REDUCING RISK

Armed with an expert understanding of risk, we are able to deliver one of the greatest benefits we can provide to the community, our customers and our business - the opportunity to reduce risk.

Everybody wins

This core component of our purpose delivers benefits to the community, our customers and our business. There are always going to be risks, but finding ways to reduce them means our customers can avoid unnecessary hardships, creating a better outcome for both communities and insurers.

There are four key areas where we are working to reduce risk: road and home safety, crime prevention, workplace safety and climate change. These are the areas where IAG has the greatest experience and wealth of claims data.

Reducing risk in the community

We have formed a network of partnerships and embarked on a series of programmes all with the one aim - to harness our expertise to help the community reduce risk.

We support a range of community projects in crime prevention, injury prevention, emergency services and the environment.

communityhelp

We have a number of programmes that give our people the chance to get involved in their communities. These have been developed from feedback and suggestions from our people.

communityhelp workplace giving
Employees can donate to selected charities through their regular pre-tax pay. It's a great way for our people to support community organisations and we match donations dollar for dollar.
communityhelp Champions
We have a network of employees who take a leading role in their work location on community issues and help their colleagues get involved in their local community.
communityhelp volunteering
We offer all employees one day of paid volunteering leave so they can participate in, and contribute to, their local communities. Our people may volunteer at a community organisation of their choice or work with one of our partners.

These programmes include, but are not limited to, risk reduction activities, whereas our communityhelp grants programme has the sole focus of reducing risk and increasing safety in the community.

communityhelp grants

Since the programme started in 2003, we have given more than $1.3 million in grants to community groups across Australia. In the 2005 financial year, we awarded 150 communityhelp grants, totalling around $530,000, to fund risk reduction community projects.

Some examples include:

fire safety initiatives for people with hearing impairments, run by Travellers Aid Disabillity Access Service in Victoria;
education on road safety around school zones - an initiative by the Fitzgerald State School Parents & Citizens Association in Queensland; and
multi-language community safety seminars in English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Arabic and Spanish, run by Woodville Community Services in New South Wales.

communityhelp brouchure
Case study: Community volunteering
Case study: Head Injury Retrieval Trial

IAG funds contributed to the community

In the 2005 financial year, funds contributed to the community totalled $12,347,281 compared with $18,225,926 in the 2004 financial year.

The difference in funds for community investment can be attributed to a one-off payment of $4.8 million to CareFlight in the 2004 financial year for the establishment and implementation of the HIRT for its first operating year. Significant payments for this initiative will be made in future years. One other factor contributing to this result is the discontinuation of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service Firescan sponsorship.