1:30min
From 1 July 2025, Optometry Australia (OA) members who meet specific eligibility criteria will receive $20m public liability insurance (PLI) as part of their membership – at no additional cost.
This new benefit will be provided in partnership with Avant, OA’s professional indemnity insurance (PII) provider and Australia’s largest medico-legal insurer.
Why this matters
In recent years, businesses in the healthcare industry have increasingly required independent contractors or locums to hold PLI in addition to PII. Avant has responded by including PLI in its medical PII policies from 1 July 2025 onwards, and Optometry Australia has secured this additional coverage for the optometry PII policy provided for members.
While PII covers claims relating to the delivery of healthcare (such as clinical mistakes), PLI covers legal costs and claims related to third-party injury or property damage arising from non-clinical incidents in your work environment.
This could include situations like:
- A patient tripping over a chair in your consulting space
- A visitor slipping on a wet floor
- Accidental damage to a patient’s personal belongings (e.g. spilling liquid on a phone or laptop)
If you’re not directly employed by the organisation where you practise, particularly when working at a location not owned, leased or controlled by you, you may need your own PLI.
Who is eligible?
This cover is available only to OA members who:
- Operate as independent contractors, and
- Provide healthcare services from third-party premises (not owned, leased, or controlled by the member)
Full details of the updated PII policy – now incorporating PLI – will be available from 1 July 2025 via our Professional Indemnity Insurance and Risk Management page.
Members who need documentation to verify cover (e.g. for employer records) will be able to request it directly through the Optometry Advisor Help Desk by emailing OAHelpDesk@optometry.org.au.
Added support: Free locum agreement template
To further support members working as independent contractors, OA has also released a locum agreement template, developed in collaboration with our HR legal partner, Industry Legal Group (ILG). This agreement is designed for use by individual optometrists contracting in a locum capacity and is available free to members.
While it is not intended for practices or businesses engaging locums, it provides a solid legal foundation for optometrists navigating the independent contractor landscape – without the typical legal fees. Request the template by emailing OAHelpDesk@optometry.org.au.
What OA’s PII policy includes
OA’s comprehensive PII policy features include:
- Talk to an optometrist advisor on weekdays or a lawyer 24/7/365
- Nil excess
- $20 million cover per member (not pooled)
- $50k court attendance cover
- Covers your practice, staff, volunteers and students in the workplace
- Privacy breaches, AHPRA/OHO/HCCC investigations, and disciplinary matters
- Unlimited retroactive and run-off cover
- Telehealth cover
- Broad defamation cover
- Practice entity cover
- Overseas charity/volunteer work included
‘Providing tailored insurance for over 6,000 members is no small task. This expansion ensures our insurance offering evolves with the needs of the profession, while continuing to deliver strong value for members,’ said Skye Cappuccio, Optometry Australia CEO.
We encourage all members to review the upcoming policy updates in detail and carefully consider their individual insurance needs.