Price-sensitive buyers and open claims in high‑risk zones
Peter and Sandra Buxton, also from Cardwell, are among those still waiting for their home to be fully repaired. While new tiles are now being laid, they have spent most of the past year in a one‑room cabin at a local caravan park, with costs met by Sure Insurance. Peter Buxton said work had progressed slowly even before additional flooding in late January this year. “It just sat there with nothing getting done for so long. It was just so frustrating – you wanted to smash things, and ‘I’m not a violent person, but boy it was frustrating, it really was,” he said. The Buxtons, like other policyholders interviewed, said premium levels were central to their decision to buy cover from Sure Insurance. “We did crosscheck and see if there was anything comparable, but no, they were literally thousands of dollars cheaper,” Peter said. Sandra added: “In hindsight I would have been happier to pay those thousands.”