Arabic version: فيكتوريا تتصدر مطالبات التأمين المرتبطة بالسرقة والسطو

According to ABC News, Victorians made more than $300 million in theft-related insurance claims during the 2025-26 financial year, placing the state ahead of the nation for theft and robbery claims. The Insurance Council of Australia said the figures showed car-related crime was imposing substantial costs on insurers and policyholders.

About 12,300 motor vehicle theft or burglary claims were lodged in Victoria, worth $240 million. The council said that total exceeded claims from every other capital city combined. Victoria also recorded 3,900 property-related theft and burglary claims, the highest nationally, costing more than $56 million.

Insurance Council chief executive Andrew Hall said the data equated to a vehicle being stolen or broken into every 43 minutes and a home burglary every two hours. He said the council had released unusually detailed figures because of climbing crime rates, and called for a government strategy targeting car theft and greater investment in policing.

The council identified organised criminal networks, global car theft rings and the illicit tobacco market as major concerns. Hall said insurers had been told of vehicles stolen in Melbourne later appearing in shipping containers in Dubai. Victoria Police said 31,851 cars were stolen in the year to March 2026, the highest figure in about 25 years and double the level four years earlier, though about 80 per cent were recovered each year.

The report also raised concerns about recovery after Victoria’s January 2026 bushfires, which destroyed more than 450 homes. The council criticised support limited to uninsured and underinsured people, and urged the state to adopt a government-led, whole-of-community clean-up and recovery model. Premier Ben Carroll said high crime rates concerned him and remained a government focus.