Australian Capital Territory
Canberra runs on federal procurement rules. Our documentation is written for the person who has to file it.
Almost every significant workplace in the ACT is either a federal department, an agency, a contractor to one, or a university and research body operating to similar standards. That means supplier approval is a formal process with a document checklist, and security-cleared buildings add access, escort and cash-handling conditions on top. Our position is simple: $20 million public liability, product liability, certificates before install, cashless-only hardware and technicians who work to your building's access rules. WorkSafe ACT administers work health and safety across the Territory, and Comcare has jurisdiction over a large share of Commonwealth agencies and their contractors, so our safe work paperwork is written to satisfy either audience without a separate version for each. Building managers across Barton, Russell and the parliamentary triangle typically run their own contractor sign-in and swipe-access process on top of that, and our technicians work to whichever one a given building requires — sign-in book, digital contractor portal or building-management-escorted visit.
What we carry
Public liability
$20 million
Covers third-party personal injury and property damage arising from the machine and from our people while they are on your site.
Product liability
Included
Covers the goods sold from the machine. Everything stocked is commercially packaged, in-date and sourced through mainstream Australian distribution.
The machine itself
Our asset, our cover
The unit remains our property and is insured by us. You are not asked to schedule it on your policy or accept liability for it.
Workers compensation
Held by us
Our technicians are covered under our own workers compensation policy in the state they attend.
Certificate of currency
On request, before install
Issued as a PDF naming the insurer, policy number, limit and period. Accepted by government, health, defence and tier-one construction procurement.
| Line item | Your cost |
|---|---|
| The vending machine | $0 |
| Delivery and freight to your site | $0 |
| Installation, commissioning and positioning | $0 |
| All stock and restocking visits | $0 |
| Servicing, repairs and parts | $0 |
| Cashless payment hardware and merchant fees | $0 |
| Public liability and product insurance | $0 |
| Removal if you no longer want the machine | $0 |
What you provide
No rental, no minimum spend, no sales guarantee and no invoice — ever.
The harmonised WHS Act applies, administered locally by WorkSafe ACT, while Comcare has jurisdiction over many Commonwealth agencies and their labour-hire and contractor arrangements. We attend with our own safe work documentation and workers compensation cover and complete whichever building induction applies — an online module for a university campus, a swipe-card briefing for a departmental floor, or an escorted walk-through for a secure tenancy.
No cash is held on site at any time, telemetry is outbound-only, and technicians can work escorted and to scheduled access windows. These are the three points that most often decide approval in Canberra.
Canberra's office towers and Commonwealth buildings run RCD-protected circuits as standard, and every machine is fitted with a compliant, RCM-marked lead that plugs straight into a general power outlet — no dedicated circuit or electrician is needed. Where a building's facilities team asks for it, we supply test-and-tag records to AS/NZS 3760 as part of the induction paperwork rather than as a separate request.
Government and university floors are typically raised-access or carpet-tiled slab construction rated well beyond a machine's loaded weight, but we still confirm the exact position with your facilities team before delivery so the unit sits clear of fire egress paths and doesn't obstruct an accessible route. Free-standing units are fitted with anti-tip bracketing, and lift and corridor dimensions are checked in advance for buildings with narrow service routes, which is common in older Barton offices.
Prepacked, labelled, date-marked stock rotated on each visit, with no preparation on your premises.
General information for procurement and facilities teams, not legal advice. Legislation is named so your WHS or compliance officer can verify it directly.
Documentation
Civic, Barton, Fyshwick, Belconnen, Tuggeranong or a university campus — tell us the building and we will send the documentation for your supplier file first.
Request the documentationNew South Wales
What NSW procurement and WHS teams need on file before a machine is installed — and confirmation that nothing is invoiced afterwards.
Victoria
Victoria runs its own occupational health and safety framework. Here's how a free machine fits it, and what your procurement file will contain.
Queensland
Queensland has the strictest electrical testing expectations in the country and the highest vending demand. Here's the documentation that clears both.
Western Australia
Resource-sector onboarding sets the bar in WA. Our documentation package is built to clear it before the first site visit.
South Australia
Defence, health and advanced manufacturing dominate SA procurement — and all three want the paperwork before the conversation.
Tasmania
Small state, serious sites — Bell Bay, health services and food production all want the documentation before the machine.
Northern Territory
Controlled access, long distances and tough conditions — the three things a NT host site checks before signing off a supplier.
FAQ
Yes. Cashless-only machines with no cash on site, outbound-only telemetry, escorted access and scheduled service windows, with insurance and induction documentation supplied before first attendance.
We use slimline glass-front units in a neutral finish sized for a kitchen or breakout alcove rather than a full-depth industrial machine.
None. No rental, no service charge, no insurance cost and no removal fee — there is nothing for a delegate to approve as expenditure.
Ours. The $20 million public liability policy covers third-party injury or property damage arising from the machine and from our technicians while on your premises, because we own, install and maintain it. It does not transfer any additional occupier duty to your agency or building manager, and your own facilities insurance arrangements continue exactly as before.
No — either way, we bring our own safe work documentation, technician induction records and workers compensation cover. You provide the building's access process and a suitable power point and floor position, the same as for any other office equipment supplier.
$20 million. The policy covers third-party personal injury and property damage arising from the machine and from our technicians while they are working on your premises. Product liability on everything stocked is carried alongside it.
Yes, on request and before the machine is installed. The certificate is a PDF naming the insurer, the policy number, the limit of indemnity and the period of cover — the standard document a procurement or WHS officer needs for a supplier file.
No. The machine is our asset and stays on our policy. You are not asked to schedule it, note our interest, or extend your own cover in any way. Most sites simply file our certificate of currency and move on.
Liability for the machine itself sits with us as owner and operator, backed by the $20 million policy. Ordinary occupier duties for your premises stay with you, exactly as they would for any other equipment or supplier on site — nothing about this arrangement shifts additional risk onto your business.
Yes. There is no rental, delivery, installation, restocking, service, insurance or removal charge, and no minimum spend or sales guarantee to meet. The model is funded by the margin on products staff buy. You are never sent an invoice.
A one-page site placement agreement covering power, access and positioning. No minimum term, no lock-in, no exit fee. Either side can end it with reasonable notice and we collect the machine at our cost.
Experience you can check
Written and maintained by Dan Barnes — owner-operator, Free Vending Machines Australia
I have been placing and servicing vending equipment in Australian workplaces for over two decades — offices, warehouses, gyms, hospitals, schools, remote camps and government sites. Everything on this page reflects how we actually run installs across every state and territory: the machines we physically stock, the lead times our crews hold to, and the service standard we carry at our own cost. Nothing here is licensed boilerplate.
1. Two-question request
You tell us the workplace type and rough head count. No paperwork, no credit check, no sales visit required to get an answer.
2. Site check within 24 hours
We confirm head count, foot traffic, power location and access (lifts, stairs, loading dock, after-hours security) and pick the right machine.
3. Delivery and install
Our crew delivers, levels and commissions the machine, tests the cashless reader end-to-end and takes the packaging away. Nothing is invoiced.
4. Telemetry goes live
Every vend, temperature reading and fault code streams back to us. Low stock is flagged 2–3 days before a row empties.
5. Ongoing service, still $0
Restocks, cleaning, repairs, parts, product-mix changes and $20m public liability are all carried by us. Ask us to remove it and we do — no exit fee.
These are our three workhorse combination machines — photographed as they leave our workshop, stocked with the Australian brands your team actually buys. We recommend one based on your head count and floor space, never on what happens to be in the truck.
CV3 combo — slimline snack & drink
890mm wide · 1830mm high · 830mm deep
CV4 combo — mid-size with priced shelf labels
1000mm wide · 1830mm high · 830mm deep
CV5 combo — high-capacity site machine
1200mm wide · 1830mm high · 880mm deep
Proof
Office · Barton, ACT
The zero-cost model meant we didn't need to run a procurement process. Their installers cleared our security briefing and had all four machines live inside a fortnight.
Read the write-upOffice · Barangaroo, NSW
Booking the dock and getting building management to approve a vendor is usually painful. This crew handled all of it — the machine appeared, plugged in, and the staff just started using it.
Read the write-upWarehouse · Truganina, VIC
Night shift was tapping vending machines in the servo across the road. Now they don't leave the site. It's paid for itself in productivity in the first month — and we paid nothing for it.
Read the write-up
Proof
Office · Barangaroo, NSW
Booking the dock and getting building management to approve a vendor is usually painful. This crew handled all of it — the machine appeared, plugged in, and the staff just started using it.
Read the case studiesFree download
What "free" actually covers, how sites are assessed, the insurance and compliance paperwork your facilities team will ask for, and the questions to put to any operator before you sign anything.
Get the guideTwo quick questions and you're on your way. No contract lock-ins, no hidden fees.
Keep exploring ACT
These pages sit either side of this one in the ACT silo — the same market from a different angle, the workplace types we install into most, and the cover that applies to every site.