All organisers must follow ONSW Organisers Rules (see section 4 of the ONSW Manual).
Landholder Guide
Insurance Certificates
- OA Public Liability Insurance Certificate of Currency (short version) (New)
- OA Public Liability Insurance Certificate of Currency (Clubs) (New)
- OA Public Liability Insurance Certificate of Currency Interested Parties (full version) (OA Website link)
- Orienteering Australia Insurance Webpage
- Workers Compensation Certificate of Currency
- Voluntary Workers Insurance Policy
Event Registration Templates (Risk Warnings, Waivers and Statements)
- Notes on Risk Warnings, Waivers and Statements
- Enter on the day registration cards – 18 and over
- Enter on the day registration cards – under 18
- Group registration - for groups with people under 18
- Entry terms and conditions – Eventor pre-entry
- Enter on the day events with electronic registration
Incidents and accidents – some guidance
Sports Medicine Australia:
Incident Report
The completed Incident Report Form should be sent to
- ONSW (
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ); - the organising club; and
- in the case of impact on a competitor, to the competitor (or parent, for a sub-18 junior).
Where a junior or a novice competitor from another club is involved, communication to the relevant club about the incident will enable that club to follow-up with reassurance and possibly coaching.
Significant incidents include:
- person lost and potentially, if not actually, requiring a search
- person missing
- serious injury (eg worse than a sprained ankle)
- significant loss or damage to property
- conflict with a landholder which might undermine the sport’s relationship with the landholder
- public reports of 'misconduct' by orienteers
If one or more of the following critical incidents has occurred, the ONSW and/or OA presidents would already have been alerted. Submission of an Incident Report Form is still required.
- death
- life-threatening or permanently-disabling injury
- a police search
- exposure to significant legal or reputational risk
- other activity likely to attract substantial outside attention from the media or elsewhere.
Sample Risk Management Plans
The linked Risk Management documents are intended as samples, rather than best practice. They should not be merely copied. Event organisers need to actively consider the risks that might occur at their event. ONSW notes that the samples mostly focus on safety. There are other risks associated with events, eg risks to land owners, child protection, risks to the organising club and the risk that courses are unfair and might be voided.
Environmental Impacts of Orienteering
- Environmental Impact of an Orienteering event (2010 Australian 3-Days)
- Appendix to Environmental Impact of an Orienteering event (6.9MB) NOTE: this has a series of before and after photos.
- Measuring the impact of recreational events within national parks by David Hogg & Cormac Farrell
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Documents
All applications for use of National Parks' land should go through the central office. Please contact the ONSW Office for more information.
- DECC Cover Letter
- DECC Orienteering and Rogaining Policy and Procedures
- DECC Events, Functions and Venues Policy
For small events (<150 people). Links updated Nov 2019
Forestry Corporation of NSW Documents
ONSW makes an annual application to Forestry Corporation each year in January for the whole of the year and pays the Forest Permit Application Fee for the year - $413 inc GST for each year from 2016 to 2023. Please contact the ONSW Office for more information.
- ONSW Guidance on Events in State Forests
- ONSW Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) 2024 Permit (New)
- ONSW 2024 Permit Special Activity Conditions (New)
- Forestry Corporation of NSW Contact List for ONSW events (New)
- MOU between Orienteering NSW and Forests NSW
- Medical evacuation and emergency plan (Forest Corp. website)
- Site Safety Plan (Forest Corp. website)
Last updated - 9th February 2024.
