Victoria state-funded insurer found to add on homeowner stress

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Victoria's state-funded home building insurer has been found to have added to the stress of homeowners in the wake of the porter Davis collapse. The damning findings from an inquiry state that staff used vile and derogatory terms to describe those making claims lacked empathy and took an adversarial approach.

Transcript

00:00When Siddharth Prakash and Chetna Mahardik's builder fled the country, they were left with an unfinished home riddled with defects.

00:09It took multiple builders and years of fights with a state-backed building insurer to fix it.

00:14Finally done, after a long and arduous journey.

00:17There are hundreds of thousands out of pocket.

00:19They say it's because of the way the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority treated them,

00:23with allegations of underquoting, inadequate information and legal threats.

00:27We were gaslit by the government.

00:29They aren't alone.

00:30The Ombudsman has found the VMIA should have been better prepared for the influx of claims following the collapse of Porter Davis homes in 2023.

00:38It said staff failed to communicate properly with claimants and lacked empathy.

00:42They compounded the problem endlessly.

00:45It was more than a catastrophe.

00:48It was a complete disaster.

00:49I wish we never knew of them.

00:51The inquiry uncovered a culture of poor staff behaviour towards claimants.

00:55I'm on fire today.

00:56Called a c***** owner at 8.15 this morning.

00:58Put her in her place.

00:59A team member said in an office chat.

01:01I hate them all.

01:02Just called the owner and woke them.

01:04Score!

01:05Stupid effing query.

01:06Why did the government treat these Victorians who had lost everything with such contempt?

01:11Where there was behaviour and actions that was seen as inappropriate, the minister has unreservedly apologised and has spoken to the VMIA.

01:20The VMIA also spent nearly $23 million on lawyers to process claims quickly.

01:25This created an adversarial approach, adding to some claimants' stress.

01:30The VMIA said its staff worked incredibly hard during a period of unprecedented demand and that most claims were resolved without incident.

01:37But for those that were treated poorly, it has apologised.

01:41They've learnt no lessons.

01:42They've learnt no lessons.

01:43They've learnt no lessons.

01:48They've learnt no segway.

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