If you’re a tradie in Australia, you know two things better than most: your tools are your livelihood, and things can go wrong fast. A client trips over your extension lead. Your ute gets cleaned out overnight. A spark from the grinder finds something it shouldn’t. The list of what can go sideways on a work site is long, and every single item on it has a dollar figure attached.
Insurance for tradies has traditionally been a patchwork: public liability from one provider, tools cover from another, maybe income protection through your super fund. It works, but it’s a headache to manage — different renewal dates, different providers to deal with if you claim, and gaps between policies that nobody notices until it’s too late.
A BizPack promises to simplify all of that. One policy, one premium, one renewal date. But the question every tradie needs to answer is: does bundling actually save you money and give you better cover, or are you better off sticking with standalone policies tailored to your trade?
The honest answer: it depends on your trade, your setup, and what you’re actually trying to cover. Let’s break it down trade by trade.
Being a tradie isn’t one job. An electrician, a landscaper, and a carpenter face different risks every day. Your insurance needs to match your reality, not someone else’s.
The Non-Negotiables: What Every Tradie Needs
Before we get into trade-specific detail, there are a few covers that every tradie should have. No exceptions.
Public Liability — The Baseline
Public liability is table stakes for any tradie. It covers you if your work causes injury to someone else or damage to their property. You put a foot through a client’s ceiling. Your apprentice knocks over an expensive vase. Your excavator clips a buried gas line. Public liability is what responds.
In Australia, $20 million is the standard limit for public liability on most trade policies. This isn’t arbitrary — it’s what builders, project managers, and commercial clients typically require before they’ll let you on site. If you’re doing residential work without a head contractor asking for certificates of currency, you might be tempted to go lower. Don’t. The premium difference between $10 million and $20 million is usually minimal, and the day you need the extra cover is the day you’ll be glad you paid the extra few dollars a month.
Tools and Equipment Cover
Your tools are your income. No tools, no work. Tools cover — sometimes called general property or portable equipment insurance — protects the gear you take from job to job. Power tools, hand tools, testing equipment, ladders, laser levels. If they’re lost, stolen, or accidentally damaged, tools cover pays for repair or replacement.
Here’s what catches tradies out: standard BizPack contents sections typically only cover tools stored at your insured address — your workshop, your shed, your home office. Once those tools are in your ute or on a job site, the standard contents cover often falls away. You need the portable equipment or general property extension, and you need to read the conditions.
Tools left in a vehicle overnight are almost never covered unless the vehicle was in a locked garage. If your ute lives on the street, your tools aren’t insured while it’s parked there.
Personal Accident and Illness
Workers compensation covers your employees if they’re hurt on the job. But if you’re a sole trader or a working director, you’re generally not covered by your own workers comp policy — and in some states you’re not required to hold one for yourself at all.
That leaves a gap. If you break your wrist and can’t swing a hammer for eight weeks, who’s paying your bills? Personal accident and illness cover — often available as an add-on to a BizPack — provides a weekly benefit if you can’t work due to injury or sickness. It’s not as comprehensive as a standalone income protection policy, but it’s better than nothing, and the premiums are low.
Consider this a stopgap, not a full solution. If you have a mortgage and dependents, proper income protection through a life insurer or your super fund is worth investigating separately.
Trade-by-Trade Breakdown
Electricians
Electricians face a specific set of risks that not all BizPacks handle well out of the box.
What you need: Public liability is non-negotiable. You also need professional indemnity — not for your physical work, but for the advice you give. Selecting the wrong cable size, specifying inadequate switchgear, designing a system that fails inspection — that’s PI territory, and it’s not included in any standard BizPack. Most electricians run PL and PI as separate standalone policies, with their tools covered under a portable equipment policy.
Bundling considerations: Some providers offer tradie-specific packages that know you need PI alongside PL. If your BizPack can’t accommodate PI, you’re buying a second policy anyway, which reduces the simplification benefit of bundling.
Licensing: Electrical work is heavily regulated in every state. In NSW, you need a contractor licence from NSW Fair Trading. In Victoria, Energy Safe Victoria handles licensing through the Victorian Building Authority. In Queensland, the Electrical Safety Office manages it. Your insurance certificate of currency is often required as part of your licence application or renewal.
Real-world risk: Electrical fires caused by faulty work can smoulder for days or weeks before they ignite. Your public liability policy needs to cover completed work, not just what happens while you’re on site. Check whether your BizPack includes products and completed operations cover — most do, but the wording matters.
Plumbers
Plumbers manage water, gas, and drainage — three things that can cause spectacular damage when they go wrong.
What you need: Public liability at $20 million is standard. If you do any gas fitting work, check that your policy doesn’t have a gas work exclusion — some do, and it’s a nasty surprise if you’re not looking for it. Tools cover for pipe cameras, drain snakes, and testing gear (some of which runs to five figures per unit) is essential.
Bundling considerations: Plumbers who work across both residential and commercial sites often need different certificates of currency for different clients. A BizPack gives you one policy document, which simplifies this — but only if the cover limits satisfy every client’s requirements. Check what your largest clients demand before you lock into a package.
Licensing: Plumbers in NSW need a licence from NSW Fair Trading. In Victoria, the Victorian Building Authority regulates plumbing licensing. In Queensland, it’s the Queensland Building and Construction Commission. The QBCC in particular has minimum financial requirements for licensees that can affect your insurance needs.
Water damage reality: A failed joint inside a wall cavity might not show itself for months. By the time it does, the damage — to framing, plaster, flooring, and whatever’s in the room below — can run well into the tens of thousands. Your PL cover needs to handle latent damage claims.
Builders
Builders run some of the most complex risk profiles of any trade, and a one-size-fits-all BizPack rarely fits.
What you need: Public liability is just the start. You need contract works cover if you’re managing builds (covers the project while it’s under construction). You need construction plant and equipment for your own gear on site. If you’re a licensed builder running the project, you almost certainly need home warranty insurance or domestic building insurance — but this is not something a BizPack provides. It’s a separate statutory scheme in each state, arranged per project.
Bundling considerations: For smaller builders doing renovations, extensions, and owner-builder oversight, a BizPack with robust PL, portable equipment cover, and personal accident can work well. For builders managing full new builds with subcontractors, standalone policies tailored to construction are usually more appropriate.
Licensing: Builders in NSW are licensed by NSW Fair Trading. In Victoria, the VBA. In Queensland, the QBCC. Each has different licence classes with different insurance requirements. The QBCC, for example, requires licensees to hold certain levels of assets and may require specific insurance types depending on your annual turnover.
If you’re a licensed builder running multi-trade projects, talk to a specialist broker before buying a BizPack off the shelf. Your insurance needs are more complex than what most packaged policies are designed for.
Carpenters
Carpenters occupy a middle ground — less regulated than electricians and plumbers, but with real risks from power tools, working at height, and structural work.
What you need: Public liability at $20 million. Tools cover for saws, nail guns, planers, sanders, and all the battery-powered gear that fills a carpenter’s ute. If you do any structural work, completed operations cover is essential. If you provide design advice — even informally — consider professional indemnity.
Bundling considerations: Carpenters are probably the best fit for a standard tradie BizPack. The risks are straightforward enough that bundled PL, tools, and personal accident policies usually cover the bases well. The main thing to watch is whether the tools cover sub-limits are high enough — a cabinet maker’s workshop can hold $50,000 or more in machinery and hand tools.
Licensing: Carpentry is less uniformly regulated than electrical or plumbing. In Queensland, carpentry work over a certain value may require a QBCC licence. In NSW, structural carpentry can require a building licence depending on the scope. Check your state’s requirements — they change, and working unlicensed can void your insurance.
Landscapers
Landscapers face a unique mix of risks: heavy machinery, plant materials that can fail, and work that changes the drainage and structure of a property.
What you need: Public liability is essential, and you should confirm that your cover extends to damage caused by changes to ground levels, retaining walls, and drainage — these are common sources of claims against landscapers. Tools and equipment cover for mowers, excavators, trucks, and trailers. If you use subcontractors, confirm that your PL covers their work as well.
Bundling considerations: Landscapers who also handle design work — garden plans, plant selection, hardscape layout — may need professional indemnity, which a BizPack won’t include. If you’re purely labour-based (mowing, pruning, clean-up), a standard tradie BizPack will usually fit.
Seasonal reality: Landscaping is seasonal in many parts of Australia. Your income peaks in spring and early summer, then tapers off through winter. Business interruption cover inside a BizPack might be less relevant for you than it is for a shop or factory, but if you have a yard, nursery, or depot that could be damaged, property cover still matters.
When Bundling Makes Sense
A tradie BizPack works well when:
- You need public liability and tools cover, and you want them under one roof
- You’re a sole trader or small operation without complex subcontractor relationships
- Your trade doesn’t require professional indemnity as a core cover
- You value simplicity — one renewal, one insurer, one policy document
- The bundled premium is genuinely cheaper than buying the same covers separately
For many carpenters, plasterers, painters, tilers, and landscapers, a tradie BizPack is the right answer. You get the covers you need at a competitive price, and you don’t spend your evenings comparing policy wordings.
When Standalone Policies Are Better
You’re likely better off with standalone policies when:
- You need professional indemnity (electricians, some plumbers, designers)
- You run multiple crews with different risk profiles
- Your tools and equipment are worth significantly more than standard sub-limits
- You need contract works or construction-specific covers
- You’re a licensed builder managing projects with subcontractors
- Your state licensing body has specific insurance requirements that a BizPack doesn’t meet
There’s no shame in running separate policies. The “one policy to rule them all” approach works well for businesses with simple, predictable risk profiles. When your risk profile is complex, specialist policies often provide better cover than any bundle can.
State Licensing Requirements at a Glance
Different states, different rules. Here’s what you need to know for the three largest markets.
New South Wales
NSW Fair Trading handles most trade licensing. Electricians, plumbers, builders, and air-conditioning technicians all need licences. The licensing process typically requires proof of insurance — specifically public liability. The minimum cover amount varies by licence class and the type of work, but $20 million has become the expectation for most trades doing work on other people’s property.
Home building compensation cover (formerly home warranty insurance) is required for residential building work over $20,000. This is not part of a BizPack — it’s a separate statutory insurance arranged through icare or private insurers for each project.
Victoria
The Victorian Building Authority regulates builders, plumbers, and building surveyors. Electricians are licensed through Energy Safe Victoria. Most trade licences require you to hold appropriate insurance, and the VBA can audit your insurance at any time.
Victoria has domestic building insurance requirements for builders doing residential work over $16,000, administered by the VMIA. Again, not a BizPack product.
Queensland
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is arguably the most demanding regulator in the country. Most building and trade work over $3,300 requires a QBCC licence, and the QBCC has strict financial requirements. If you’re a QBCC licensee, you need to understand exactly what insurance your licence class demands — and confirm that your BizPack or standalone policies satisfy every requirement.
Tools Cover: The Fine Print That Matters
Tradies talk about tools cover a lot, and for good reason. Let’s go a layer deeper on what the policies actually say.
Specified vs unspecified items: Most policies have a maximum limit for any single unspecified item — often $1,000 or $2,000. If you’ve got a $4,000 thermal imaging camera or a $6,000 pipe inspection system, it needs to be specified on the policy. If it’s not, and it gets nicked, you’ll be paid the unspecified item limit, not what it actually costs to replace.
Proof of ownership: If you claim for stolen tools, the insurer will want proof you owned them. Receipts, photos, serial numbers, purchase records. If you can’t prove you owned it, getting paid is an uphill battle. The smart tradies photograph their tools once a year, serial numbers visible, and keep a spreadsheet.
The locked vehicle condition: We’ve mentioned it already, but it bears repeating: tools left in an unlocked vehicle, or a vehicle that doesn’t show signs of forced entry, are generally not covered. Tools left in a vehicle overnight on the street are not covered. If your ute doesn’t fit in a garage, your tools come inside at night or you accept the risk.
How to Shop for Tradie Insurance in 2026
The Australian insurance market has changed post-2022 floods and the subsequent hardening of the property market. Premiums are up across the board, but the tradie segment remains competitive because it’s a large market with many providers chasing it.
Here’s a practical approach:
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List what you actually need. Not what a policy includes — what your business genuinely requires. PL at what limit? Tools up to what value? Any sub-trade specific covers (gas fitting, electrical testing, design advice)?
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Check your licence requirements. Go to your state regulator’s website and confirm what insurance your licence class demands. Don’t guess.
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Get standalone quotes first. Price public liability and tools cover as separate policies. This gives you a benchmark.
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Then get BizPack quotes. Use a comparison service like BizCover to see what bundled options cost with the same cover levels. Compare the premium, but also compare the sub-limits, exclusions, and conditions.
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Read the exclusions. Every policy has them. Find the section that lists what’s not covered and read it carefully. If there’s something in there that’s central to how you work, that policy isn’t right for you regardless of the price.
Price matters, but cover matters more. A cheap policy that doesn’t pay out when you need it isn’t cheap — it’s expensive in the worst possible way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need workers compensation if I have a BizPack?
Workers compensation is a separate statutory requirement in every Australian state and territory. It is not included in BizPacks and must be arranged separately. If you employ anyone — including casuals and apprentices — you generally need workers comp. Sole traders and working directors may or may not need it depending on their state and structure; check with your state’s workers compensation authority.
Can I cover my subcontractors under my BizPack?
Your public liability policy typically covers your legal liability for the actions of subcontractors working under your direction. However, the subcontractors themselves should hold their own insurance. Relying on your policy to cover them is risky — if they’re found to be independent contractors rather than under your control, your insurer may deny the claim. Always require subcontractors to provide their own certificates of currency.
What happens to my tools cover if I’m working interstate?
Most Australian tradie insurance policies provide Australia-wide cover for portable equipment, but there may be conditions or restrictions. Check your policy wording before taking a job across the border. Some policies exclude work in remote areas or require notification for jobs lasting more than a certain period.
Is a BizPack cheaper than buying policies separately?
Bundling typically offers a discount compared to buying the same covers from different providers — often 10% to 20%. However, the real comparison is between the bundled premium and the best standalone premiums you can find for equivalent cover. Sometimes the discount isn’t as large as it looks because the standalone market is competitive. Get quotes for both before deciding. Services like BizCover let you compare bundled and standalone options side by side.
Does personal accident cover inside a BizPack replace income protection?
No. Personal accident and illness cover in a BizPack is typically more limited than standalone income protection insurance. It generally covers a narrower range of conditions, has lower benefit amounts, and shorter benefit periods. For sole traders with mortgages and families, proper income protection through a life insurer or super fund is worth investigating. Personal accident cover is a useful add-on, not a complete solution.
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