Red Hatter chapters from all over Australia are offered a PLI policy through becoming a member of “ARHGA Inc.” (Association of Red Hatted Groups Australia), with a pricing of around $85 per year (Rates may change each year). Which is likely to be far cheaper than you are able to get yourself. If you do need to make a claim, ARHGA also say they will pay the excess – so you should not be out of pocket at all.
To obtain insurance through them you will need to become a member of their Association and fill out their PLI application form. This must be done/renewed before the 1st of June each year. If you miss the deadline you must wait until next year.
More information can be found here – https://red-hatters-wa.net/what-is-arhga
Please note the following information is NOT legal advice and is here to give you a very basic understanding of the issue of Public Liability Insurance as it relates to Red Hatting. If you have any questions about insurance or insurance products please see a professional (Lawyer, financial adviser, insurance agent etc.)
As with any insurance policy it is not as simple as just signing a form and handing over the money – you need to make sure that you know what you are covered for and what exclusions (if any) there are, have given them the correct information for your coverage and that you comply with any requirements they have. Otherwise you may find out that your insurance policy is invalid and you may not be covered if something happens and you need it. We all know how insurance companies like to find ways to limit what they pay out.
While obtaining insurance through ARHGA could be a very good idea, there are some points to consider:
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Obtaining your policy through ARHGA means you/your chapter will become a member of ARHGA and are getting coverage due to being part of their association – you aren’t buying your insurance from ARHGA, you’re obtaining it by being covered by their PLI insurance. This means that as an ARHGA member, you agree to abide by any rules and requirements of their organisation – if any.
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On your initial application to ARHGA, you need to fill out a form that states how many members your chapter has, how many outings per year you do and other such information. It is unclear whether changes to this information (eg chapter numbers increasing) would affect any insurance coverage you have, as it does not appear that yearly renewal calls for updates to this information. It’s also not clear whether Hatters other than your chapter members (eg visiting members and cross-chapter events) would be covered by your insurance at an event you host.
As all chapters pay the same fee regardless of the number of events or members, the number of members in your chapter is possibly just for ARHGA records and not directly connected to your insurance coverage, but this may be a question you might like to ask before obtaining your insurance.
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If you have your own PLI (Through ARHGA or elsewhere) and an accident occurs at a venue that has its own PLI – there could end up being a battle between the 2 insurance companies over whose will pay out, as each side may refuse to pay out.
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As with insurance obtained from any company, You should read the Product Disclosure Statement for the insurer who is providing ARHGA’s coverage, to make sure you know exactly what you are buying and all the terms and conditions. You may need to contact ARHGA directly to ask for this, as it’s not typically given alongside the application.
You can view the 2023/2024 PDS from the insurer here
(Note that this is the most up-to-date version we have been provided)In particular you should make sure you know:
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What amount you are insured for in total, and per incident.
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What exactly you are covered for.
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If there is an excess (and who will pay it)
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What exclusions there are for your cover (eg any activities not covered)
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