Australian pump industry legends Ron Astall and Alan Rowan have come together to explain the importance of professional engineer registration and how to register in each jurisdiction of Australia.
In the article in the Spring edition featuring Ron Astall and an open letter from the Victorian Business Licensing Authority, engineers can provide engineering services without registration, provided that a registered engineer supervises the work.
It should also be noted that this applies not only to engineers in Victoria providing the services but also to engineers working on projects in Victoria who are outside the state, whether in other states or overseas.
The current situation
As it currently stands, Queensland, along with Victoria, also requires engineers to be registered. Some other states also require some sort of registration, but to a lesser degree. The following details the registration process and where states other than Victoria stand with professional engineer registration.
The starting point for registration is to be assessed and accepted onto the National Engineers Register (NER), which is overseen by Engineers Australia. You do not need to be an EA member to be evaluated; however, if you are a chartered engineer, you are automatically on the NER. In addition to compiling a record of experience and proof of qualifications, you must nominate two suitably qualified referees.
The link outlining the entire process is listed on the Engineers Australia website under Credentials – Registration.
Being on the NER confers no registration status in the individual states. It just confirms that you have met the eligibility requirements to be registered, with Engineers Australia providing a report and letter confirming that you have met the assessment requirements. The process first involved making an application online with Engineers Australia and uploading documents to demonstrate your experience and expertise. Members do not need to provide proof of educational qualifications.
The fee for an NER assessment is $365. For non-Engineers Australia members, it is $610.
Armed with the EA letter, you can then apply separately to the relevant state body to register and pay additional fees. They require formal ID confirmation and a police check.
It is important to note that ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements exist to maintain your status.
Current state and territory registration requirements
Queensland has the most comprehensive registration requirements, followed by Victoria and, recently, the ACT. Most other jurisdictions are currently only focusing on building engineering.
Engineers Australia has provided the following information:
Victoria
Those wishing to investigate Victoria’s registration should visit the Victorian Consumer Affairs website. The initial registration fee for three years is currently $542.40.
In Victoria, all engineers providing “professional engineering services” in the following five prescribed areas of engineering need to be registered under the Act:
- Fire safety engineering
- Civil engineering
- Structural engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Building industry (separate registration)
Queensland
Queensland requires registration of a broader range of areas of practice. For full details, refer to the Board of Professional Engineers Queensland (BPEQ). The application fee is around $70, and the annual fee is $255.
Tasmania
In Tasmania, the Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) registers engineers. Registration is only required for the building industry and certain engineering areas. For more information, visit the CBOS website.
Western Australia
New laws requiring building engineers to be registered by the Building Services Board to carry out building engineering work in Western Australia or contract with consumers to carry out building engineering work went into effect on 1 July 2024.
Registration will be implemented in a two-year transition period:
- From 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2026 – structural, fire safety and fire systems engineers
- From 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2027 – civil and mechanical building engineers
Australian Capital Territory
Engineer registration commenced in the ACT on 6 March 2024, and all those practising civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and fire safety engineering must register.
The scheme will be implemented in three phases:
- Phase 1 – 6 March 2024 for Civil and Structural Engineers
- Phase 2 – 24 July 2024 for Mechanical Engineers
- Phase 3 – 11 September 2024 for Electrical and Fire Safety Engineers
From 6 March 2025, all professional engineers providing professional engineering services in these areas of engineering must be registered.
New South Wales
In NSW, not all engineers need to be registered. However, if you’re a professional engineer working on class 2 buildings or buildings with a class 2 part, class 3, or class 9c, you may need to register. Fair Trading registers professional engineers and design practitioners under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020. Visit NSW Fair Trading to find out if you need to register.
Northern Territory
In the Northern Territory, the Building Practitioners Board registers engineers. Registration is only required for the building industry and specific engineering areas. Visit the NT Building Practitioners Board for more information.
South Australia
At the time of writing, South Australia has no statewide regulations that require the registration of engineers.
Geographical region of practice
It does not matter where you reside or where your office is – the criteria for registration is where a project is located. If, for example, you live and work in Hawaii and you are undertaking professional engineering work for a project in Brisbane, you need to be registered in Queensland – or have a suitably qualified Queensland registered engineer check and sign off on your work.
Mutual recognition
Professional engineers must register in each jurisdiction that requires registration if they plan to practise there. However, under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992, if you’re registered as an engineer in one Australian jurisdiction, you can be registered as an engineer in another.
Suppose you’re already registered in Queensland. In that case, you’d still need to apply for registration in Victoria. Still, mutual recognition means you may only need to complete the competency assessment for registration once to cover both jurisdictions and provide a report and a letter confirming that you have met the assessment requirements. The process through Engineers Australia first involved making an online application and uploading documents to demonstrate your experience and expertise.
Summary
We hope that the above will help pump engineers ensure that they can comply with the needs of various states when they provide professional engineering services.
