Claims for damage

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 another road user
• 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.

For your claim to be assessed, you must provide the following. Note, your claim cannot be processed without all mandatory information:

• 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 or its contractors are liable for your damage or loss
• the amount you are claiming (evidence such as a written quotation or tax invoice must be uploaded to support your claim)
• 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 should also submit any relevant documentation that may support your claim, such as:

• police report
• loss adjustor report
• dash camera footage
• map references.

The claims for damage process

Damage to a vehicle

Submit a claim for damage by completing the online form.

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 other State-owned infrastructure such as traffic signals
• personal injury
• another type of claim.

Please request a claim form by emailing StateRoadClaims@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 referral and acknowledgement

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 forward it on for investigation.

State Growth will advise you in writing which party will be assessing your claim and provide contact details. Any questions regarding the progress of your claim must be directed to the party outlined in the letter.

Claim outcome

You will be advised of the outcome of your claim by the party responsible for assessing it.

If your claim is denied, this decision is final. Any further queries need to be directed to the party who assessed your claim (outlined in the letter you will receive).

When the department has formally handed over the road to a contractor to manage, we cannot get involved in any disputes between our contractors and other parties. Therefore, there are no avenues for appeal within the department.

If you feel your claim has been unfairly refused, you have the option to appeal the decision through the civil court system. The Magistrates Court is the relevant civil court in Tasmania.

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.