Public Liability

Public Liability Insurance for Australian Businesses

Covers compensation you legally have to pay when your business activities cause injury to a third party or damage to their property. Required by most commercial leases, government contracts, and trade certifications.

What it covers

  • Third-party bodily injury claims
  • Third-party property damage
  • Defence costs covered separately

What it does not

  • Damage to your own property
  • Injury to your own staff — that is Workers Compensation
  • Faults in your professional advice — that is Professional Indemnity
A claim, in practice

A customer slipped on a wet floor in a hairdresser's, broke their wrist, and was awarded $85,000 in damages plus $40,000 in legal costs. Public Liability paid both.

How much cover do you need?

The limit is the most an insurer will pay for any one claim. Going from $10 million to $20 million typically adds 10 to 15 per cent to the premium and doubles the protection.

$5 millionSmaller operators with no contractual requirement above it.
$10 millionWhat most commercial leases ask for. The common starting point.
$20 millionRoutinely required by Australian government contracts and larger head contractors.

What an insurer will ask you

These are the real questions, and why each one changes your premium. Our chat walks through them with you.

Do you perform any hot works — welding, grinding, oxy-cutting?

Hot works are the leading cause of commercial fires. Insurers either exclude them or charge a loading and require a permit system. A roofer sealing a membrane with a blowtorch started a fire that gutted a building six hours later.

Do you work at heights above 2 metres?

Falls are the biggest cause of construction fatalities. Up to 2 metres is standard, 2 to 10 metres is rated, and above 10 metres usually needs specialist underwriting.

What portion of your work is done by subcontractors, and do they carry their own cover?

An uninsured subcontractor becomes your problem. Insurers price this heavily and some want evidence of the subcontractor’s own policy.

Do customers or members of the public visit your premises?

Most Public Liability claims start with somebody who was allowed on site. A trade that never has visitors is rated very differently from a shopfront.

Do you need cover for property in your care, custody or control?

Damage to a customer’s property while you are working on it is not automatically covered. It is a separate extension with its own limit.

Tell us what you do, and we will take it from there.

No forms. Answer a few questions in chat and an authorised broker takes it to the market for you.

This page is general information only and does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before deciding. Cover is subject to the insurer’s terms and acceptance.