Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance provides important protection to motorists and support for people who are injured in motor vehicle crashes on Queensland roads. CTP insurance premiums are made up of an insurer’s premium and levies and fees that fund important services for Queenslanders.
One of those levies is for the National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland which funds the lifetime treatment, care and support for people who have been seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash in Queensland. It means that you can access the treatment, care and support you need if you are seriously injured – regardless of who caused the accident that you were injured in.
Serious personal injuries are life-changing and impact not only the injured person but also their family, friends and community. A seriously injured person may require 24-hour per day nursing care assistance, along with significant home modifications and ongoing medical treatment for their lifetime.
The cost of treatment, care and support over a person’s lifetime can be millions of dollars. Since its establishment in July 2016, the NIISQ has proven its relevance and importance to Queensland road users through its support of seriously injured people, bringing peace of mind to the injured person, their family and carers.
With the cost of lifetime treatment, care and support for NIISQ participants amounting to millions of dollars, this levy represents a modest investment in supporting Queensland road users in the event of serious injury. It protects individuals from having to fund their recovery themselves, which could lead to enormous financial strain.
Funding for NIISQ is continuously monitored and based on rigorous actuarial analysis from various experts. To ensure that Queenslanders receive the treatment, care and support they need following a serious injury, the scheme needs to be fully funded.
Unfortunately, motorcycle riders or passengers represent approximately one fifth of people who are seriously injured and need to access NIISQ to support their recovery. Only 5% of vehicles registered in Queensland are motorcycles, yet 22% of NIISQ participants were riders or passengers in a motorcycle when they were seriously injured. This problem is not unique to Queensland, with other motor vehicle lifetime care schemes reporting an over-representation of motorcycle riders and pillion passengers. View the latest statistics on motorcyclist participants in NIISQ (PDF, 1.4MB).
People who enter the scheme have sustained traumatic brain injury, permanent spinal cord injury, multiple or high-level limb amputations, permanent injury to the brachial plexus, severe burns, and/or permanent blindness caused by trauma. For motorcycle riders in the scheme, the most common injury sustained is brain injury (66% of participants) followed by spinal cord injury (28%).
Three-quarters of motorcyclists were partly or fully responsible for the accident in which they were seriously injured. NIISQ provides treatment, care and support for its participants regardless of who was at fault.
With more than one-fifth of NIISQ participants riding a motorcycle when they were injured, the levy for this group has increased to ensure their recovery is adequately funded. The NIISQ levy has increased by $121.60 for class 12 and $4.80 for class 13 when comparing the 1 July 2023 quarter with the 1 April 2023 quarter. The increase for class 13 was only minor because their levy was increased during a previous review.
The NIISQ plays an important role in restoring the livelihood of people who are seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash. The NIISQ levy needed to be increased to ensure that this important scheme is fully funded. Queensland CTP insurance premiums, including levies and fees, remain one of the cheapest in Australia at the time of writing.
For answers to frequently-asked questions, please view our CTP insurance for motorcylists page.