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The Queensland Court of Appeal’s decision in Dennison v Brisbane City Council has confirmed that s 36 of the Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld), Queensland’s key statutory protection for public authorities facing liability claims, applies to common law negligence, not just breach of statutory duty. However, despite Brisbane City Council being able to avail itself of the s 36 defence, the Court found the Council failed to meet the low standard prescribed by that provision because it failed to comply with both its own internal policies and guidelines and applicable external industry standards, which mandated the taking of certain precautions to address the subject risk. In this article, Partner Milton Latta discusses what Dennison means for insurers and underwriters of public authorities, and for any parties involved in injury claims involving public authorities, from a claims management and risk assessment perspective.