AIRAH is supporting efforts to restore confidence in Australia’s building industry through professional registration of engineers.
Australia’s states are introducing professional registration schemes for engineers. The current Queensland Professional Engineers Act has been in operation since 2002. Victoria has introduced the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 to align with the Queensland scheme, starting on July 1, 2021. And New South Wales has introduced the Design and Building Practitioners Act and Regulation, commencing on July 1, 2021.
AIRAH has introduced the AIRAH Professional Engineer Register (APER) accreditation program for mechanical engineer – HVAC&R building services professionals. APER has been designed to meet the requirements of the Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ), the Business Licensing Authority (BLA) in Victoria, and other state‑based schemes as they are released.
In Australia, the registration of engineers is determined by the states/territories. As a professional engineer, you may be required to register individually to these state- and territory-based schemes in order to provide engineering services. This may involve demonstration of a minimum qualification and a competency assessment.
The below information indicates professional engineer registration requirements to date. Please note that the situation is developing rapidly. We encourage you to contact the relevant authority in the concerned state/territory or email
[email protected] to confirm the most up-to-date information.
| ACT |
The Professional Engineers Act 2023 was passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly on March 23, 2023, but a commencement date for registration is yet to be finalised. AIRAH is providing input into consultations on the scheme. For more information, please click here . |
| NSW |
In New South Wales, registration of engineers came into effect on July 1, 2021 and is administered by the Department of Fair Trading. This affects design and building practitioners working on class 2, 3 and 9c buildings. This is in addition to existing NSW requirements for registration, licensing, and certification.
For more information, please click here. |
| NT |
In the Northern Territory, the registration of engineers is administered by the Building Practitioners Board and is restricted to specific areas of engineering and certain work requiring a registered building contractor.
For more information, please click here. |
| Qld |
In Queensland, the registration of engineers is administered by the Board of Professional Engineers Queensland (BPEQ).
The AIRAH Professional Engineer Register (APER) accreditation program has been designed to meet the requirements for AIRAH to be an assessment scheme for registration as a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ). AIRAH is an approved assessor for the RPEQ scheme.
To apply for RPEQ assessment with AIRAH, please visit airah.org.au/APER
For more information on the BPEQ program, please click here.
AIRAH hosted the free Streamline session "Professional engineers registration – Queensland update" in December 2021. Click here to watch the recording. |
| SA |
South Australia is consulting on a proposed mandatory registration scheme for professional engineers, and AIRAH is providing input. For more information, please click here. |
| Tas |
In Tasmania, registration of engineers is administered by the Tasmanian Government Consumer, Building and Occupational Services and is restricted to certain areas of engineering and the building industry.
For more information, please click here. |
| Vic |
In Victoria, registration of engineers came into effect on July 1, 2021 and will be administered by the Business Licensing Authority. It is a staged implementation focused on five areas of engineering: fire safety engineering; civil engineering; structural engineering; electrical engineering; and mechanical engineering. The Victorian government has outlined that, under their timeline for mandatory professional engineer registration, mechanical engineers must be registered by December 1, 2023.
For more information, please click here.
To apply for assessment with AIRAH, please visit airah.org.au/APER |
| WA |
From July 1, 2024, new laws in WA will require building engineers to be registered by the Building Services Board to carry out, or contract with consumers to carry out, building engineering work in the state.
Registration of building engineers will be implemented in two stages:
- Registration of structural and fire safety building engineers will commence from July 1, 2024.
- Registration of civil and mechanical building engineers will commence from July 1, 2025.
A two-year transition period applies for each stage, during which unregistered people may lawfully continue to do building engineering work.
Registration will become mandatory for structural and fire safety engineers on July 1, 2026, and for civil and mechanical engineers on July 1, 2027.
For more information, please click here.
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Professional registration news:
More information on professional registration:
In 2018, the
Building Confidence report noted “significant and concerning” problems in Australia’s building industry that were “likely to undermine public trust in the health and safety of buildings if they are not addressed in a comprehensive manner”.
A
plan was put in place, with the top priority being that each jurisdiction set up a scheme for registering professionals involved in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings. This includes engineers.
Since then, states, territories and the Australian Building Codes Board – which has drafted a national registration framework to ensure consistency across jurisdictions – have begun implementing their schemes, and have been seeking input from industry in the process.
As well as addressing specific aspects of each scheme, AIRAH consistently advocates on three main issues:
-
HVAC&R – building services should be clearly recognised as a branch of mechanical engineering
- State and territory professional registration schemes should be harmonised and mutually recognised, so that registered practitioners can work across jurisdictions without having to pay multiple registration fees
- There should be alternative pathways to registration for practitioners who do not have Washington Accord qualifications, but do have appropriate qualifications and experience.
AIRAH is providing input to all consultations, as shown below. If you are interested in providing input for AIRAH’s submissions, please contact
[email protected]
Past submissions
Australian Building Codes Board
National Registration Framework for Building Practitioners
New South Wales
Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2020 – Stakeholder Feedback
AIRAH support for NSW Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2019
Victoria
Victorian Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 – First round of consultation
Western Australia
Consultation paper – Registration of building engineers in Western Australia
This page was last updated June 19, 2023
