Insurance stings possible

By Lachlan Ellis

Tattoo parlours across the country have been hit by a price hike in insurance premiums, and while a local parlour has been spared to date, a price rise looms as a serious threat.

Insurers who will cover tattoo parlours are rare – Arthur J. Gallagher is the main broker – and with tattoo parlours deemed ‘high risk’, prices are on the rise.

Co-owner of Compass Tattoo in Ipswich Qld, Angela Nayler, told the ABC that she had been served an ultimatum: pay $30,000 a year on top of their normal expenses, or get out.

Kieran Tyrrell owns Disciples of Ink in Bacchus Marsh, and is one of the lucky few who hasn’t been served a steep rent increase, to account for an insurance hike.

But the news is of course worrying, and he says if a similar hike hit his business, there’d only be one option.

“I haven’t personally experienced any hikes in insurance or other costs on the business…we could sort of wear it to a point, but ultimately, it’d close us down,” Mr Tyrrell told the Moorabool News.

“It’d drive everything underground. Basically, we couldn’t have a shopfront, and I like to keep my business separate from my home life. I don’t want strangers coming to my house to get a tattoo, so the shopfront is important. It’s an important separation for our staff too.”

A perceived link to organised crime has been blamed for the ‘high risk’ classification, which Mr Tyrrell says is an outdated view of the industry.

“That’s the olden days…that’s the way things I suppose used to be. Back then, if a certain crew didn’t like what you were doing, or you were encroaching on their patch, there might be trouble. But nowadays, really, if you’re associated with a gang, that’s rarer,” he said.

“It’s only really Gallagher that’s insuring tattoo shops. It’s not exactly fair, but what can you do? We need insurance, we need public liability…there’s a reputation that’s hanging around and doesn’t seem to want to go away.”

To read the full story – Simply click on the following link

https://issuu.com/themooraboolnews/docs/mn_2022-05-31/8

in the 31 May 2022 edition
OR
pick up a paper around your town.