Member for Calare Andrew Gee calls for parliamentary inquiry into disaster response by insurance companies

May 14 marked six months since an inland tsunami rocked large parts of the Cabonne shire in November, 2022.

Eugowra particularly has been hit hard. The small town on the banks of the Mandagery Creek has a population of around 800 people. Most were impacted by the flooding. Much of the housing in the town was completely devastated, and deemed unlivable.

The Central Western Daily visited Eugowra on the eve of that six month anniversary earlier in May.

Resident Ken Woodford said most in the town were determined to view their situation with that glass-half-full mentality. There's always someone worse off.

But even Mr Woodford admitted some of the dealings with insurance companies had impacted those battling away in Eugowra.

"... everyone's getting disheartened because people are having trouble with insurance companies and the rest," he said at the time.

And Mr Gee says residents of Eugowra - and indeed Molong, Canowindra and Cudal, too - deserve better.

"The heartbreak and tragedy faced by these communities has been amplified by the shocking and cold-hearted response of insurance companies," Mr Gee said.

"The anger in our communities is white hot, and I don't think we are alone.

"People's lives are in limbo. With widespread insurance knock backs, rebuilding has been made a much more difficult process."

This week state MP Phil Donato also questioned the sluggish responses from insurers in the six months post the Cabonne floods.

He said he'd heard of "delaying, stalling or denying" of claims, and more needed to be done.

On Monday during question time at Parliament House, Mr Gee asked the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese if he would support a parliamentary inquiry into the issue.

Mr Albanese, who visited Eugowra in the week after the disaster to assess the damage first hand, indicted he will speak to the Minister for Financial Services/Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and consider the proposal.

Mr Gee, who has been a constant in Eugowra in the six months since the flooding, says the ensuring insures do the right thing is something he will continue to pursue hard.

"The stories of insurers trying to do the right thing are few and far between," he said.

"Australians expect insurers to be assessing claims in a generous and kind-hearted way, nothing less. Insurance companies don't just answer to shareholders but also to the nation. They don't just have insurance contracts with our residents, they also operate with a social licence.

"We need to get to the bottom of what's happened here and make sure the pain that insurance companies have inflicted on our communities is not repeated in others."

Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.