Public Liability Insurance in Australia
Public Liability Insurance for Small Business*
Looking for public liability insurance for your small business in Australia ? You may have come to the smart place for suitable and affordable cover.
Wherever you are in Australia; if you want to know:
– how much public liability will cost your business,
– whether you need liability insurance,
– or if you want to compare public liability insurance
Our friendly liability insurance brokers may be able to help you. Simply call us 1300 542 573 or enquire here to see if we can help you find suitable public liability insurance for your activities.
Many Business Owners are UNSURE if they are COVERED PROPERLY.
We help them find affordable and SUITABLE INSURANCE so they can run their business with CONFIDENCE.*
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- Answers to Questions
- Suitable Cover
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What is public liability and general liability Insurance?*
Public liability is one of the most vital forms of insurance for businesses of all sizes.
As an Australian small business owner, including if you are a sole trader or contractor, you should strongly consider public liability insurance if you have members of the public, customers and suppliers visiting your premises, or if you or your staff visit the premises of customers, suppliers and business partners.
According to the Australian government website for business, www.business.gov.au, and specifically the section on liability insurance, while “liability insurance is optional in most cases,* it is strongly recommended for businesses in all industries as the likelihood of being sued is unpredictable and potentially very costly”.
What does public liability and general liability insurance cover?*
Public Liability Insurance, also known as general liability insurance or liability insurance, is the core insurance for most small business owners, self-employed contractors and sole traders.
For a relatively low cost Public and General Liability insurance can protect a small business owner, self-employed contractor or sole trader against a lot of types of significant claims and damages. Please see the Public liability definition below:
- Legal liability of a business to compensate the damages made to the general public on account of injury, death, damage to property and possessions due to business negligence.
Do I need public liability insurance?*
In some parts of Australia, for some occupations public liability insurance can be compulsory. Examples are plumbers in Victoria, and electricians in Queensland.
Also in the building trade throughout Australia many worksites will not let any of their subcontractors on their worksite without a Certificate of Currency . That is proof public liability insurance has been paid, and is in force.
Whether it is compulsory or not public liability insurance is recommended for all small businesses if you deal with members of the public, including subcontractors, whose activities take place in public, who want to protect themselves and their assets.
Accidents happen in business all the time and claims for damage to someone else’s property and personal injury can be very expensive.
Even if the accident is not your fault you may need to pay lawyers to defend you. Have you budgeted for a legal bill of over $10,000 this year? Why spend large amounts of your own or your businesses’ money defending yourself, or put your business and personal assets at risk, when for a relatively small amount you can protect yourself and your business with public liability insurance?
You may be able to protect yourself, your business partners and staff today with an affordable and suitable public liability for your business activities by calling 1300 542 573 and talking with a friendly SMART business insurance broker.
Important information about public liability for subcontractors and trades:
- In Australia sub-contractors and trades are responsible for their own actions on a worksite.
- If you cause property damage or personal injury to another person you will be liable for financial damages, legal defence costs and other charges
- Every day Slip-and-fall accidents may cost your small businesses well over $10,000
How much public liability insurance do I need?*
The amount of cover you require depends on the type of work you do, the risks involved, the contracts you undertake, the size of your business and your own risk mitigation strategy. In Australia, there are generally three levels of coverage offered for most small business owners: $5 million, $10 million, and $20 million (although some insurers may offer up to $50 million worth of liability cover). As a rule, when deciding how much insurance you need, you should consider the highest potential compensation claim you may face and the value of the contracts you undertake.
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Get in touch. *
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Public liability and general liability Monthly Cost*
General liability insurance policies can be paid monthly.
With general liability policies for some office-based occupations monthly general liability premiums start from approximately only $35 per month on an annual premium.
With general liability policies of some trade-based occupations for self-employed sub-contractors general liability premiums start from approximately only $45 per month on an annual premium.
Contact a SMART business insurance broker for an affordable annual general liability insurance cost you can pay monthly.
Public liability and general liability Sum Insured*
A key factor that determines the price of general liability insurance is the amount of cover, or sum insured.
Typically general liability cover is available in either $5million, $10million and $20million.
The first two factors:
- The nature of the business, and the size of business, often determine the amount of cover ($) your business will need.
- The general rule of thumb is the greater the risks and/or the larger the business, the larger ($) sum insured.
Not sure if you need $5million, $10million or $20million cover? Based on your industry and company size, our friendly insurance brokers may be able to help by providing guidance in relation to industry benchmarks for your size of business.
For more information on general liability insurance sums insured please contact us. Call us at 1300 542 573 to talk to a business insurance specialist.
What claim costs may public liability and general liability insurance cover?*
If your small business has a suitable public liability insurance policy for your business activities the following claim costs may be covered.
In the case of damage to someone else’s property:
- Pay for the repair of damaged property.
- Pay for the replacement of ruined or lost property.
In the case of personal injury to someone not employed by you:
- Some medical expenses for the injured person.
- Legal fees; including court costs and settlements.
- Damages awarded against you if your business is found liable.
Important facts for small business owners to know about public liability insurance*
Typically a public liability policy will only respond if the incident occurs within the period of insurance.
Each insurance policy is different and includes exclusions that are not covered by public liability insurance.
These are some of things that are generally excluded from public liability insurance policies:
- Professional errors.
- Personal injury to you and your employees. (For information on Personal Accident and Sicknessclick here or workers compensation click here)
- Damage to your business property. (For information on commercial property insurance click here)
- Professional advice. (For information on professional indemnity insurance click here)
- A vehicle is involved (For information on commercial vehicle insurance click here)
- The internet or customer data is involved (For information on cyber insurance click here)
- Employee relations, OH & S and discrimination (For information on management liability insurance click here)
- Product liability (For information on product liability insurance click here)
Protection or covers for some of the above business risks can be packaged and purchased together . In Australia many trades and small businesses can purchase public liability together.
For professional consultants public and professional indemnity insurance can be packaged and purchased together.
Even commercial property and public liability insurance can be combined together in what is call a “business pack “
It’s important you talk to insurance broker and discuss your activities and risks and find cover that is suitable and affordable.
Call 1300 542 573 and talk with a friendly SMART business insurance broker about packaging multiple insurance covers for the risks your business faces, compare public liability insurance Australia, and SAVE.