Current Insurance Policies

April 30th 2025. All 3 Policies Protector/Association Liability, Primary Liability (Public and Products) and
Personal Accident (Voluntary Workers) have now been received.

Certificates of Currency should all have now been received via email. Please check your email JUNK/SPAM.

Remember QWaLC policies do not cover Buildings, contents, equipment or vehicles. If you need insurance coverage for these activities you will need to obtain additional insurance coverage.

Contact for insurance matters

Darryl Ebenezer
M:   0407696792 E:    darryl@qwalc.org.au

If you need to report an incident please fill in the online QWaLC member group Accident Incident Report. Click on the button below.

General Expectations of member groups

1) be members of QWaLC at the time of any incident

• member numbers must be reported to QWaLC in the annual membership and insurance renewal
• regular volunteers should be included on the membership list kept by the member group
• provide income, expenditure, assets and liabilities information to QWaLC in the annual membership and insurance renewal
• provide information on unincorporated or other auspiced groups in the annual membership and insurance renewal

2) ensure health and safety obligations are met when conducting activities

3) undertake appropriate risk assessments and mitigation actions

4) make all reasonable efforts to record participant details when undertaking events/activities for 7 years

5) ensure all independent contractors hold separate appropriate insurances

6) avoid entering into contracts with “hold harmless” or “indemnification” clauses

7) complete the online annual membership and insurance renewal

8) inform QWaLC of potential risks and new activities as soon as possible

9) inform QWaLC of any actual or alleged facts that should have reasonably been known that might give rise to a claim or an investigation and to provide all relevant information if a claim arises.

10) in the case of an incident, not admit liability or fault, and inform QWaLC as soon as possible and complete the online form

Queensland Water and Land Carers arranges and pays for insurance cover for eligible member groups until 31st March annually. QWaLC is the master policy holder under which QWaLC member groups can be covered.

This insurance is possible thanks to the Queensland Government funding that ensures that the voluntary work of our member groups is able to be undertaken and valued.

The information supplied is of a general nature and all coverage is subject to the Terms Conditions and Exclusions as outlined in the Policy Documents. If you have a specific question, please contact Darryl at QWaLC.

RESOURCES TO HELP MEMBERS BECOME AWARE OF AND MANAGE RISK

Toolbox Resources

Volunteering Queensland

Conservation Volunteers – In Safe Hands 

Victorian Landcare Gateway

PUBLIC LIABILITY
Covers legal liability to pay compensation to third parties for injury and/or damage to property arising out of the business activities or products.
specifically relates to:

• Injury to any person
• Property Damage
• Advertising Injury

Injury includes bodily, death, illness, disease, false or wrongful arrest, libel, slander or defamation, discrimination, assault and battery.

Property damages means physical damage/ destruction of property including loss of use at any time resulting there from – and loss of use of tangible property.

Advertising injury includes libel, slander or defamation infringement of copyright, invasion of privacy and unfair completion – committed in any advertisement, publicity article or telecast.

LIMITS OF LIABILITY

General Liability –   $30 million any one occurrence
Products Liability – $30 million any one period of insurance
Situation
Anywhere on the Commonwealth of Australia and elsewhere in the World for travel by executive officers and employees of the Insured.
Sub Limits of Liability
Property in physical or legal care, custody & control endorsement limit: $250,000 The policy covers the organisation, its employees & volunteers from their legal liability to third parties for personal injury and/or property damage if proven legally liable or negligent as defined in the policy.

DOES THE POLICY PROVIDE BLANKET COVERAGE?

No!

What it does not include (exclusions)
– Excludes professional indemnity
– Excludes all contractors and/or sub-contractors
– Warranted no known or reported incidents/claims
– Excludes Acts of War & Terrorism
– Policy excludes liability arising from the participation in any sporting activities
– Additional activities, events or fundraising not declared on original declaration not insured until referred to and accepted by the Insurer
– Excludes molestation
– All service providers/contractors are required to carry their own insurance. A service provider is deemed as anyone hired by the Insured to provide a good or service. Service providers include but are not limited to security, amusement device operators, fireworks operators, caterers, contractors, stall holders, venue owners, entertainers etc.
– It is a condition precedent to the policy that any Insured providing services to third party individuals or groups must hold the appropriate qualifications or license. It is further agreed that staff/volunteers working for these Insured’s must also be appropriately qualified in the activities they are conducting.
Other Important Notes-

• Work carried out on private land – landowners should have own insurance as well as member groups
• An Excess applies for each and every claim
• PPL is a claims reported policy – meaning that if the claim is made in 2019 to an incident relating to 2015 – the content of the policy in the year of the incident will be used.

PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE

Covering volunteers, work experience, including virtual volunteering from home, work for the dole & Centre Link mutual obligation, people carrying out activities on behalf & at the direction of the Insured including direct travel to & from the voluntary activity for accidential injury or death. The insurance may cover and pay once assessed:

1. An agreed Lump Sum Benefits – Death/Capital Benefits .
2. Compensation for Income Earners – 85% of your weekly income subject to a maximum of $500 per week for each week of temporary total disablement not exceeding 104 weeks for any one event.

(Temporary Total disablement means where under the opinion of the doctor, the volunteer is unable to engage in their usual occupation or business duties, while also under the regular care of and acting in accordance with the instructions of a Doctor).

3. Emergency Home Help for Non Income Earners – 85% of the actual cost of domestic help (max $500 104 weeks)
4. Non-Medicare Medical Expenses – $2,000, $50 excess
5. Student Tutorial Benefit (Full time Students) – 85% of the actual cost of home tutorial expenses (max $500 – 104 weeks).
6. Funeral Benefits – up to $7500

Note that Injury does not include

1. sickness or illness or disease;
2. any pre-existing physical or congenital conditions (except illness or disease directly resulting from medical or surgical treatment rendered necessary by any Bodily Injury).

GAP Expenses are not covered under this policy!

‘Federal legislation that regulates health insurance provides that personal accident insurance coverage is not permitted to cover gaps in Medicare payments or any expenses that would normally be covered by Medicare of a private health insurer. I am also advised that it is standard in personal accident insurance coverage to provide cover for non Medicare medical expenses such as physiotherapists and chiropractors’

Source Letter from Minister for Finance, Natural Resources and the Arts 16/02/2012

The AON policy does cover non-Medicare medical expenses for Doctor, physician, surgeon, nurse, physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, hospital or ambulance services for the following treatments

• Medical
• Surgical
• X Ray
• Chiropractor
• Osteopathic
• Physiotherapy
• Hospital
• Nursing Treatment

Other important points to note:-

• Accidents must be reported as soon as possible (Incident Form) – 12 months;
• Do not go to a private hospital if you do not have private health insurance;
• Keep QWaLC and insurers fully informed on travel requirements.(e.g. travel to capital city);
• Under the PPL there is no age restriction however volunteers must be able to follow instructions.

PROTECTOR LIABILITY 

This policy covers Professional Indemnity which covers Legal Liability to compensate Third Parties who have sustained financial loss due to breach or alleged breach of professional indemnity on part of their insured or their employees

Covers Directors /Officers Liability – Incurred due to a Breach or alleged breach of duty, misleading statement or wrongful act (as defined by the policy) by a director or officer acting in that capacity. This policy does not cover fines or penalties.

Sum Insured is $10 million for one claim or $20 million in the aggregate in any one year.

Professional Liability
Management Liability
Association Liability
Employment Practices Liability
Employee Fraud or Dishonesty (Excess applies)

Association is a Claims made policy which means when the claim is made relates to the policy taken out by the entity on that date (not to the year where the incident occurred).