Insurance — What V-Insurance Covers

CAQ clubs are covered under the V-Insurance policy arranged through Croquet Australia. This is not optional and not something clubs arrange separately — it comes automatically with affiliation. Understanding what it covers means knowing when to call, what to say, and what happens next.

V-Insurance: (02) 8599 8660 or 1300 172 321

What the policy covers

There are two separate layers of coverage, protecting two different groups of people.

For office holders — Directors and Officers (D&O)

Covers governance claims against the club, committee, and individual committee members:

• Legal threats from members (disciplinary decisions, team selection, policy disputes)
• Employment-related claims, if the club employs staff
• Inquiry costs if a government body investigates the club
• Defence costs even when no claim ultimately succeeds

This is the layer that sits behind the Civil Liability Act protection available to volunteers. If a committee member is named in a legal action, D&O pays for the lawyers.

For guests — Public Liability

Covers personal injury and property damage claims by third parties — someone who is not a financial member:

• A visitor injured on club grounds
• A participant injured during a Come & Try event
• Property damage caused by club activities

Public liability does not cover injuries to financial members in normal play — that falls under personal accident/sports injury cover.

When to notify V-Insurance

Call as soon as any of the following happen — don't wait to see how serious it gets:

• Someone is injured at a club event or on club grounds
• A member threatens legal action against the club or a committee member
• You receive a formal letter from a lawyer
• A government body contacts the club about a potential regulatory matter
• A media inquiry arrives about a club incident
• A committee member is named personally in any legal document

Notify first, gather details second. Don't delay the call because you're still gathering information.

What to say when you call

"I'm calling from [Club Name], a member of Croquet Australia Queensland. We have a potential insurance claim regarding [brief description of the situation]. We need guidance on next steps."

You don't need to have all the details ready. The insurer's job is to guide you through what information they need.

What happens after you call

1. The insurer logs the notification and assigns a reference number — keep it.
2. D&O / legal threats: specialist litigation lawyers review the claim and send a formal legal response. Don't communicate with the claimant directly after this point — the lawyers handle it.
3. Public liability / injuries: the insurer guides the claims process and may ask for the incident report, photos, and witness statements.
4. Follow the insurer's guidance on what's covered and what steps to take — not your instinct.

Most threats against QLD community club committees go nowhere once lawyers are involved. A formally worded denial of liability citing Section 39 of the Civil Liability Act is usually enough to end the matter.

What's not covered

• Deliberate dishonest acts or fraud by committee members
• Claims arising from conduct outside the scope of the committee role
• Pre-existing known disputes that weren't disclosed at policy renewal
• Some fines and penalties in regulatory matters (check the policy)

When in doubt, call and ask. It costs nothing to notify, and failing to notify early can affect coverage.

What we're still confirming with the broker

Some of the detail behind this page is still being confirmed with the broker, and this page will be updated once that's done. At the time of writing: we don't hold a copy of the current policy schedule on file, cyber cover hasn't been confirmed, whether volunteer personal accident (VPA) cover is included isn't confirmed, there's no club-level register showing which clubs are covered for what, and there's no annual review process yet to keep all of this current. None of this changes the advice above — if in doubt, call V-Insurance and ask.