Bali Earthquake

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Issued: 16 July 2019

A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Bali in Indonesia at 8:00am local time on 16th July 2019. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this event. The media are reporting that damage to buildings is isolated, and that no fatalities have occurred. No tsunami warning has been issued at this stage.

We advise all customers who are travelling to, or are already in the affected areas to take care and please do not hesitate to contact our emergency services on +61 2 8776 3010 or email [email protected] if you require assistance.

We urge all travellers to remain up-to-date with the latest travel advice from Smartraveller.

If you're a customer who is travelling to or are already in the affected areas, but don't require emergency assistance, please refer to the information below.

IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY TRAVELLING:

• If you have started your journey and your transport is delayed or cancelled or your accommodation is directly affected due to the Bali earthquake there may be provision to claim for reasonable additional travel, accommodation and meal expenses.

• Limits, conditions and exclusions apply under your policy and for full details you should refer to the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Certificate of Insurance you received when you purchased your travel insurance.

IF YOU haven't departed yet:

• If your pre-booked travel arrangements are cancelled, delayed or rescheduled as a direct result of the earthquake and you have not yet departed, you may be able to claim for cancellation or rearrangement of your journey (whichever is the lesser).

• We recommend you contact your travel agent travel provider regarding the best option in altering your trip. Some travel providers may provide penalty free options to amend travel arrangements and we recommend you contact them for further details.

IF YOU PURCHASED A POLICY AFTER MIDDAY ON 16TH JULY 2019 (AEST) COVER IS NOT AVAILABLE

Cover is only available for the Bali earthquake if you purchased a policy before Midday on Tuesday 16th July 2019 (AEST).

This is because our travel insurance policies do not cover claims for losses caused by an event that you were aware of at the time of purchasing your policy. 

If you entered a policy outside of the covered time periods, we would expect you would have done so with an awareness of the earthquake in Bali. For these policies, we will not, to the extent permitted by law, pay any claim caused by or arising from or in any way connected with the Bali earthquake dated 16th July 2019.
 

NEXT STEPS YOU SHOULD TAKE:

Stay safe, follow instructions from authorities and monitor the media closely. 

In the event of a claim covered by your policy, you must take all reasonable steps to mitigate your out of pocket expenses, particularly when altering your trip arrangements (including seeking compensation from any travel service providers), and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred.  By reasonable we mean appropriate and consistent—for example if you have been using two star or budget accommodation on your trip to date, then we advise that the replacement accommodation you seek should be of a similar standard.

Australians travelling in Indonesia are encouraged to plan accordingly.  Earthquakes are unfortunately a factor of life in a highly active tectonic country like Indonesia, so it pays to be prepared. Please read our complete guide to survive an earthquake.

We encourage you to follow Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) current travel advice for Indonesia and register your details with Smartraveller.