ARPC publishes quarterly Cyclone Pool statistics as at 31 March 2026

14 July 2026

Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC) has released its latest quarterly Cyclone Reinsurance Pool statistics, highlighting the ongoing role of the cyclone pool in supporting households and small businesses in cyclone-prone regions.

The cyclone pool now reinsures approximately 3.2 million properties, representing more than $2.4 trillion in building exposure across Australia. Continued insurer participation, including a newly onboarded insurer during the quarter, has contributed to the pool’s ongoing growth and reach.

Key findings

• Total annual cyclone pool premiums are approximately $659 million across Home, Strata and SME policies.
• The average annual cyclone pool premium is around $191 for Home, $801 for Strata, and $240 for SME risks. Premium levels remain broadly stable, with recent movements largely reflecting changes in sums insured and portfolio mix.
• The pool supports approximately 3 million home buildings, 72,500 strata buildings and more than 101,000 small business buildings.

Claims activity

As at 31 March 2026, the cyclone pool has received more than 129,000 claims with a total net incurred value of approximately $1.53 billion.

Claims experience continues to be influenced by significant cyclone events, particularly Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which remains the largest event recorded by the cyclone pool to date. Alfred accounts for almost 116,000 claims and more than $1.3 billion in net incurred losses, highlighting the cyclone pool’s role in providing reinsurance support to insurers following major natural disasters.

Mitigation and resilience

The cyclone pool continues to encourage household resilience through premium discounts for eligible mitigation measures. As at 31 March 2026, approximately $9.4 million in mitigation discounts had been applied to in-force premiums, supporting policyholders who have invested in measures to better withstand cyclone impacts.

ARPC expects uptake of mitigation measures to increase over time as insurers continue to enhance the collection of mitigation data and policyholders respond to the incentives available through cyclone pool pricing. Mitigation discounts were also introduced for strata properties from April 2025, with reporting on uptake expected in future publications.

Coverage insights

All properties reinsured through the cyclone pool include cyclone wind cover. Coverage for flood remains strong across Home policies, with approximately 87 per cent of home buildings and 89 per cent of home contents policies including flood cover. Storm surge coverage varies by region and insurer offering.

Premiums continue to reflect underlying cyclone risk, with the highest average premiums generally observed in the most cyclone-exposed regions of northern Queensland and northern Western Australia.

Background

The Cyclone Reinsurance Pool was established on 1 July 2022 and is administered by ARPC. It is designed to improve the availability and affordability of insurance for households and small businesses in cyclone-prone areas, while encouraging mitigation and supporting long-term resilience.

For media inquiries, please contact Alexander Drake, Head of Public Affairs and Communications on (02) 8223-6777 or [email protected]