Instant Event
Liability Insurance.

Many councils, venues and landholders require event organisers to provide evidence of Public Liability insurance before confirming a booking, permit or approval.

Public Liability insurance helps protect event organisers against claims for accidental injury to other people or damage to their property where the organiser is legally liable, subject to the policy terms and conditions.

→ Learn how event Public Liability insurance works

Zipcova arranges Public Liability insurance for a wide range of events across Australia, from small private gatherings to large community and commercial events.

Whether you're organising a market, festival, exhibition, sporting event, live performance, wedding or something entirely different, explore the event types available through our online quote system.

For instant online insurance, select the event type that accurately describes your event and check that your planned activities meet the excluded activities requirements. Certain activities are excluded, while others are permitted only when the specific conditions shown in the excluded activities list are met.

If your event type is listed and your activities meet these requirements, you can get a live price in around 30 seconds and complete your insurance purchase online in under 4 minutes.

→ View event types and get a live price

→ View excluded activities

An ABN is generally required when arranging insurance online for business and community events.

However, an ABN is not required for the eligible Private Event types listed in the online quote system, including certain weddings, engagement parties, birthday parties at hired venues and other specified private functions.

Simply select the event type that accurately describes your event and follow the prompts in the quote system.

→ Explore the available event types

For eligible events, you can get a live Public Liability insurance price in around 30 seconds and complete your insurance purchase online in under 4 minutes.

Enter your event details, review your quote and complete payment online. Once your policy is issued, your policy documents and Certificate of Insurance are emailed to you straight away, usually arriving in your inbox within 3–5 minutes.

→ Get a live price for your event

The event organiser's Public Liability insurance does not replace the insurance required by independent stallholders, performers, contractors and other service providers.

Under the standard online insurance conditions:

• Service providers must hold their own Public Liability insurance of at least $20 million per claim.
• Stallholders at general and business events must hold their own Public Liability insurance of at least $10 million per claim.
• If the organiser is responsible for serving alcohol, all staff serving alcohol must hold an RSA qualification or equivalent.

Employees and volunteers are not classified as service providers under these conditions.

→ Read the event organiser liability guide

Public Liability insurance can protect the event organiser against legal liability arising from a volunteer accidentally injuring a member of the public or damaging their property, subject to the policy terms.

However, Public Liability insurance is not Personal Accident insurance. It does not automatically pay medical expenses or lost income simply because a volunteer is injured. Any liability claim involving an injured volunteer depends on the circumstances and applicable policy conditions.

Separate Volunteer Personal Accident insurance may be appropriate where organisers want specified accident benefits for volunteers.

→ Learn about event organiser responsibilities

Yes. The standard online event insurance includes planning-related meetings, site visits, setup, the event itself and pack-down during the insured period.

When arranging insurance, make sure the policy dates you select include all the activities you need insured.

→ Learn about one-off Public Liability insurance

One-off event insurance isn't inherently less comprehensive than an annual policy. The key difference is the period of insurance, not necessarily the protection provided.

The Public Liability insurance arranged through Zipcova provides $20 million in cover for eligible events, including planning meetings, site visits, setup, the event itself and pack-down, provided these activities fall within the insured period.

As with any insurance, the protection available depends on the policy's terms, conditions and exclusions. An annual policy may be more suitable for organisers running frequent events, but there's no need to commit to 12 months of insurance simply because you're organising a single event.

→ Compare one-off and annual event insurance

Your Certificate of Insurance is emailed to you after your policy is issued. It provides evidence of the insurance arranged, including the insured name, policy period and applicable Public Liability limit.

Councils and venues set their own insurance requirements, so check the required limit, insured details and any specific certificate requirements before purchasing. Acceptance is determined by the council or venue.

→ Review council and venue insurance requirements

A venue's Public Liability insurance generally protects the venue against its own legal liability. It does not automatically insure an independent event organiser.

Councils and venues commonly require event organisers to arrange their own Public Liability insurance, even where the venue already holds insurance.

→ Understand organiser and venue responsibilities

Many councils and venues include indemnity or hold-harmless clauses in their hire agreements. These clauses can make an event organiser responsible for certain claims or losses arising from the event.

Public Liability insurance does not automatically cover additional liabilities accepted under a contract, particularly where an organiser agrees to indemnify a venue or council for its own negligence.

Review these clauses before signing, especially where they extend beyond your own event activities and responsibilities.

→ Read about indemnity and hold-harmless clauses

The standard online event insurance available through Zipcova provides $20 million in Public Liability cover, a limit commonly requested by Australian councils and venues.

Higher limits, such as $50 million, are not available through the standard instant online quote system and would require separate insurer consideration.

→ Get a live price for $20 million cover

If your event is postponed, insurers may agree to amend the insured dates where the underlying risk remains unchanged. Any change must be requested and approved before the original policy expires.

A broker administration fee applies to policy changes. An additional premium may also apply where the policy period, attendance or underlying risk changes.

The standard online policy is non-cancellable, with no return of premium unless otherwise agreed by insurers. Please check your event details carefully before purchasing.

If an incident occurs that may give rise to a claim, please notify Zipcova as soon as possible so we can assist with reporting it to the insurer.

The standard online event policy requires notification within 24 hours of a loss. Please check the notification requirements in your policy documents.

Claims are assessed by the insurer in accordance with the applicable policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

→ Start a Claim

Absolutely. If you organise multiple events throughout the year, you can arrange individual Public Liability insurance policies for each eligible event through Zipcova's Pay As You Go (PAYG) system.

Even organisers running 20 or more events annually may find PAYG a practical alternative to annual insurance. You can arrange cover as each event is confirmed, using more accurate attendance figures, paying for insurance when you need it and receiving a Certificate of Insurance specific to each event.

Annual insurance can still make sense for some organisers, particularly those with continuous operations. The right approach depends on your event calendar, activities and insurance needs, not simply how many events you organise.

→ Explore PAYG insurance for multiple events