"neverwas" wrote in message
m...
In summary, is it sensible to take out Supplementary Liability
Insurance (SLI) when hiring cars in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern
Territory and Queensland?

I have read past threads about car hire insurance but cannot find a
clear answer. This is partly because I cannot find out
just what is covered by the mandatory insurance.

By way of background:

o we are UK residents
o we shall be hiring cars in Melbourne, Sydney, Ayers Rock and Cairns
o we intend to take out separate insurance against excess, tyres,
windows etc from Questor or the like since the hire companies charges
seem exorbitant (eg AUD33 a day from Thrifty in Ayers Rock).
o the separate insurance providers invariably offer policies with and
without SLI. I know that SLI is highly desirable (in my view essential
unless one is a gambler) in the USA and Canada where there is otherwise
little or no cover for third party liabilities

What I can't find is the position in Australia (in the States/Territories
mentioned above) as regards damage to third parties and third party
property. The hirers sites generally just say that compulsory third
party insurance imposed by the various State and Territory Registration
Authorities is included in the cost (often with a fee shown for it).
But I can't see what it covers and for how much.

Any advice - if only on where to look - would be much appreciated.

--
R




From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_insurance

"In South Australia, Third Party Personal insurance from the Motor Accident
Commission is included in the licence registration fee for people over 16. A
similar scheme applies in Western Australia.

"In Victoria, Third Party Personal insurance from the Transport Accident
Commission is similarly included, through a levy, in the vehicle
registration fee.

"In New South Wales, Compulsory Third Party Insurance (commonly known as CTP
Insurance) is a mandatory requirement and each individual car must be
insured or the vehicle will not be considered legal. Therefore, a motorist
cannot drive the vehicle until it is insured. A 'Green Slip,'[citation
needed] another name CTP Insurance is commonly known by due to the colour of
the pages the form is printed on, must be obtained through one of the seven
main insurers in New South Wales.

"In Queensland, CTP is a mandatory part of registration for a vehicle. There
is choice of insurer but price is government controlled in a tight band.

"These state based third party insurance schemes usually cover only personal
injury liability. Comprehensive vehicle insurance is sold separately to
cover property damage and cover can be for events such as fire, theft,
collision and other property damage."

I hope this helps.
Not sure of the exact coverage but I doubt if many Australians take out
extra insurance of the kind you are thinking about.
Perhaps you could check out the web pages of the various licensing
authorities.

Gerrit