Claims for damage
Submitting a claim for compensation for damage and loss.
If your vehicle has been damaged on a road managed by the Department of State Growth, you may be entitled to compensation.
Please read the information below before making a claim.
For claims not related to damage to a vehicle, please see the section below on submitting a claim.
The Department of State Growth has a legal duty to maintain the road network under our control. This does not mean keeping the State road network in perfect condition all the time. But we do have to respond to road hazards that we are aware of within a reasonable period of time.
Our maintenance contracts require our contractors to maintain the State road network to an agreed standard. Our contractors perform routine maintenance inspections and identify areas that need maintenance or repair. The agreed service standards set out how often inspections occur and when identified issues need to be addressed. These standards vary depending on:
This means that at times there will be defects on the road, such as potholes, water, or storm debris, but the department will not be liable for those defects. Road users are reminded to drive to the conditions.
You can only make a claim for damage that occurred on a State road.
Visit our interactive online map to see which roads are managed by State Growth here: maps.thelist.tas.gov.au/listmap/app/list/map
You can only make a claim against the department if there is no contractor with responsibility for the State road where the damage occurred.
If there is a contract in place for maintenance or road works, your claim will be referred to the relevant contractor for assessment and response.
For your claim to be successful, you will have to show that we failed to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable risks of harm.
You will have to show that our actions (or inactions):
If we have taken all reasonable steps to maintain the road appropriately, we will not be liable.
State Growth will not accept any claims for:
You must also submit any relevant documentation that may support your claim, such as:
Submit a claim for damage by completing the online form.
Please note – for the best experience, we recommend using a Chrome, Edge, or Safari browser.
If you wish to make more than one claim, you will need to submit a new claim form for each incident.
Claims must be submitted within 30 days of the incident.
If your claim relates to:
Please request a claim form by emailing StateRoadsCorporateMail@stategrowth.tas.gov.au or phone 1300 139 933 (select menu item 3).
The 30-day timeframe may be waived for non-standard claims.
State Growth will acknowledge receipt of your claim and may request further information if needed. Once all the information for your claim has been received, we will pass it to the relevant contractor or our insurance advisor for assessment.
State Growth will advise you in writing which party will be assessing your claim. Any questions regarding the progress of your claim must be directed to the party outlined in the letter.
You will be advised of the outcome of your claim by the party responsible for assessing it.
If you feel your claim has been unfairly refused, you will have to pursue it through the civil courts.
If you feel you have been dealt with unfairly through the administrative process followed by us, or you are dissatisfied with the standard of service we provided, you can lodge a complaint with Ombudsman Tasmania.
The information provided on this page is intended to be general in nature and should not replace independent legal advice.