Agricultural worker Hamish Burge, 26, has never been in an accident and takes pride in how cautiously he drives his Toyota Hilux along the bumpy and unsealed rural roads of the Goondiwindi region.
Key points:
- Residents of Queensland regional towns say their insurance premiums have gone due to increased crime
- Victims say they shouldn’t have to pay the price for the crime crisis
- Councils are calling for caps on insurance while solutions to the crime crisis are worked out
But when he moved to the border town two months ago, he was shocked to find out his car insurance would go up by thousands.
“It’s gone up $1,000 a year just because of moving to this postcode,” Mr Burge said.
He believes it’s because of the spate of vehicle thefts and home invasions that has gripped the region in the last 12 months.
In the past four months, 47 thefts and 48 unlawful entries were recorded in the Goondiwindi Police District.
In the last year, there have been 359 theft offences — up from the previous year when there were 303.
“There’s been a lot of vehicle crime in and around Gundy,” Mr Burge said.
“Every day on Facebook you see thefts and they’re often found burnt out or written off in and around town.”
In March, a crime forum was held in Goondiwindi to address concerns about the spike in youth crime.
“But I’ve never had any crime committed against me and have done nothing to suggest I’m high risk,” Mr Burge said.
He works and lives 50 kilometres out of town and says the cost is an added stress to the region’s “high-risk country roads”.
“To tack that [cost] on top — it sort of just puts the cherry on the cake sort of thing,” Mr Burge said.
Victims pay the price
Toowoomba resident Karynne Paul’s home was invaded in November and her car was stolen.
“From what we’ve been told a 12-year-old has been charged with breaking in,” she said.
“All the doors were locked and there was no forced entry.”
Ms Paul said a young offender entered the house through a cat flap before they took the keys and her car.
She was able to get her car back in good condition but, this year, her insurance fees have gone up by $800.
“I think it’s almost doubled,” Ms Paul said.
“I know prices and things go up, but I didn’t expect it to go up this much.
“The thing that frustrates me so much is that just because someone broke into our home and stole our goods, I’ve been penalised again.”
Ms Paul was told by her insurance company that the cost increase was due to a local crime spike.
“They said it was because you’ve had a claim and the area has a lot of crime,” she said.
“It just feels like you become a victim again and again and again.
“It’s really sad that kids are doing what they do, but from what I understand they’re not necessarily punished for their crimes.
“But as a victim, I get punished for something that was completely not my fault.”
Four hours south-west in the Maranoa Region, Mayor Tyson Golder has written to all levels of government and the Insurance Council about high insurance premiums in his region.
“The people with the real power here is the state government, and federal. They need to look to see if the model is broken,” he said.
Mayor Golder says youth crime needs to be better addressed to reduce the impact on residents.
“If they can’t fix the problem … they should be picking up the tab,” he said.
Mayor Golder says people will abandon insurance if it gets too expensive.
“It’s got to be affordable or people will give up, and that’s not good for the future if there is an event.”
Insurers respond
Several of Queensland’s major insurers say crime isn’t the only factor in price increases.
“Insurance premiums are based upon the likely risk of damage and the costs associated with repairing or replacing a damaged item,” said a spokesperson from the RACQ.
“In the case of motor insurance, a small component of this includes the risks associated with theft of the vehicle, but it’s not the overriding factor.”
“Motor insurance premiums may be higher for areas where incidents occur more often, or repairs are more expensive.”
Allianz agreed.
“Motor vehicle theft is only a minor component of the cost of claims,” a spokesperson said.
“Therefore even a large increase in thefts would only have a relatively small impact on premiums.”
The ICA says each insurance company calculates its motor vehicle insurance premiums according to its individual business model.
“Ways to reduce to reduce premiums may include parking the car safely, driving less often, maintaining a good driving record and choosing a higher excess,” it said.
Ms Paul would like to see a cap on what insurers can charge for victims of crime.
“If I go out in my car and have a crash and it’s my fault I expect my insurance will go up,” she said.
“But I think for claims that aren’t my fault there shouldn’t be that massive increase.”