this in mind, what will happen to people who buy land in the Gales development, build a home, and then try to secure coverage? While the developer plans to raise the land, local experience shows that insurance companies rarely listen to reason or respond to logical arguments.
The Gales land has flooded multiple times and is formally classified as a flood zone. Rather than waiting until people have already bought and built, this development should be halted until the uninsurability problem is solved.
Until insurers provide ironclad guarantees to offer reasonable premiums, the government must step in and stop the project.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
