Indemnity
Medical indemnity
The medical defence organisations, if you have not chosen yet.
Doctors need professional indemnity to practise, and it has to be in place before an arriving doctor starts. Medical students can hold a free membership while they study. These are the organisations that provide it.
| Organisation | Student membership | How you join |
|---|---|---|
| Avant | Free for medical students | Direct |
| MDA National | Free for medical students | Direct |
| MIGA | Free for medical students | Direct |
| MIPS | Free for medical students | Direct |
| Tego | Ask Tego | Through brokers |
Listed alphabetically. Choosing one is your decision, and each sets out its cover on its own site. If we introduce you to one, we tell you first if we are paid for it.
What to know
When you are employed
Your employer’s cover, and when you need your own.
Every registered practitioner needs professional indemnity for all of their practice. An employer’s cover usually handles your work for it. Anything else is yours to cover.
| You | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone registered | Cover for all of your practice. You declare it at registration and every renewal. | Ahpra |
| Only working for one employer | Its cover is likely to be enough for that work. | Psychology Board |
| Extra or private work | Your employer’s cover may only cover your duties in that job. Other work needs your own. | Occupational Therapy Board |
| Doctors | Cover for all medical practice, with retroactive cover for past practice in Australia, from an APRA-registered insurer. | Medical Board |
| Victorian public health services | VMIA covers the service, its employees, contracted practitioners treating public patients, supervised students and locums. | VMIA |
| NSW public health | The Treasury Managed Fund covers NSW Health. Visiting and staff specialists in private practice have a separate arrangement. Disciplinary proceedings are not covered. | icare NSW; NSW Health |
| Queensland Health doctors | Free medical indemnity for the doctors it employs, with legal help. | Queensland Health |
| Queensland Government employees | Protected from being sued for acts in their official role. | Queensland Government |
| WA public-sector doctors | WA Health runs a contract indemnity scheme. | WA Department of Health |
Volunteer and unpaid work still needs cover. If you lose cover, tell your Board in writing within 7 days. Your employer can tell you what its cover includes for your role. Sources: Ahpra; the Medical, Psychology and Occupational Therapy Boards; VMIA; icare NSW; Queensland Government; WA Department of Health.
Cover for healthcare work
What to do after a needlestick injury, and what covers you.
Healthcare work carries risks most jobs don’t, such as a needlestick injury or a patient’s claim. This covers the first hours after an exposure, what workers compensation pays for and the cover some policies add.
The first hours after a needlestick or splash
Anyone exposed to blood or body fluids at work
- Wash with soap and water, without squeezing or rubbing; rinse eyes or mouth for at least 30 seconds. Tell your manager and the exposure team straight away.
- HIV prevention medicine works best started early: within 72 hours at most, and preferably within 1 to 2 hours, WA says. The course runs 28 days.
- The source is tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C, but treatment is not held up waiting for results. If you are not immune to hepatitis B, you get immunoglobulin and a vaccine within 72 hours. There is no preventive treatment for hepatitis C.
- After HIV prevention medicine, follow-up tests are at 6 and 12 weeks. If you are not immune to hepatitis B, follow-up runs to 6 months.
- In NSW Health, every test and treatment is free to the worker.
Source: ASHM, Australian national PEP guidelines, 4th edition (August 2025); NSW Health PD2026_026 (May 2026); WA Health (May 2026).
Workers compensation, by state
Employees injured or infected at work
A disease caught at work counts as an injury in every scheme if work contributed enough; each state sets its own test. Keep the incident number, your test dates and results, and the claim number.
| State | Scheme | Claim within |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | icare | 6 months |
| Victoria | WorkSafe Victoria | Tell your employer within 30 days |
| Queensland | WorkCover Queensland | 6 months |
| Western Australia | WorkCover WA | 12 months |
| South Australia | ReturnToWorkSA | 6 months |
| Tasmania | WorkSafe Tasmania | 6 months |
| ACT | WorkSafe ACT | 3 years |
| Northern Territory | NT WorkSafe | 6 months |
Most states accept a later claim with a reasonable cause. Source: Safe Work Australia, Comparison of Workers’ Compensation Arrangements, 29th edition.
An infection caught at work
Doctors, dentists, nurses and paramedics
Some policies pay a one-off amount if you catch HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C during your normal duties. At least one life insurer sells this cover on its own, outside super, from $25,000 to $1 million. One defence organisation’s income protection offers needlestick cover as an optional extra.
Source: insurer and defence organisation product pages, September 2026. Your read-back shows whether your policy includes it.
Indemnity beyond doctors
Nurses, midwives and allied health
Registration requires appropriate professional indemnity. Your employer usually covers you as an employed nurse or midwife. Private practice, agency and locum work may need your own cover. Check what your employer’s or union’s cover includes for your role.
Source: Ahpra registration standards.