Arabic version: تأخيرات «سانكورب» تُبقي عائلة من كوينزلاند نازحة
According to ABC News, the Balzan family of seven has been living in a caravan and shed after a toilet leak at their Wurdong Heights home in rural Queensland developed into a mould disaster during delays in their Suncorp insurance claim.
The leak in September last year spread sewage water through multiple rooms. The family notified Suncorp immediately and the insurer estimated remediation would be completed by the end of October. But repair work did not properly begin for months, while mould grew through the home and its contents. The family’s five children, including a one-year-old daughter, have not slept in their bedrooms since October last year.
John Balzan said the family had received no indication of when rectification work would start or how long the claim would take. In February, Suncorp apologised and acknowledged that its initial restoration process could have been managed more effectively. The insurer said restoration should have been completed promptly and unaffected contents should have been stored externally rather than in the living room to prevent cross-contamination.
Lani Balzan, a renowned Indigenous artist, said $480,000 worth of her artwork was damaged because of the delays. She said contractors had been instructed to dispose of artworks in a skip bin, but the family retained them and disposed of them properly on Country. Suncorp said it was not its policy to remove contents without customer approval and that its process supports restoration solutions where possible.
Suncorp said it was continuing to work with the family to complete restoration and repair works urgently, and had offered alternate accommodation throughout the claim. The family has an open complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, while Suncorp has offered $6,300 in non-financial loss compensation to close it, in addition to required remediation. AFCA’s Prue Monument said insurers remain responsible for the actions of repairers and experts they engage.
