A new study by NRMA Insurance and Australian Red Cross has revealed significant gaps in household emergency plans. The study has also found that most parents lack the basic preparedness needed to respond effectively in a crisis.
According to a media release by IAG Australia, the study found just 37% of parents feel well prepared for an emergency. Only 27% of the participating parents have an emergency kit and nearly half (49%) of the parents admitted they would struggle to locate important items if they needed to leave their home quickly in an emergency. IAG, is the parent company of leading insurance brands, including NRMA Insurance.
The research found that despite the growing risks from extreme weather events across Australia, emergency preparedness is falling behind other areas of family life. In fact, parents are more likely to have a clear routine for preparing their household for a dinner party (69%) than an emergency (53%).
This comes even as aesthetic organisation and life hack trends continue to surge, with 86% of parents engaging with social media content around tidying and decluttering, life edits or time-saving hacks in the past six months. More than half (59%) use these tips at least weekly to manage busy family life.
However, while parents are highly prepared in many aspects of life such as pantry organisation (62%), weekly meal prepping (58%), family planners (45%), and even having a stash of birthday or Christmas gifts on hand (52%), essential emergency planning is often overlooked (27%).
NRMA Insurance Executive Manager Community Impact Jen Cobley said, “With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe, said preparation has never been more important.
She said, “As an insurer, we see firsthand the devastating physical and emotional impacts severe weather events can have on families and communities.”
“Understanding your local risks and taking simple steps to prepare before an event happens is one of the most effective ways to protect your loved ones and treasured items.”
To help parents get emergency ready these school holidays, NRMA Insurance and Australian Red Cross have partnered with organisation guru Monique Popa (@theorganisedeverydaymum) to turn aesthetic organisation hacks into life-saving habits.
Australian Red Cross Director-National Recovery and Resilience Nichola Krey said, “We know parents are some of the most concerned and anxious about the threat of extreme weather, yet many struggle to find time for emergency planning among a mountain of other daily to-dos.
“Having an emergency plan in place not only saves vital minutes where every second counts, it also helps families stay calm and think clearly in high stress situations.”
The study was conducted in June 2026 by Pureprofile and included 1000 Australian parents with dependents under 18 living at home.