Skip to content

Insurance and Business Lawyer Melbourne

Insurance and Business Lawyer Melbourne

LGM Advisors employs professionals in insurance law who provide a comprehensive range of premium legal advice on insurance related issues. Our services cover corporate and commercial insurance, professional indemnity insurance, and advice on insurance documents, such as policies.

Our Melbourne lawyers are ready to act on the behalf of corporate clients and individuals alike. Our clients include brokers, insurers, underwriting agents, and individuals seeking general insurance related advice or litigation services.

Business Insurance Law in Australia

Do you own a business in Australia? It’s likely that when your business started, and up to today, it is your livelihood that you’ve put at stake. You put up your own money, you staked loans on your assets, and you’ve taken all the risk to ensure that your business succeeds.

Business insurance is your way to manage the risks associated with your business and protect property, equipment, and machinery that you need to stay in business when the unexpected happens. And business insurance isn’t just available to protect your assets either. Business insurance financial support in cases of natural disaster that can help with temporary relocation, lost profits, fixed expense, rebuilding, and in some cases re-startup costs such as marketing and public relations.

Different businesses require different policies to protect against loss of assets, legal liability, unexpected business losses, and many other events. So, whether you are a small business, a tradesman, professional, or independent contractor, the question to ask yourself is, can my business recover from large unexpected financial loss?

What is Business Insurance Law

Businesses come in all types of sizes from single-owner operator to massive corporations with tens of thousands of employees. Due to the range of business needs, operation costs, assets, and other diversity business insurance law is complex.

Business insurance law is collection of laws and regulations that relate to insurance. Insurance is a multi-party contract that transfers the risk of loss to one party in exchange for a fee. Business insurance laws and regulations manage insurance contracts, how they are created, written, and enforced.
A business insurance lawyer acts in all insurance contract capacities from research and evaluation of needs, to writing, evaluating the policy upon a claim, and aiding in the enforcement of the insurance policy and governing laws and regulations.

Types of Business Insurance Laws

In Australia there are two compulsory business insurance laws that most businesses must have. Beyond compulsory insurance laws policies can be customised to accommodate your business needs. Customisations are often purchased as an add-on insurance to protect your business, or commonly in a pre-bundled insurance package by the insurer.

Compulsory business insurance

Workers Compensation

If your business has employees, worker’s compensation laws protect employees in the event of a workplace accident or sickness. In Australia worker’s compensation laws are operated at the state and territory levels. While each jurisdiction has varying laws, some worker’s compensation laws are required throughout Australia:

  • Worker’s compensation laws require policies for all workers who are remunerated regardless of whether your business agreement is written, oral, or implied.
  • Premium costs of policies are determined by industry classification and employee remuneration.
  • Large businesses with the ability to administer their own worker’s compensation plans through self-insurance is an allowable option.
  • Interstate workers are covered by either the state or territory they work or covered by a policy from the state an employer is registered.
    Workers compensation is one of the most well-known types of insurance that businesses and workers are aware, however, the law is often misunderstood. Some of the misunderstood coverage that is included in worker’s compensation is:
  • Regarding breaks, worker’s compensation will cover all on-site employees in all states. However, in TAS workers are usually not covered unless under certain conditions. In SA, off-site breaks are not covered by worker’s compensation.
  • Regarding daily commutes to and from work, ACT is the only state where workers are covered during commute. Remaining states may cover workers in certain circumstances, though states such as Victoria worker’s compensation does not cover commutes.
  • Outside of the workplace, workers may still make claims for injury and illness as long as the job is a significant contributing factor.
  • All states cover work-related travel, though Victoria has stricter provisions.
    Worker’s compensation misunderstanding is more often circulating around what worker’s compensation won’t cover.

While there are several exclusions, in general, workers compensation policies won’t cover an employee’s intended neglect or harm. Examples of what workers compensation won’t cover are:

  • Serious and willful employee misconduct
  • Self-inflicted injuries
  • If an employee provides false information
  • Psychological injuries resulting from reasonable employer actions such as if an employee is terminated, demoted, promoted, or disciplined.

Compulsory third party

If your business requires the operation of a vehicle compulsory third party insurance covers your business for claims against your business due to personal injury. Compulsory third party insurance is a requirement of registering and operating a vehicle in Australia.
Much like workers’ compensation, third party insurance laws and regulations are dictated by the individual states and territories.

Other types of business insurance

In addition to the two Australia-wide compulsory types of business insurance there are several types of add-on, bundled, and additional types of insurance policies. Due to the diversity of businesses and business operation it is important that businesses are able to customise policies to fit their needs. Some of these other types of business insurance policies include:

Professional indemnity

Legal, accounting, real estate, and investment businesses offer expertise and knowledge that can result in client loss. Indemnity insurance protects your company from legal action against you if someone suffers loss due to your professional advice or services.

Property

Property insurance protects your business from damage or losses to physical property, assets, or stock due to insured events or accidental damage.

Public liability

Public liability policies cover legal and compensation costs your business might be responsible for when found liable due to caused death or injury, property loss or damage, or economic loss due to your negligence.

Theft

Theft insurance covers your business against loss or damage to stock and contents due to force or deception.

Money

Money insurance is often bundled with theft, as theft insurance covers most of your contents and stock, not including cash. Money insurance will cover theft of money at premises, in transit, and at your private residence.

Commercial Vehicle

Commercial vehicle insurance can be broken down into several specialised options such as: comprehensive, third party property damage, and third party fire and theft.

Tax audit

Tax audit insurance covers costs your business incurs by your accountant or registered tax agent upon notification by the Australian Tax Office that you must conduct an audit or investigation into you business tax liability.

Business interruption

Business interruption insurance is often an add-on insurance that protects your business from operation, property, and profit losses due to disaster. This insurance may cover temporary relocation, rebuilding, and re-startup costs such as advertising, marketing, and public relations.

Stock deterioration

Deterioration of stock is coverage often used by restaurants, and storage facilities. Coverage includes deterioration of goods if a freezer or refrigerator breaks down.

Glass

Glass coverage covers costs associated with replacement of broken external or internal glass including glass items.

Employee fraud or dishonesty

Employee fraud or dishonesty insurance covers fraudulent and dishonest actions committed by employees that results in the loss of money, negotiable instruments, or goods.

Machinery/equipment breakdown

Machinery and equipment breakdown often has several coverage options, but in general this insurance will cover the machinery and equipment in your business, and sometimes stock that is damages due to your equipment breakdown.

Goods/property in transit

This insurance covers the loss or damage to goods and property (tools and equipment) that your business buys, sells, or uses when in transit by road, rail, air, and sea.

Computer and electronic equipment

Computer and electronic equipment insurance covers accidental damage or loss to computers, electronic equipment, and data.

Cyber liability

Cyber liability insurance protects your business from digital and online risks such as fraud and data breaches.

Business insurance law and your business

Business insurance law is important to businesses both in the protection of your legal business needs and protections as well as helping you develop a business insurance plan to protect you from a multitude of potential legal issues, property, asset and profit loss.

When determining what policy coverage your business needs, there are several things to consider in regard to your business and how it operates.

  • Do you have employees?
  • Do you manufacture goods sold to the public?
  • Does your business serve customers such as a coffee shop or restaurant?
  • Does your business provide advice such as law firms, accounting firms, or medical clinics?
  • Do you have items such as machinery, equipment, and other assets that need specific financial protection if lost or damaged?
  • Do you have a brick and mortar or digital business?

Evaluating potential losses and damages including physical, digital, and monies as well as how your business operates, provides services, and is organised will aid you in understanding the policies and customisable coverages important to your business.

What is business interruption insurance?

Small business success in Victoria is about managing the eb and flow of business where a company survives in the challenging times and thrives in the robust times. Even businesses with baseline continuity will face challenges resulting in a drop in income and sustainability.

COVID-19 for many small businesses has been a wakeup call as industries across the world face a slowdown, shortages, less consumer use, and logistical nightmares. While Victoria has managed challenges at home, in our global world, we face the same impact here as businesses in the U.K., E.U., U.S., and Asia.

Without cashflow, your business will need to make important adjustments and decisions just to survive. Business interruption insurance will protect you in challenging times providing the ability to pay ongoing business expenses, meeting business needs, and maintaining payroll.

While business interruption insurance isn’t new to most business owners, the details of what it may cover, or whether it is a worthwhile investment are often misunderstood.

Business interruption insurance explained

Business interruption insurance is a type of insurance that protects you from a loss of income while your business manages a disaster. Many business owners look at this type of insurance as a way to rebuild after a natural disaster such as wildfires, tsunami, or earthquake. Business interruption insurance can cover lost income due to destroyed merchandise, lost earnings, relocation of your business, and more.

In addition to loss of property due to theft and disaster, many insurers have opted to expand the breadth of coverage to include coverage due to closure of business by a public authority such as is the case with infectious diseases. However, your businesses policy will specifically list the disasters that your business is covered under.

If a specific disaster or interruption is not listed, it is likely that your insurance does not cover that that type of disaster.

With outbreaks such as SARS in 2013, Legionnaires disease, measles, and COVID-19 business interruption insurance is being once again evaluated in cases where insurers can provide business interruption insurance while at the same time not losing so much money that insurance companies cannot finance massive losses during a pandemic with a complete shutdown of non-essential businesses.

What is covered by business interruption insurance?

The confusion many businesses owners face when looking at business interruption insurance is, what exactly will my insurance policy cover?

The reality is that each business is unique and disasters that may affect your business may not affect another business. In addition, it is important to know that business interruption insurance is not considered a stand-alone policy, but rather an add-on to a property insurance plan or comprehensive plan.

However, despite the differences in business coverage, the following are commonly covered:

  • Fixed and overhead costs: These are the costs your business will be responsible for whether operating or not.
  • Temporary relocation: Expenses associated with temporarily relocating your business after a loss such as fire, earthquake, or significant property damage.
  • Does your business serve customers such as a coffee shop or restaurant?
  • Utility disruption: Costs associated with a disruption that is caused by utility and service providers such as power, internet, communication, and water.
  • Do you have items such as machinery, equipment, and other assets that need specific financial protection if lost or damaged?
  • Loss of profit: Insurance may cover loss of profit, based off previous months’ income.
  • Additional expenses: Expenses beyond fixed costs that are necessary to keep your business in operation while property damage is repaired.

Indemnity Period

One of the most key factors when considering business interruption insurance is the indemnity period. The indemnity period is the length of time that the business owner can claim benefits form their business interruption policy. The period of indemnity usually also denotes the time compensation is payable under the policy.
Most policies will operate with indemnity periods of 12, 24, or 36 months of which it is important to understand the reality of loss and to not underestimate the time it will take to bring your business back to full operating capacity.
Due to the difficulty in determining how long it will take restoration of your property or the time to bring your business back to full capacity. Business interruption policies will include an extended period of indemnity. This extended coverage may include restoration of business, property, income, as well as enables the policyholder to recoup pre-opening expenses including advertising and public relations to rebuild prior-to-loss levels.

In Review

Business interruption insurance has been around for hundreds of years, however, only about 40% of Small and Mid-size Enterprises (SMEs) in Australia carry the coverage. As an add-on to current Property Loss or Comprehensive insurance policies, it’s reported that as many as a quarter of SMEs had never heard of this type of policy coverage.
Business interruption insurance can be your failsafe to protect your business from losses such as property, income, and additional operating costs in case of disasters such as theft, fire, earthquake. While many business interruption policies avoid infectious disease, due to outbreaks of SARS and COVID-19 the industry has begun broadening its coverage types.

LGM Advisors insurance lawyers in Melbourne provide legal advice on a range of insurance law related issues including legal advice in respect of professional indemnity insurance, corporate and commercial insurance as well as providing legal advice on insurance policy documents. Our Melbourne lawyers act on behalf of individuals and corporate clients including insurers, brokers and underwriting agents and provide assistance by way of general legal advice as well as act for clients in insurance litigation (see our Commercial Litigation section for further details).

Our areas of expertise include:

  • Professional indemnity insurance
  • Directors and officers liability insurance
  • Public and products liability insurance
  • Construction insurance
  • Warranties insurance
  • Reinsurance

If you wish to speak to one of our insurance lawyers, you can call us on +61 3 9832 0608 or email at contact@lgmadvisors.com.au.