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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.

Our liability

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:

  • the road location
  • the amount of traffic
  • weather conditions
  • available road maintenance funding.

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.

Our roads

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

Road maintenance and construction contracts

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.

1Claim criteria

Making a claim

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):

  • caused the incident
  • caused you to suffer loss, and
  • that such loss was foreseeable to us.

If we have taken all reasonable steps to maintain the road appropriately, we will not be liable.

Claims that won’t be accepted

State Growth will not accept any claims for:

  • damage occurring on a road that is not managed by State Growth
  • claims for incidents that occurred more than 30 days ago
  • damage resulting from extreme weather events or natural disasters
  • damage due to debris (if it occurs in the normal course of driving)
  • damage resulting from the actions of a third party
  • damage resulting from criminal actions
  • matters already the subject of an insurance claim, including reimbursement of an excess
  • reimbursement of related costs, for example, towing or storage costs, alternate forms of travel during vehicle repairs
  • damage to tyres with an aspect ratio (profile) of 40% or less, or damage to the associated rims.

2Mandatory information (information required to enable assessment of claims)

For your claim to be assessed, you must provide:

  • vehicle make, model and registration number
  • the time, date, and exact location the alleged incident occurred
  • type of damage (for example, damaged tyre, chipped windscreen)
  • alleged cause of damage (for example, pothole, tree hitting car, slasher threw up stones)
  • reasons State Growth is liable for your damage or loss
  • the amount you are claiming
  • photos to support your claim
  • confirmation that you have not made any other claim for damages with any other party, including your own insurer.

Supporting documentation

You must also submit any relevant documentation that may support your claim, such as:

  • quotes or invoice for repairs
  • police report
  • loss adjustor report
  • dash camera footage
  • map references.

3Submitting a claim

The claims for damage process

Submitting a claim image

Damage to a vehicle

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.

Other (non-standard) claims

If your claim relates to:

  • damage to property adjacent to a State road
  • damage relating to State-owned infrastructure on a local highway
  • personal injury
  • another type of claim.

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.

Claim acknowledgment

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.

4Claim outcome

Claim outcome

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.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this page is intended to be general in nature and should not replace independent legal advice.