The insurance policy is not a new concept, it has been operating for years, but it has just taken several years for it to reach Lightning Ridge.

“The store holders are just confused,” one of the weekly managers said.

The stretch of road along the Lions Park is Crown Land and the Walgett Shire Council are the trustees of that land.

As a result they are liable and they wish to see that the best possible cover is ensured to keep any issues from arising.

A copy of their insurance

must also then be given to the market management to ensure that they have the right cover for the event.

As a standard policy locally handmade arts and craft item may be sold and the insurance for that holder is covered.

It was hoped that each organisation who ran the market on their designated Sunday could cover the insurance, however, this proved wrong and the responsibility once again fell on the stall holder.

A brief investigation into the possible insurance policies available discovered that AAMI promised the cheapest cost at $195 for 12 months.

A common feeling among the operators was that $195 was a lot of money for some people, especially a weekly market where someone may only sell a few items.

There is a small bonus involved in a stall holder taking out personal insurance, they are then allowed to set up shop in any market anywhere.

One holder said he could get a Hawkers licence for this exact amount and with that he could set up a store on the main street for seven days a week. This was only a short worry for the organisers as even the Hawker needs to obtain an insurance policy on top of their licence.

The operations licence for the market was signed by council to ensure the event could go ahead last week. This was to ensure that those with the proper insurance would not be disadvantaged by the current issues that do not affect them.

Council noted they would be back again this Sunday to see how holders were progressing with obtaining the necessary policies.