Compare Compare the Market/BizCover with Contractor Cover
Compare the Market/BizCover provides online, side-by-side quotes, while Contractor Cover offers broker review of trade details and suggested limits.[8][9] Neither option can be assessed fully on price or policy quality until the quotes and policy documents are available.[8][9] 
Compare the Market/BizCover
- Application method: Enter business information through Compare the Market to receive side-by-side quotes from its business-insurance partner, BizCover.[8]
- Assistance: The supplied page describes an online comparison process but does not confirm whether individual human advice is available or what it covers.[8]
- Disclosed information: The comparison tool is free, and quotes can be compared by price, features and benefits. The supplied page does not publish insurer premiums, fees, commissions or specific public-liability limits.[8]
Contractor Cover
- Application method: Provide the trade, work type, turnover and employee or subcontractor details. Cover remains subject to insurer acceptance.[9]
- Assistance: Contractor Cover says an Australian-based broker reviews the information and suggested limits.[9]
- Disclosed information: Policy documents and a Certificate of Currency can be issued after an insurer accepts and places the cover. Brokerage fees, commissions, the insurer panel, policy duration, renewal arrangements and cancellation terms are not confirmed in the supplied material.[9]
Before choosing, obtain the total premium, taxes and fees; excess; available limits; occupation, task and subcontracting restrictions; geographic scope; instalment charges; cancellation terms; and expected Certificate of Currency issue time. These details are not compared completely in the supplied sources.[8][9]
Compare the Market/BizCover may suit contractors prioritising online quote comparison. Contractor Cover may suit those wanting broker review of their trade and suggested limits.[8][9] The supplied sources provide no independent comparison of claims handling, service quality or overall performance.
Establish the insurance requirement
Public liability insurance can respond when a business’s negligence causes third-party death, injury or property damage, subject to the policy terms.[1] It is not universally required for every Australian business, but occupation, licensing, contracts, procurement processes and site-access conditions may impose requirements.[1][8][9]
Check the requirements in this order:
- Occupation and jurisdiction: Identify the rules applying to the trade and the state or territory where the work will occur.[1]
- Licensing or registration: Confirm whether the relevant licence or registration requires particular cover.[1]
- Written contract: Check every insurance clause for the required limit and scope.[1][9]
- Project conditions: Review the builder’s or principal’s requirements, site-access rules, permits and procurement documents.[1][9]
Subcontractors should not assume a head contractor’s policy covers them. Contractor Cover says head-contractor insurance does not always cover subcontractors, although this is vendor guidance rather than a universal legal rule.[9] Obtain written confirmation and check the relevant policy documents.
Before requesting quotes, collect the insurance clause, required limit, insured-name wording, work description and commencement date. Contract insurance should be in place before work starts and continue for at least the contract’s life.[3]
Choose a liability limit when the contract is silent
The supplied sources establish no single minimum public-liability limit for every Australian contractor.[1][3][9] Before treating a contract as silent, check occupation and licensing rules, state or territory requirements, site documents, permits and procurement conditions.[1][9]
If no amount is specified, assess the risk:
- How could harm occur? Consider whether the work is hazardous, involves the public or could damage third-party property.[3]
- What is the maximum probable loss from one event? Consider the realistic scale of third-party injury and property damage.[3]
- Could one event produce multiple claims? Account for incidents affecting several people or property owners.[3]
These questions come from Tasmanian Government guidance for goods-and-services procurement. That guidance excludes building construction and maintenance service contracts, so it is a risk-assessment framework rather than a universal contractor rule.[3]
If the requirement or exposure remains unclear, ask the regulator, licensing body, principal or an insurance professional. National guidance recommends professional advice because insurance requirements vary by occupation and jurisdiction.[1]
The quote and policy must also apply to the work being performed, not merely a broad description such as contractor. Contractor Cover, for example, requests the applicant’s trade, work type, turnover and employee or subcontractor details before broker review, with cover subject to insurer acceptance.[9]
Audit the Certificate of Currency before work starts
A Certificate of Currency is evidence of stated insurance details at its issue date, not the full contract or proof that every activity is insured. Its contents vary. Check the insured entity, cover type, limits and dates shown, then obtain the wording, schedule and endorsements for scope, exclusions and work-specific conditions.[2][3][8][9]
- Insured legal entity: Compare the named insured with the entity entering the contract. Ask the issuer to clarify or correct any mismatch.[3]
- Cover type: Confirm public liability is expressly listed.[3]
- Insurer: Record the issuing insurer so the certificate can be verified if required.[2][3]
- Liability limit: Check the stated limit against the applicable occupational, licensing, site and contractual requirements.[1][3]
- Policy period: Cover should begin before work starts and continue for at least the contract’s life.[3]
- Declared trade and scope: Compare the description with the work and subcontracting activities involved. If the certificate does not show this information, check the declaration and policy documents and ask the issuer to confirm the proposed work; absence is not proof of inclusion.[3][9]
- Geographic limitations: Check the policy territory and any location-specific conditions; obtain the underlying documents if the certificate omits them.[3]
- Excluded events: Check for restrictions relevant to the work. The policy wording, conditions and exclusions govern cover.[8][9]
SafeWork NSW says validity can be checked by requesting the contractor’s Certificate of Currency or contacting the issuing insurer.[2] Send the certificate to the requesting party early enough to correct any mismatch, and retain the accepted certificate with the contract and policy documents.
Know what the policy may not cover
A Certificate of Currency records key policy details but does not show that every claim or contractual obligation will be covered. Contractor Cover says faulty work may cause potentially covered resulting damage, while repairing or redoing the defective workmanship itself is not usually covered.[9]
For example, resulting damage to a client’s separate property may be considered under the policy, while replacing the defective installation may not be. The outcome depends on the selected policy’s terms, conditions and exclusions.[9]
Contractor Cover also describes public liability as generally excluding injury to the insured or employees; damage to the insured’s property, vehicles or tools; professional advice or design errors; deliberate, reckless or illegal acts; and contractual liabilities beyond ordinary legal responsibility.[9]
Professional indemnity may be needed for advice, design or professional-service exposures. Employee injuries are addressed through workers compensation arrangements, while portable-equipment insurance can cover accidental loss, damage or theft of tools taken to jobs, subject to its terms.[1][8][9]
Disclose the actual trade and contractual exposure
List the work, locations, subcontracting, advice/design activities and any unusual site requirements in the same submission to each provider. Ask the adviser to identify gaps between the declared occupation, actual task and contract. Obtain policy-specific answers for principals and subcontractors rather than assuming that one certificate covers every person on a site.
Recheck the certificate’s stated dates and the underlying cover when the work, entity, renewal or contract changes. Retain the proposed wording and schedule with the quotation; the acceptance of a certificate by a principal does not itself determine how an insurer will respond to a claim.
References
- Types of business insurance | business.gov.au (business.gov.au)
- Check the contractor's insurances | SafeWork NSW (nsw.gov.au)
- Guidelines for Determining Appropriate Levels of … (tas.gov.au)
- Business Insurance for Contractors | Simples! | Compare the Market (comparethemarket.com.au)
- Contractor Public Liability Insurance | Fast & Affordable Cover (contractorcover.com.au)
