Does travel insurance cover farm work in Australia?

Does travel insurance cover farm work in Australia?

Mostly no, at least not for injuries at work. Most travel insurance policies exclude any claim that workers compensation should pay. Many also exclude manual work altogether, or only cover it on a higher plan.

That’s not as scary as it sounds. In Australia, injuries at work are meant to be covered by your employer’s workers compensation insurance, and that applies to working holiday makers too. Travel insurance is still worth having for everything else: getting sick, an accident on your day off, a hospital stay, or flying home in an emergency.

So think of it as two layers. Workers compensation covers you on the job. Travel or health insurance (and Medicare, if your country has a deal with Australia) covers you off the job.

What is workers compensation and does it cover backpackers?

Workers compensation is insurance that employers in Australia must hold for their employees. If you’re hurt at work or get sick because of your work, it can pay for medical treatment and part of your lost wages while you recover.

Your visa doesn’t change this. A working holiday maker employed on a farm, in a packing shed or in a hostel job has the same right to claim as an Australian worker doing the same job. You don’t pay for it and it doesn’t come out of your wages.

Each state and territory runs its own scheme, so the rules, forms and time limits differ a bit depending on where you work.

Are you covered if you’re paid on an ABN?

Workers compensation generally covers employees. If you’re a genuine contractor on your own ABN, you may not be covered, and your travel insurance probably won’t step in either.

Plenty of farm “contractor” jobs are really employment: you’re told when to start, what to pick and how to do it, and you use the farm’s gear. Being put on an ABN doesn’t automatically make you a contractor. If you’re not sure which you are, ask the Fair Work Ombudsman before you start, not after you’re hurt.

The safest option is to take jobs where you’re on the payroll, get payslips, and have tax and super taken out.

What does travel insurance usually cover and exclude?

Every policy is different, so read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) or policy wording before you buy. Search it for “manual”, “work”, “employment” and “workers compensation”. Here’s the general pattern.

Does SafetyWing cover farm work injuries?

SafetyWing Nomad Insurance is popular with working holiday makers because you can pay monthly and cancel when you leave. Its published exclusions list for the Essential plan excludes anything payable under workers compensation or employer’s liability laws, or by any cover required by law. It also excludes costs from not using proper safety gear, such as helmets or seatbelts.

We couldn’t find a blanket manual labour exclusion in that list. In practice, though, a farm injury should go to your employer’s workers compensation first, and SafetyWing won’t pay what that scheme should cover. Where SafetyWing helps is off the job: getting sick, an accident on a weekend road trip, or a hospital stay. Check the current policy wording on the SafetyWing site, because it changes between plan versions.

World Nomads is another option. Its plans and what they say about manual work vary depending on where you live, so if you’re doing farm work, check the policy wording for your plan before you buy. If anything is unclear, ask the insurer in writing whether your job is covered.

Can you get Medicare on a working holiday visa?

Only if you’re from a country with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia. At the time of writing there are 11: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

RHCA cover is for medically necessary care, like being treated as a public patient in a public hospital. It doesn’t cover private hospital care, getting you home, or most ambulance trips. What else is covered depends on your country. Visitors from Ireland and New Zealand aren’t enrolled in Medicare. Their cover is limited to public hospital care and some prescription medicines, not GP visits, and they ask staff to treat them under the agreement and show their passport. Italian and Maltese visitors are covered for six months from arrival.

If you’re from one of the other countries, you’ll usually need to enrol in Medicare with your passport and visa. Check the Services Australia page for your country to see what’s covered and how to enrol.

If you’re not from an RHCA country, you’ll pay the full cost of any medical care, so private insurance matters more.

Is health insurance a condition of the working holiday visa?

For most people it isn’t a formal visa condition, but the Department of Home Affairs strongly recommends it, because you’re responsible for your own medical bills in Australia.

Some grants do come with a health insurance condition, such as condition 8501. If yours has it, you need cover that counts as adequate health insurance, and a basic travel policy may not meet that standard. Open your visa grant notice and read the conditions listed there. That’s the only reliable answer for your own visa.

What to do if you get hurt at work

• Get first aid or medical help straight away. In an emergency, call 000.
• Tell your supervisor or employer as soon as you can, and ask for it to be written in the injury register.
• See a doctor and ask for a workers compensation medical certificate, not a normal sick note.
• Keep everything: photos, names of witnesses, receipts, payslips and a note of your hours.
• Lodge a claim with your employer or the state scheme. Time limits apply, so don’t wait until you’ve left the town.
• If your employer says they don’t have insurance or won’t help, contact the state workers compensation body from the table above. Most states have arrangements for workers whose employer wasn’t insured.
• Tell your travel insurer too, if your policy asks you to report any workers compensation cover you have.
• For pay or ABN problems, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman. It’s free.