ANNOUNCEMENT: AILA & NPLA Join Forces

The Australian Insurance Law Association and the National Product Liability Association have joined forces.

AILA National President Cameron Roberts said the two bodies had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU will see NPLA members invited to join AILA and AILA develop national and chapter-level product liability subcommittees to promote a better understanding of product liability risks, including insurance, loss prevention, recovery, and risk management strategies to minimise exposure.
Mr Roberts, a Thomson Geer partner, in Melbourne, said AILA had always had a strong product liability focus, with most chapters hosting at least one product liability seminar annually.
The MoU would ensure product liability remained an AILA focus and there would be more seminars about the Australian Consumer Law and other topics relevant to product liability insurance.

Mr Roberts said product liability was a highly specialised field, with few people working exclusively in it.

Merging the two associations meant AILA members would benefit from the specialist expertise of NPLA members and NPLA members would benefit from the broader array of insurance topics covered at educational events hosted by AILA National and chapters around the states and territories.
“The merger will strengthen AILA’s reputation as a one-stop shop for insurance industry educational events,” Mr Roberts said.

The AILA-NPLA linkage enabled AILA to offer a full service across the gamut of specialised fields within the insurance industry.

NPLA president John Simpson, a Melbourne barrister and accredited mediator, agreed. “It’s a magnificent fit for both associations,” he said.
“We’ve been getting great traction with joint seminars we’ve hosted over the past four-five years, so this is a win-win for both.”

NPLA was established in 1983, the same year AILA was launched, but Mr Simpson said it had become hard to maintain NPLA as a standalone entity because of the attraction of broader-focused organisations like AILA.

Former NPLA member Alexis Tartaglia, a lawyer with Lander & Rogers, in Melbourne, has already joined the AILA Victoria committee to start spearheading the establishment of product liability subcommittees.
“It will be great to integrate with AILA but retain the traditional product liability focus,” she said.

Mr Roberts welcomed past and present NPLA members to AILA. “AILA is an organisation for all of us who form part of the Australian insurance industry, which is so fundamental to Australia’s growth and prosperity,” he said.