Business Insurance Quotes With Public Liability Cover | Youi

What is public liability insurance, and do you need it?

You’ve worked hard to build your business, so it might be worth considering insurance to help keep it protected. Youi’s Small Business Insurance automatically includes products and public liability cover (sometimes called ‘business liability insurance’). But what exactly is it?

Products and public liability insurance can cover your legal liability to pay compensation to a third party for personal injury, property damage or advertising liability caused by an incident in connection with the business. It can also cover associated legal and defence costs.¹

Public liability insurance is required by law for certain types of businesses.² You can find out whether this applies to your business at your local state or territory government website.³ But even if public liability insurance isn’t mandatory for your business, it could still be worth having by choice – it can be nice to know it’s there just in case, so you can confidently get on with what you do best.

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Why choose Youi Small Business Insurance?

From the moment you get in touch for a quote, through to making policy updates or lodging a claim, you can expect quality cover backed by quality service when you choose Youi business insurance.

Specialist advisors

We have a dedicated team of specialist Small Business Insurance advisors, many with a trade background or business ownership experience.

Flexible limits

You can choose from $5,000,000, $10,000,000 or $20,000,000 limits of public liability insurance to suit your business needs.¹

Simple setup

You can arrange it all with one phone call. Whether you want to get on site, on the road or just get on with business, we make the process easier.

24/7 claims support

If you need to make a claim, we’re available 24/7 to take your call and do whatever we can to help keep your business moving.

What business insurance cover is available?

We get that every business is different and has different needs when it comes to the level of cover required. Take a look to see what’s included with our Small Business Insurance policies, and what optional covers⁴ may be available for you to add.

Products & public liability insurance

We’ll cover compensation which you’re legally liable to pay to a third party as a result of personal injury, property damage or advertising liability, plus associated legal and defence costs.¹

Business items

This option can cover your portable business items (including tools of trade and electronic devices) if they’re lost or damaged anywhere in the world.⁴

Business property damage

Cover for your contents and stock in trade at the business premises (and for stock in trade while it’s being moved to or from the business premises) against loss or damage caused by an accident such as fire, storm, flood, theft or attempted theft, escaping liquids or deterioration of refrigerated stock in trade.⁴

Glass

With this option, you can get cover for loss or damage to glass which you are legally responsible for at your business premises, and extra cover for associated costs.⁴

Money

Choose to add this option and get cover for loss or damage to your business’s money while it’s at your business premises, in the home or office of an authorised person, in transit, or in a securely locked safe or strongroom.⁴

Business items

This option can cover your portable business items (including tools of trade and electronic devices) if they’re lost or damaged anywhere in the world.⁴

Business property damage

Cover for your contents and stock in trade at the business premises (and for stock in trade while it’s being moved to or from the business premises) against loss or damage caused by an accident such as fire, storm, flood, theft or attempted theft, escaping liquids or deterioration of refrigerated stock in trade.⁴

Glass

With this option, you can get cover for loss or damage to glass which you are legally responsible for at your business premises, and extra cover for associated costs.⁴

Money

Choose to add this option and get cover for loss or damage to your business’s money while it’s at your business premises, in the home or office of an authorised person, in transit, or in a securely locked safe or strongroom.⁴

Need business insurance for your vehicles too?

Along with cover for your business, we provide options to insure your company car as well, including utes, trailers and motorcycles. From Comprehensive to a more basic level of car cover, take a look to see what might suit your situation.

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Car insurance for business

What you’ll need to get a Small Business Insurance quote.

Type of business

To get started, we’ll need to know what type of business you run – for example, is it retail, hospitality, some type of trade or something else?

Income and employees

We’ll need to get a rough idea of the business’s expected annual revenue, as well as how many people it employs, or if you’re after sole trader insurance.

Business address

We like to know where your business is located, of course, especially if you're considering adding our optional covers for contents, stock and business items to your policy.⁴

Your details

Along with your name and date of birth, we’ll need your mobile number so we can get in touch for further info and to finalise your quote if you started it online.

To get started, we’ll need to know what type of business you run – for example, is it retail, hospitality, some type of trade or something else?

We’ll need to get a rough idea of the business’s expected annual revenue, as well as how many people it employs, or if you’re after sole trader insurance.

We like to know where your business is located, of course, especially if you're considering adding our optional covers for contents, stock and business items to your policy.⁴

Along with your name and date of birth, we’ll need your mobile number so we can get in touch for further info and to finalise your quote if you started it online.

Business insurance for a range of industries.

Our Small Business Insurance isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It can flex to suit the varying needs of different business types and sizes. From sole trader insurance through to cover for companies with employees, here are some of the more common industries our business insurance customers work in. But this is just a snapshot – start a quote or get in touch to see what we can do for your business.

Tradies & contractors

From plumbers and plasterers to painters and carpenters, we offer cover that could meet all sorts of contractor insurance needs, including cover for tools, while on the job site and on the go.

Retail & shops

If you own a shop – whether it’s online, with a physical shopfront or even a market stall – we could help with your retail store insurance requirements, including for stock and public liability.

Cleaners & domestic services

We offer cover that could suit your cleaners’ insurance needs, with options for both commercial and domestic cleaning businesses, including for equipment and accidental damage caused as you go about your work.

Health, make-up & hairdressers

If you’re in the business of making others look and feel good, our cover could help protect you when the unexpected happens. Explore our options to see if they suit your barber shop or salon insurance needs.

Real estate

The property game can be exciting and exhausting, with so many places to be and people to meet. Our Small Business Insurance could help keep you covered.

Hospitality & fast food

From caterers to cafés and take-away shops, if your business is about serving up food, our cover could be the perfect accompaniment for your restaurant insurance needs.

Professional services

Maybe you’re a management consultant, or an accountant, or a freelance designer. A range of professional service providers trust Youi with their business insurance.

From plumbers and plasterers to painters and carpenters, we offer cover that could meet all sorts of contractor insurance needs, including cover for tools, while on the job site and on the go.

If you own a shop – whether it’s online, with a physical shopfront or even a market stall – we could help with your retail store insurance requirements, including for stock and public liability.

We offer cover that could suit your cleaners’ insurance needs, with options for both commercial and domestic cleaning businesses, including for equipment and accidental damage caused as you go about your work.

If you’re in the business of making others look and feel good, our cover could help protect you when the unexpected happens. Explore our options to see if they suit your barber shop or salon insurance needs.

The property game can be exciting and exhausting, with so many places to be and people to meet. Our Small Business Insurance could help keep you covered.

From caterers to cafés and take-away shops, if your business is about serving up food, our cover could be the perfect accompaniment for your restaurant insurance needs.

Maybe you’re a management consultant, or an accountant, or a freelance designer. A range of professional service providers trust Youi with their business insurance.

Starting a new business? This could help.

Anyone that’s ever started their own business knows just how exciting, and daunting, it can be. A great way to keep your head above water – especially in those early days – is to build a rock-solid support network around you.

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How we do what we do.

See what sets our Small Business Insurance apart, and how our people are focused on providing customers with the info they need to choose the cover that suits their business.

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Meet some of the team.

At Youi, we have a dedicated team of specialist Small Business Insurance advisors. Their experience and passion for getting customers’ business insurance needs sorted is second to none.

Rebecca

Having been part of Youi’s Small Business Insurance team for the past few years, Rebecca’s focused on really listening to customers to get a great understanding of what they do on a day-to-day basis. Her tips for small business operators: find an insurer with a dedicated and experienced team available for you just a phone call away, and ensure you find a flexible policy that can move with your business.

Brodie

Most of Brodie’s working life has been involved with small business – from cafés and restaurants to bricklaying, construction and property management. This experience puts him in a great position to help our Small Business Insurance customers work out what they might need in their policy; giving them options and flexibility in their cover, allowing them to feel confident in the fact that we have their best interests at heart.

Luke

Prior to arriving at Youi’s Small Business Insurance team, Luke spent 17 years in the building industry, for 10 of those running his own kitchen design and installation business. Luke’s tips for small business customers: use a trusted insurer, and make sure you understand the policy – not everything is about the cheaper price, so it’s important to know you have the cover that suits you and your business if something goes wrong.

Che

Before joining Youi, Che ran a cleaning business for a few years, which gave her great insight into the workings of small business operators. Che’s focused on providing our customers with outstanding service – making it an easy-to-understand process and explaining how their policy will support them and their business when they need it most at claims time.

Doohan

Providing an awesome customer experience is important to Doohan – helping them know they're covered correctly for their business activities and understand exactly what they’re paying for. Working in and helping with the ownership of a bike shop prior to joining Youi gave Doohan useful real-world business experience he can draw on to support our customers.

Looking for workers’ compensation?

Another way to help make sure your business is covered when things go wrong is with workers’ compensation. While we don’t include workers’ compensation in our Small Business Insurance, each state and territory has a workers’ compensation scheme that you might want to look into. Select your area below for more details.

Workers’ compensation in NSW

If your business is in New South Wales and employs people, it’s likely that you’ll need workers’ compensation insurance. This helps cover your compensation payments to support workers who sustain a work-related injury and is overseen by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority.⁵

Workers’ compensation in QLD

If you’re an employer in Queensland, it's compulsory for you to insure your workers against work-related injury or illness. Businesses can organise this through the WorkCover scheme or choose to be self-insured.⁶

Workers’ compensation in VIC

If you or your company employs any workers in Victoria, then generally, you must register for WorkCover insurance to cover workers’ compensation claims. If your company employs you personally, you’ll also need to register.⁷

Workers’ compensation in the ACT

Employers operating in the ACT must hold a current workers’ compensation policy. WorkSafe ACT is responsible for regulating the workers' compensation legislation as well as investigating employee complaints and conducting compliance audits.⁸

An image of Parliament House in Canberra.

Workers’ compensation in TAS

As an employer in Tasmania, you must either take out a workers’ compensation insurance policy with a licensed insurer or (generally for larger businesses) apply to the WorkCover Tasmania Board for a permit to self-insure against workers' compensation claims made by your workers.⁹

Workers’ compensation in SA

If your business employs people who usually work in or are based in South Australia, it's likely you’ll need to register with ReturnToWorkSA within 14 days of employing someone. This includes businesses based outside South Australia but employ workers in the state.¹⁰

A vineyard at sunset in South Australia.

Workers’ compensation in WA

In Western Australia, you must have workers’ compensation insurance for any workers you employ, and also have an injury management system in place. WorkCover WA is the government agency responsible for regulating and administrating the workers’ compensation scheme in the state.¹¹

Note: The information above is relevant as of November 2023 and by its nature may change over time. Check relevant government websites for updates if this information is important to you.

Small Business Insurance FAQs

Have questions about products and public liability insurance for your small business? You might find the answers here.

View the PDS & Policy Wording

The type of insurance you choose for your business is your decision. At Youi, we offer Small Business Insurance that automatically provides public and products liability cover, and we also have a number of optional covers4 you may want to consider. Start a quote online or get in touch with our Small Business Insurance team to see what we can do for you.

The cost of a Small Business Insurance policy with Youi will depend on factors that are unique to you and your business. These include your business type and location, your expected annual revenue and if you employ any staff members. The best way to find out is to start a quote online or get in touch with our Small Business Insurance team.

How much it costs to insure your business vehicles will vary depending on a range of different factors. At Youi, we offer car insurance that can cover you for business use. To see what different levels of car insurance might cost for your work car, start a quote today.

With Youi, there are two ways to get your Small Business Insurance quote started. Either start a quote online or get in touch with our Small Business Insurance team to talk through your options.

Having public liability insurance for your business is not mandatory in all cases, but it can be very useful to protect you from potentially expensive compensation payments if something unexpected goes wrong. Youi Small Business Insurance covers compensation which you’re legally liable to pay to a third party in respect of property damage, personal injury or advertising liability, along with associated legal and defence costs.¹

To see how we can help with your business’s public liability insurance needs, start a quote online or get in touch.

Workers’ compensation insurance covers payments made to employees if they’re injured on the job or become too sick to work. It can cover wages lost while unfit for work, as well as medical expenses and rehabilitation. It’s the responsibility of employers to purchase workers’ compensation for their business, and each state and territory has their own regulation which governs worker’s compensation insurance.¹²

Workers’ compensation is not typically covered by a business insurance policy. Generally, this is handled separately by the various state and territory governments’ workers’ compensation schemes. See the ‘Looking for workers’ compensation?’ section above for more details.

Professional indemnity insurance protects businesses from third party claims of negligence or breach of duty. For example, if a client of a professional services business made a claim of negligence, this type of insurance would help to protect the business assets and reputation. It covers businesses against the consequences of alleged neglect, error or omission.

Professional indemnity insurance is not something we currently offer with our Small Business Insurance policies. If professional indemnity insurance is something you feel is essential for your business, the Insurance Council of Australia offers a way to find an insurer that may be suitable.

Sole traders may need to be covered for professional indemnity, public liability and personal assets, income and property – depending on the business type and needs. As a sole trader, you typically can’t cover yourself as an ‘employee’ with workers’ compensation insurance,² so you may need to explore other options.

Our Small Business Insurance can suit a range of different types and sizes of companies. From those that employ workers to others just looking for sole trader insurance, our cover is able to flex to fit varying business needs. For more info and to get an idea of what Youi Small Business Insurance might cost for you, start a quote online or get in touch.

View the PDS & Policy Wording

Guides

Looking for more information? Catch up on our latest guides to navigate your business insurance needs.

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Disclaimers
¹ Automatically included in Small Business Insurance policies. Limits and exclusions apply. For more details, see the PDS & Policy Wording.
² Source: Australian Government – Business insurance
³ Source: Australian Government – Insurance in your state or territory
⁴ An additional cost applies for optional covers. Limits and exclusions apply. For more details, see the PDS & Policy Wording.
⁵ Source: SIRA – What is workers compensation?
⁶ Source: Queensland Government – WorkSafe
⁷ Source: WorkSafe Victoria – Do I need to register for WorkCover insurance?
⁸ Source: WorkSafe ACT – Worker's compensation
⁹ Source: WorkSafe Tasmania – Workers compensation insurance
¹⁰ Source: ReturnToWorkSA – Register for cover
¹¹ Source: WorkCover WA – Covering your workers
¹² Source: Fair Work Ombudsman – Worker’s compensation