Media Releases4 March 2025

Zurich Australia announces new mental health commitments

Zurich Financial Services Australia (Zurich) has announced new commitments to improve its understanding of mental health conditions, including exploration of a proposed collaborative research project with attendees of its latest Mental Health Roundtable.

Alongside roundtable attendees, Zurich will explore avenues for new research into the drivers of mental illness and resilience to inform improved underwriting, claims and prevention services.

Justin Delaney, Chief Executive Officer, Zurich said: “Zurich is continuing to witness the rising and profound impact of mental health conditions across our diverse customer base, with up to a quarter of applications now including mental health disclosures and more than two thirds of claims relating to mental health conditions for some products.”

The commitment to new research is in addition to several initiatives Zurich has commenced based on feedback from roundtable attendees, including:

  • Rolling out new mental health and vicarious trauma training for its claims team;
  • Consulting with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to examine the further use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to better understand the causes and drivers of mental ill-health;
  • Appointing a Head of Health Services to lead Zurich’s medical officers and in-house psychologists to support with mental health claims; and
  • Updating and expanding its vulnerable customer framework.

 
“Zurich’s Mental Health Roundtable provides an important opportunity for the broader mental health ecosystem to collaborate, exchange views and share data to drive continued progress in addressing this growing issue.”

“It is a critical avenue for facilitating the meaningful and ongoing evolution of Zurich’s products and services, ultimately ensuring we can provide greater levels of cover to more Australians,” Mr Delaney said

Belinda Elworthy, Chief Executive Officer, Gotcha4Life Foundation said: “Zurich’s commitment to listening and learning from those with deep and diverse expertise is a positive step toward providing better support for Australians.”

Dr Anna Brooks, Chief Research Officer, Lifeline Australia said: "Lifeline welcomes any collaborative, evidence-based and person-centred steps to improve insurance underwriting, claims and prevention services in the context of mental ill health and suicidal thinking."

Dr Simon Benson, Clinical Director, Bupa said: “We all have a role to play in addressing mental health challenges facing our community. By combining our real-world experiences, resources, knowledge, and expertise, we can create a more comprehensive and integrated approach to care that meets the changing health and well-being needs of Australians."

Caitlin Abbott, Health Policy Lead, Mandala said: "Mental healthcare's changing landscape presents complex economic questions for the insurance and healthcare sectors. Mandala Partners values this opportunity to contribute economic insights that can help providers, insurers, and other members of the health ecosystem navigate these challenges while developing more sustainable models that reflect evolving consumer needs."

Constituted in July 2024, the Zurich Mental Health Roundtable is a bi-annual forum for Zurich and broader health and civil society stakeholders to share views and experiences on key trends and insights relating to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental health conditions.

The second Zurich Mental Health Roundtable, held in February 2025, was attended by representatives from Black Dog Institute, Lifeline Australia, Gotcha4Life Foundation, Bupa and Mandala Partners.
 

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For media enquiries contact:

Isabella Molinari
Media & External Relations Manager
+61 401 105 653
media@zurich.com.au

Zurich Financial Services Australia is a life insurance, commercial insurance and investments specialist that has been participating in the Australian market since 1920. Since its acquisition of OnePath Life from ANZ in 2019, the company provides life insurance to more than 1.5 million Australian customers under both the Zurich and OnePath Life brands.  Further information about Zurich Financial Services Australia is available at www.zurich.com.au.

Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer serving people and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. Founded 150 years ago, Zurich is transforming insurance. In addition to providing insurance protection, Zurich is increasingly offering prevention services such as those that promote wellbeing and enhance climate resilience.

Reflecting its purpose to ‘create a brighter future together’, Zurich aspires to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world. It is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 and has the highest-possible ESG rating from MSCI. In 2020, Zurich launched the Zurich Forest project to support reforestation and biodiversity restoration in Brazil.

The Group has about 60,000 employees and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information is available at www.zurich.com.