Why Brokers and Clients needs to work together in the event of an AFCA complaint.
By Darren Free, Claims Manager – Ausure
The Broker’s role as the client’s advocate
When a dispute progresses to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), it can be a complex and often emotional experience for clients. This is where the strength of the broker–client relationship truly matters.
By working together, brokers and clients can ensure the complaint is presented clearly, accurately, and with the best chance of achieving a fair and timely resolution.
As an insurance broker, your role extends beyond placing insurance, you’re the client’s advocate. You understand the policy wording, the claim history, and the correspondence that led to the dispute, all of which are critical in framing a strong submission. By collaborating together it allows you to gather key supporting documents such as insurer correspondence (decline or partial-decline letters), expert reports, witness statements, repair estimates, and any other evidence that clarifies the facts.
Capturing the client perspective filling in the gaps.
At the same time, clients provide valuable firsthand context about the event or loss, ensuring the details you present to AFCA are both complete and accurate. They can often shed light on challenges faced throughout the claim process that may not be fully reflected in insurer correspondence or reports.
For example, clients may have experienced delays or poor workmanship during repairs, inconsistent communication from repairers or assessors and felt that key aspects of their claim were not adequately investigated.
By sharing these experiences, clients help brokers present a full picture of the claim — not just the technical aspects of coverage, but also how the process was managed and where expectations may not have been met.
This level of detail strengthens the submission to AFCA and supports a more balanced and transparent review of the complaint.
An AFCA complaint should never be something a client faces on their own. With their broker’s guidance and expertise, clients can navigate the process with confidence — knowing they have a professional advocate by their side every step of the way.
About the Ausure Head Office Claims Team
Darren Free leads the Ausure Claims Team, supported by team leader, Rebbecca O’Rourke. The claims specialist team provide support, guidance and escalation assistance for Ausure Brokers dealing with difficult claims, as well as offering full service claims management for Ausure Branches that opt to have claims handled by a dedicated team.
With over 10 years of claims experience behind him, Darren has become a secret weapon for the network when it comes to negotiating rightful claim outcomes for Ausure clients. On many occasions, the outcome of a claim will depend on how well someone knows the terms, conditions and obligations of the insurer, in relation to the policy in which the claim is related to – something which Darren and the team specialise in.