The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services was referred the inquiry on 30 October 2025 and had been due to report on 27 October 2026. Insurance News reported that the committee now intends to table its final report by 26 February 2027, after receiving more than 100 submissions and holding hearings in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. The committee’s terms of reference include whether modern insurance products meet contemporary business needs, whether cover is affordable and available across regions and sectors, and whether current regulation is adequate.
That scope is highly relevant to trade businesses. A sole trader electrician, a small plumbing team and a regional builder may all need insurance, but they do not face the same risk profile, contract conditions or pricing environment. Some work in higher-risk settings, some carry expensive mobile equipment, and others rely on subcontracting chains where certificates of currency and contract conditions are part of getting on site.
The delay does not change any policy wording, premium notice or contractual insurance requirement today. It does, however, keep several practical questions unresolved:
- whether small businesses can readily access cover that matches their actual work, rather than generic package assumptions;
- how rising repair, legal and claims costs are flowing into premiums and excesses;
- whether regional and high-risk operators face narrower insurer appetite than metropolitan businesses;
- how clearly exclusions, sub-limits and claims processes are explained before a loss occurs.
For tradespeople, the sensible response is not to wait for a parliamentary report before checking current arrangements. Insurance settings can fall out of date when a business changes vehicles, hires staff, takes on larger jobs, stores more materials on site or begins offering design, inspection or advice-based services. A review of types of insurance Australian tradies should consider can help identify which cover categories may be relevant before policy renewal or a new contract.
The inquiry’s extended timetable also signals that small business insurance problems are complex. Affordability concerns, insurer appetite, claims standards, product design and regulation are connected, but no single recommendation is likely to fix every pressure point. Until the report is released, trade businesses should keep clear records of work activities, assets, contracts and claims history so any insurance discussion is based on accurate, current information.
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