Queensland sits between the two models. CTP is collected with your registration, but you nominate which licensed insurer provides it — and if you do not choose, one is allocated to you by default.
The more consequential Queensland question is weather. This is the state where the difference between comprehensive and anything cheaper is most likely to be tested.
You select an insurer when you register or renew. Premiums sit within bands set by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, so the spread is narrower than a fully open market and the cover is identical whoever you pick. It still pays to nominate deliberately rather than accepting the default allocation, and the Commission publishes the current premium classes.
Queensland's claims profile is driven by weather more than any other state. Severe storms and hail through the southeast, cyclones in the north, and recurring flood events across large parts of the state all produce write-offs at scale. None of it is covered by third party property damage or by fire and theft — only comprehensive responds, which changes the calculation on whether to step down.
In cyclone-exposed parts of northern Queensland, some insurers restrict what they will write or price it substantially higher, and options narrow the further north you go. That is worth knowing before assuming a quote you saw advertised nationally will be available at your postcode.
Yes. You nominate a licensed insurer when you register or renew. If you do not choose, one is allocated to you automatically.
Only under comprehensive. Third party property damage and fire and theft do not respond to flood, and definitions of flood differ between policies, so the wording is worth reading.
Cyclone exposure. Some insurers restrict what they will write or price it considerably higher, so the choice available at a far-north postcode is narrower than the national advertising suggests.
Medicare Levy Surcharge thresholds and government rebate percentages are reviewed regularly, so this page does not quote them. For the current figures see the ATO and the government's privatehealth.gov.au.
