Insurance brokers for tradies in Australia

Five ways an Australian tradie can arrange cover, from buying it online in ten minutes to having a broker who answers their mobile. What each one is, and what it costs you in attention.

There is one real decision here and it is not which company. It is whether you answer the questions yourself or pay someone to ask them.

Buying online is fast and it is genuinely fine for a sole trader with a ute, a trailer and public liability. You tick your trade, tick your covers, pay, and the certificate lands in your inbox. The catch is that every answer is yours. If you tick the wrong occupation, or you carry tools worth more than the default limit, or you do a bit of work at heights that your policy quietly excludes, nobody tells you until you claim.

A broker asks the questions instead, and gets paid whether you claim or not. That is worth most to tradies whose work does not fit a dropdown: contract works, plant, subcontracting under someone else's licence, or anything where a principal contractor sends you a certificate of currency request with conditions on it.

Everything below was read off each company's own site in August 2026. Nobody paid to appear and there are no affiliate links. None of this is insurance advice, and the PDS is the only thing that says what you are actually covered for.

Trade Risk

Based at Hendra in Brisbane and working nationally, a Corporate Authorised Representative of Community Broker Network under AFSL 233750. In their own words they are not owned by a larger brokerage. Around 5,000 business owners on the books.

They arrange public liability, tools, personal accident, commercial vehicle, professional indemnity, contract works, plant and equipment and more. Every client gets a named broker with a direct mobile rather than a call queue, and they deliberately do not do instant online quotes, because the questions come first.

Best for: a tradie who wants one person who knows the file, and whose work is too messy for a dropdown. traderisk.com.au

Smart Business Insurance

A broker operating from South Yarra in Melbourne, Corporate Authorised Representative number 437328 of EBN Holdings under AFSL 518220.

Public and product liability, business property covering tools and equipment, commercial motor, personal accident, business packs, and management liability. Phone, email or an online quote form, so you can start it yourself and still end up talking to someone.

Best for: a Melbourne trade business that wants a broker without a long onboarding. smartbusinessinsurance.com.au

BizCover

The buy-it-yourself option. Pick your trade, pick your covers, enter your details, compare quotes and buy online with policy documents issued immediately. They quote from 13 insurers including QBE, Chubb, Zurich, Vero and AIG.

Two things worth knowing, both from their own site. They act as agent of the insurer rather than as your broker, and they state plainly that they do not compare all insurers in the market, only the ones they list. That is not a criticism, it is the trade you are making for the ten minutes.

Best for: a sole trader who needs a certificate of currency today and knows what they need. bizcover.com.au

allinsure

Headquartered at Fyshwick in Canberra with a Melbourne office, and a Corporate Authorised Representative of Insurance Advisernet Australia. That structure matters: you deal with a local team, backed by the buying power of a national network.

They are a general SME broker rather than trades-only, which cuts both ways. Less trade-specific pattern recognition than a specialist, more use to you if you also have a workshop lease, a couple of vehicles and staff.

Best for: a Canberra or Melbourne trade business that wants one broker across the whole operation.

ProTrades Insurance

Trading as SK Insurance Brokers on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, an Authorised Representative of repX under AFSL 425573 and part of the Steadfast network. They say they have arranged cover for more than 3,000 Australian tradies.

Trades are the whole business here, and the detail shows: public liability quoted at $5 million to $20 million, tools, plant and machinery, contract works, workers compensation, commercial motor and cyber. Enquiries go through a form or 1300 118 637, there is no published email.

Best for: a trade business that wants a specialist broker and does not mind starting with a form.

The three that catch tradies out

Tools left in the ute overnight. Many policies limit or exclude theft from an unattended vehicle unless it was locked and forced. Read that clause before you find out about it.

Your public liability limit versus what the job demands. Builders and principal contractors routinely require $20 million. If you hold $5 million you are not underinsured in general, you are just off that site.

Certificates of currency. You will be asked for one more often than you expect, usually the morning you are meant to start. Knowing where to get it in a hurry is worth as much as the policy.

Keep the paperwork it depends on

Insurers and principal contractors both want records, and the ones tradies lose are the boring ones: what you quoted, what you invoiced, what was paid and when. Yamate keeps that from the phone for $19 a month flat if you sign up before 30 September 2026, $29 a month after. It will not arrange your cover, it just means the paper trail exists when someone asks for it.

FAQ

Do sole traders in Australia need public liability insurance?

It is not compulsory across the board, but most principal contractors, builders and commercial clients will not let you on site without it, and some licences and contracts require it. In practice you cannot work much without it.

Broker or buy online?

Online if your work fits a standard trade description and you are confident answering the questions. A broker once contract works, plant, subcontracting or unusual site conditions are involved, because that is where the exclusions live.

How were these five chosen?

Each was read on its own site in August 2026, each states its licensing on that site, and between them they cover the range from buying online to a named broker. Nobody paid to appear and there are no affiliate links.

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