Licensing Requirements

Please note that information provided here is intended to be used as a guide only and may not be comprehensive or current. Users must contact regulators in their jurisdiction for up-to-date licensing information.   

 

These pages provide an overview of licensing and regulation requirements for each jurisdiction based on the qualifications and units of competency for the General Construction Sector including:       

§         Mutual recognition arrangements

§         Licensing categories

§         Common trades licensing requirements  

§         Changes to OHS requirements

§         State and Territory regulators    

 

A number of occupations and job roles covered by the competencies and qualifications for general construction may be subject to state and territory licensing requirements. 

Licensing authorities across Australia have actively participated in the development of this sector and it is expected that over time, the state and territory licensing requirements in a number of occupations will be aligned with the competencies and qualifications of CPC08.  

 

For the latest licensing news click here:  www.licensinglinenews.com Licensing Line News is Australia's leading source of information on occupational licensing.  The website provides the latest news and information on occupational licensing and regulatory matters which impact on training and assessment.

 

Mutual Recognition Arrangements

From February 2007, new arrangements have been put in place making it easier for licensed tradespeople, and authorities that issue licences, to know what licence a worker is entitled to when applying for a licence in another jurisdiction.  For further information, please click HERE.   

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 Licensing categories

Based on mutual recognition arrangements for occupational licenses in Australia, the following table shows generally recognised construction trade occupations that are covered by a licence category in each state and territory.   

 

Occupation	QLD	NSW	VIC	SA	TAS	WA	ACT	NT
Brick and Blocklaying	P	P	P	P
Carpentry	P	P	P	P
Painting and Decorating	P	P		P		#
Plastering (Plasterboard)	P	P		P
Solid Plastering	P	P	P	P
Roof Tiling	P	P	P	P
Wall and Floor Tiling	P	P		P
Waterproofing	P	P	P	P
Concreting	P	P	P	P
Steelfixing (Metal Fabrication)	P	P		P
Cabinetmaking and/or Joinery	P	P	P	P
Glazing	P	P		P
Shopfitting	P			P			P
Stonemasonry	P	P		P

    
   # Registered Painter Licence only  

 

§    Queensland Licensing Categories  

§    New South Wales Licensing Categories

§    Victorian Licensing Categories  

 

Queensland Licensing Categories

Construction Occupations

Other  Construction Occupations

Brick and Segmental Paving Bricklaying and Blocklaying Cabinetmaking Carpentry Concreting Floor Finishing and Covering (Hard) Foundation Work (Piling and Anchors) Glass, Glazing and Aluminium Joinery Metal Fascias and Gutters Structural Metal Fabrication and Erection Non-Structural Metal Fabrication and Installation Painting and Decorating Plastering Drywall Plastering Solid Roof and Wall Cladding Roof Tiling Shopfitting (Trade) Steelfixing Stonemasonry Wall and Floor Tiling Waterproofing

Minor Maintenance/Cleaning Kitchen, Bathroom and Laundry Renovations Minor Trade work Structural Landscaping Metal Fabrication Erection of Prefabricated Metal-framed Home Additions and Structures Metal Fabrication Swimming Pool Building Swimming Pool Repairs and Servicing Underpinning/Piering

 

New South Wales Licensing Categories

Construction Occupations	Other  Construction Occupations
Building Bricklaying Carpentry Decorating Dry Plastering Excavating Fencing Flooring General Concreting Glazing Joinery Painting Roof Slating Roof Tiling Wall and Floor Tiling Waterproofing Wet Plastering Stonemasonry	Minor Maintenance/Cleaning Kitchen, Bathroom and Laundry Renovations Minor Trade work Structural Landscaping Metal Fabrication Erection of Prefabricated Metal-framed Home Additions and Structures Metal Fabrication Swimming Pool Building Swimming Pool Repairs and Servicing Underpinning/Piering

 

Victorian Licensing Categories

Construction Occupations	Other  Construction Occupations
Brickwork, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class H Cabinet-making and joinery, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class N Carpenter, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class C Floor slabs, footings, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class O Sub-floor works, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class J Waterproofing   NB these are contactor categories; trade work of individuals working for a contractor is not licensed	Swimming pools, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class S Damp-proofing Fitout – non-structural Fitout – structural Greenhouse Low rise Other Re-stumping Shade structures Sign erection Steel erection Structural landscaping, Domestic Builder, Limited, Class U Structural landscaping Underpinning

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Common trades licensing requirements

While some states have no licensing requirements at all for trade work carried out under the auspices of a contractor, there is often a requirement for licensing if the value of the work to be undertaken exceeds a certain figure. As an illustration of how common trades work is regulated, the following provides licensing requirements across jurisdictions for common occupations in the General Construction Sector: 

 

§      Carpentry

§      Bricklaying/Blocklaying

§      Painting and Decorating

 

  

Carpentry   

State / Territory	Licensing Requirements
New South Wales	Licensing is compulsory for unsupervised residential trade work. Licensing is not required for commercial or residential trade work under the auspices of a contractor.
Northern Territory	Registration is compulsory in order to carry out residential building work over the value of $12,000.
Queensland	Licensing is compulsory in order to carry out or supervise building work over the value of $3,300 (including labour and materials).
Australian Capital Territory Tasmania South Australia Victoria Western Australia	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for the occupation of carpenter.

 

Bricklaying/Blocklaying   

State/Territory	Licensing Requirements
Australian Capital Territory	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for this occupation in the ACT if work is performed on behalf of a licensed practitioner, or work does not exceed $5,000.
New South Wales	Licensing is compulsory in order to carry out or supervise building work over the value of $1,000 (including labour and materials).
Northern Territory	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for this occupation in the Northern Territory if work is performed on behalf of a licensed practitioner, or work does not exceed the value of $12,000.
Queensland	Licensing is compulsory in order to carry out or supervise building work over the value of $3,300 (including labour and materials).
Tasmania	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for this occupation in Tasmania if work is performed on behalf of a licensed practitioner, or work does not exceed $5,000.
Victoria	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for this occupation in Victoria if work is performed on behalf of a licensed practitioner or work does not exceed $5,000.
Western Australia South Australia	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for this occupation.

 

  Painting and Decorating

State / Territory	Licensing Requirements
New South Wales	Licensing is compulsory for unsupervised residential trade work. Licensing is not required for commercial or residential trade work under the auspices of a contractor.  NB  Painting and decorating are two separate licensing categories but with the same competency requirements.
Queensland	Licensing is compulsory in order to carry out or supervise building work over the value of $3,300 (including labour and materials).
Australian Capital Territory Northern Territory Tasmania South Australia Victoria Western Australia	There is no legal requirement for licensing or registration for this occupation.

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Changes to OHS requirements  

A new OHS unit CPCCOSH1001A Work safely in the construction industry was developed to achieve mutual recognition of construction industry induction (not individual worksite induction).  This unit reflects the newly adopted National Code of Practice for Induction for Construction Work requirements and meets the training requirements of construction site safety cards in most jurisdictions.  This unit is included in the Certificate I qualification, and is a pre-requisite for the core OHS unit CPCCOHS2001A Apply OHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry in all Certificate II and III qualifications.

All states and territories have agreed to implement the National Code of Practice for Induction for Construction Work which has been declared by Safe Work Australia. The code of practice replaces a multitude of state systems currenly in operation with a single national approach.  The Code provides guidance on the recommended induction training required to ensure construction workers gain awareness and understanding of common hazards on construction sites and how they should be managed.  For more information on the Code of Practice and arrangements for each state and territory, click HERE.

In response to the requirement for asbestos awareness to be embedded in all construction qualifications, the core OHS unit CPCCOHS2001A Apply OHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry now includes additional content covering recognition and reporting of asbestos containing materials found in construction projects.

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State and territory regulators          

There is no one ‘national’ licence for the sector or any of its functions, and requirements vary significantly across jurisdictions. For this reason, you are advised to consult the relevant occupational licensing authority in your state or territory to determine the specific licensing requirements for various general construction occupations. Below are contact details for regulatory authorities for each state and territory.

    

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

      

 

Remember to contact or visit the websites of individual regulators to confirm licensing requirements.      

ACT Regulator  

ACT Planning and Land Authority
GPO Box 1908
Canberra ACT 2601
Telephone: 02 6207 1923
Website:      www.actpla.act.gov.au/   

 

NSW Regulator

NSW Office of Fair Trading
PO Box 972
Parramatta NSW 2124
Telephone: 13 32 20
Website:      www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/

 

 

NT Regulator

NT Building Practitioners Board
GPO Box 1680
Darwin NT 0801
SW Office of Fair Trading

Telephone: 08 8999 8964
Website:      www.nt.gov.au/bpb/ 

 

 

QLD Regulator

Building Services Authority
PMB 84
Cooparoo DC  QLD  4151
Telephone: 1300 272 272

Website:      www.bsa.qld.gov.au/ 

 

SA Regulator

Office of Consumer and Business Affairs

GPO Box 1719
Adelaide  SA  5001
Telephone: 08 8204 9696
Website:      www.ocba.sa.gov.au/  

 

Tasmanian Regulator

Workplace Standards of Tasmania
Department of Justice
PO Box 56
Rosny Park TAS 7018
Telephone: 03 6233 7657 (outside Tasmania)

Website:      www.wst.tas.gov.au/

 

Victorian Regulator

Victoria Building Commission
PO Box 536E
Melbourne VIC 3001

Telephone: 03 9285 6400
Website:      www.buildingcommission.com.au/ 

 

WA Regulator

Builders Registration Board of Western Australia
Parliament Court
18 Harvest Terrace
West Perth  WA  6005
Telephone: 08 9476 1200
Website:      www.builders.wa.gov.au/

 

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