Farmers: insurance and scheme requirements
Primary production of crops and livestock, with plant, property and liability exposures.
Data as at
Cover commonly held
Ordered by how central each cover is to this occupation. This is what businesses in the trade commonly hold and what contracts commonly ask for — it is not a statement that any of it is legally required, and it is not a recommendation.
- Public liability insurance — Cover for legal liability to third parties for personal injury or property damage arising from business activities.
- Farm insurance — A packaged policy for a farming business covering property, machinery, liability and sometimes livestock and crop.
- Plant and equipment insurance — Cover for mobile plant, machinery and equipment against damage and theft, on site and in transit.
- Workers compensation insurance — Statutory cover for injury to workers, arranged through each state or territory scheme rather than on the open market.
- Commercial motor insurance — Cover for vehicles used for business, including utilities, vans and trucks, and liability for damage they cause.
- Machinery breakdown insurance — Cover for sudden mechanical or electrical breakdown of plant, refrigeration and fixed machinery.
- Personal accident and sickness insurance — Cover paying a benefit when an owner or contractor cannot work through injury or illness, where no workers compensation applies.
- Business interruption insurance — Cover for lost income and additional costs when insured damage stops a business trading.
Statutory schemes that can apply
- Workers compensation (NSW) · NSW — The New South Wales workers compensation scheme, with the nominal insurer and specialised insurers underwriting employer policies.
- Workers compensation (Queensland) · QLD — The Queensland workers compensation scheme, underwritten by the state insurer with self-insurance available to large employers.
- WorkCover (Victoria) · VIC — The Victorian workers compensation scheme, administered by the state regulator through appointed agents.
- Workers compensation (Western Australia) · WA — The Western Australian workers compensation scheme, where cover is placed with approved private insurers under a regulated framework.
- Return to Work (South Australia) · SA — The South Australian work injury scheme, funded by employer levies and administered by the state corporation.
- Workers compensation (Tasmania) · TAS — The Tasmanian workers compensation scheme, where employers hold a policy with a licensed insurer.
- Workers compensation (ACT) · ACT — The Australian Capital Territory private-underwriter workers compensation scheme.
- Workers compensation (Northern Territory) · NT — The Northern Territory workers compensation scheme, placed with approved insurers.
Checking what you hold
The document a principal, a landlord or a licensing team will ask for is a certificate of currency. The checker reads one and lists what it does and does not show.