A federal cabinet minister is calling on the insurance industry to show a bit of humanity when it comes to dealing with Australians who have been struck by the east coast floods.
Some people think they are fully insured, only to find out they are not covered for flood.
Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud says people entered into these contracts in good faith and he expects insurance companies to do the same.
"We would say to the insurance industry, 'please, you have an opportunity to build your reputation'," Mr Littleproud told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.
"We'd like to think that they would show a bit of humanity and have a social conscience."
Meanwhile, he said members of the Australian Defence Force are sweeping the streets and helping NSW residents clean up.
He expects the number of ADF personnel could swell to 700 but said those numbers are at the discretion of the NSW government so there is no duplication in the process.
"There are still major flooding warnings in some systems; it's still important, while the sun is shinning, it is still unsafe to go near this water," the minister said.
"We need to treat this seriously and will need to listen to emergency services."
