7 May 2020 As has been the case now for several years (see 2019 and 2018), fossil fuels and the climate crisis dominated insurance company QBE's annual general meeting (AGM) today, despite it being shifted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With QBE having announced...
QBE
Super funds continue to block climate action
23 April 2020 Major super funds in Australia are continuing to vote, on behalf of their members, against the majority of shareholder proposals that would improve companies’ climate risk management. By investing our retirement savings in company shares, super...
QBE faces shareholder resolution on oil and gas support
5 March 2020 Shareholders coordinated by Market Forces together with the $4bn investment manager Australian Ethical have co-filed a resolution calling for the global insurer to align underwriting (insurance) and investment activities with keeping global warming below...
Media release: QBE shareholders to call on QBE to stop fueling climate crisis
For immediate release, 17 February 2020 Market Forces has announced it will lodge a shareholder resolution calling on global insurer QBE to get its underwriting and investment activities in line with keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees. The resolution coincides...
Insurance “red zones” spread across Australia. Insurers making it worse
19 November 2019 The number of households whose insurance premiums have become unaffordable is rising at an alarming rate across Australia. This is because of more extreme weather events and rising sea levels, which are linked directly to global warming....
Suncorp and QBE abandon coal but are still undermining Paris Agreement
Volunteers outside QBE's head office in Sydney, 2018 1 August 2019 The insurance sector globally is waking up to the fact that if it wants to avoid the growing impact on its profits caused by the climate crisis, it needs to stop providing insurance to and investing in...
QBE’s unanswered questions
11 June 2019 It’s not often that an annual general meeting (AGM) can be described as compelling. QBE’s AGM held on 9 May, however, delivered the goods with several questions from the floor resulting in extraordinary exchanges between shareholders and the chairman...
QBE leaves door open to oil and gas phase out
QBE Insurance faced a barrage of questions as well as a shareholder resolution calling for the company to set targets to phase out its exposure to all fossil fuels at its annual general meeting on 9 May 2019. Although QBE took a big step forward in March when it...
QBE dumps thermal coal due to global warming
2 April 2019 On Saturday, Australia’s biggest coal underwriter (insurer) took the positive step of committing to phase out its entire thermal coal business by 1 January 2030. QBE also ruled out providing insurance to any new thermal coal mine, power plant or transport...
Media Release: Market Forces welcomes QBE’s end to coal finance
Saturday 30 March, 2019: The announcement today by Australia’s largest insurer, QBE, to end its support for the coal industry has been welcomed by environmental finance group Market Forces. “QBE’s decision to withdraw insurance from the coal industry is business and...