Trade Licence: Electrician

Electrical Licensing in Australia

The Licensing of Electrical Workers in Australia

    To work in certain electrical trades in Australia you must register and/or have a license from the relevant State or Territory electrical registration and licensing authority. Licenses are issued in various grades which define the work you can do.

A separate license is required in each State and Territory in which you may wish to work. However, there are arrangements for the mutual recognition of interstate licenses which facilitate the issue of similar licenses in different States and Territories.

To obtain a license to perform the full range of electrical work without supervision, you must pass a test in the Australian electrical wiring rules. Working under supervision in Australia will help you learn the rules.

You should contact the electrical registration and licensing authority in the State or Territory, in which you intend to work, to determine how you can obtain electrical registration and/or license.

A list of electrical registration and licensing bodies in the States and Territories of Australia is attached, together with a web link related to that State.

Getting an Electricians Licence may be easier to obtain in South Australia than in other Australian States, but it is relatively easy to then transfer the licence.

You can apply for your Australian Recognised Trade Certificates (ARTC) whilst in the UK, using distance learning, which will save time once you arrive in Australia.

Prepared by Trades Recognition Australia

National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition

Examples

How to get an Electrical Licence in Queensland

Trade skills assessment for migration

VETASSESS – Vocational Education Training and Assessment Services

VETASSESS leads a Consortium that assesses the trade skills of people intending to migrate to Australia from the United Kingdom, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Philippines for various trades:
These trades include:

  • General Electrician
  • General Plumber
  • Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Mechanic
  • Motor Mechanic
  • Carpenter and Joiner
  • Electrical Powerline Tradesperson
  • Cable Jointer
  • Bricklayer

Australian Licencing Authorities

Licensing or registration requirements:

In many occupations you must be registered with or obtain a license from a local authority in the state or territory where you wish to practise your occupation.

Select from the following:

Australian Capital Territory – Licensing is compulsory.

Building, Electrical and Plumbing Control
ACT Planning and Land Authority
Dame Pattie Menzies House
16 Challis St
Dickson ACT 2602
Telephone: 61 2 6207 7775
Website: http://www.actpla.act.gov.au

Electricians may be issued one of three types of licenses:

  • electrical contractors licence;
  • unrestricted electricians licence; or
  • restricted electricians licence

New South Wales – Licensing is compulsory for unsupervised trade work.

Department of Fair Trading (DFT)
Home Building Licensing
Locked Bag A 5020
Sydney South NSW 1235
Telephone:133 220
Fax: 61 2 9377 9325
Website: http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au

You must have a contractor licence or employ the holder of a qualified supervisor certificate to contract, subcontract or advertise to do: electrical wiring work

Northern Territory – Licensing is compulsory.

Electrical Workers and Contractors Board
Electrical Licensing Board
C/- NT Build office
33/12 Charlton Court
Woolner-Winnellie NT 0820
Postal Address:
GPO Box 1680
Darwin NT 0801
Telephone: 61 8 8981 5435
Fax: 61 8 8923 9318
Website: www.electricallicensing.nt.gov.au

Electrical industry workers in the Northern Territory must be adequately trained to ensure that electrical installations are produced safely. Workers must obtain a licence and meet certain requirements before any electrical work is carried out.

Queensland – Licensing is compulsory.

Department of Industrial Relations
Business and Occupational Licensing
Postal Address:
PO Box 820
Lutwyche Qld 4030
Telephone: 61 7 3247 4711 or 1300 650 662
Website: http://www.dir.qld.gov.au/electricalsafety/

Overseas applicants have to meet certain eligibility criteria prior to the issue of a Queensland electrical work licence.

South Australia – Licensing is required for electrical work.

Office of Consumer and Business Affairs
Business & Occupational Services
Level 3, Chesser House, 91 – 97 Grenfell Street
Adelaide SA 5000
Postal Address:
GPO Box 1719
Adelaide SA 5001
Telephone: 61 8 8204 9696
Website: www.cbs.sa.gov.au

Any person (including a company) who carries on business or holds himself or herself out as a plumber, gas fitter or electrician, must be licensed as a contractor under the Plumbers, Gas Fitters and Electricians Act 1995. If a business operates as a partnership then each partner must hold their own licence.

Tasmania – Licensing is required for electrical work.

Electricity Standards and Safety
Postal Address:
PO Box 56
Rosny Park Tas. 7018
Telephone: 61 3 6233 7851
Website: http://www.wst.tas.gov.au/industries/electricity

An electrician’s licence entitles the holder to perform electrical work, but not to enter into a contract to perform electrical work (as defined by the Electricity Industry Safety and Administration Act 1997). An electrician’s licence is valid for 3 years and may be renewed.

Victoria – Licensing is required for electrical work.

Energy Safe Victoria
Level 3, 4 Riverside Quay
Southbank Vic. 3206
Postal Address:
PO Box 262, Collins Street West
Melbourne Vic. 8007
Telephone: 1800 815 721
Fax: 61 3 9686 2197
Website:  http://www.esv.vic.gov.au

An Electrician’s License entitles the holder to carry out all types of electrical installation work in Victoria without supervision.
However, to contract, or offer to contract, to carry out electrical installation work, a licensed electrician must also be registered as an electrical contractor.

Western Australia – Licensing is required for electrical work.

Electrical Licensing Board
20 Southport Street
West Leederville WA 6007
Telephone: 61 8 9422 5282
Fax: 61 8 9422 5244
Website: https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/building-and-energy/licensing-electrical-workers-and-electrical-contractors

In Western Australia, the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991 provide that electrical work may only be carried out by persons with the appropriate electrical worker’s licence (as issued by the Electrical Licensing Board) unless it is a type of work that is exempted by regulation.

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I’m electrical/electronic Diplom a holder .l have EEHA
competency certe.Pls advise me where to sit for WA Electrical
License course at Singapore. Thanks

IM doing the ctsa electrical liciencing course in perth next week in balcatta its 1 week long and need any advice on the prestudy guide any advice is helpfull has anyone done this course

I would like to apply for a Electrical Inspector’s Licence ( H Class ) from Singapore. Could you please me how could i go about it. Currently i am working as an Electrical, Instrument Control Inspector with USA oil and gas. Inspector instrument cables to IEC 331, 332 standard, installation, Zoning to IEC certification. If needed i would fly to Australia to do the assessment. Reason for taking this exam, is because we have Australia class Vessel , build here or having conversion here. many thanks dennis yeo

Hello
My Name is Manzoor Hussain
My name is Manzoor Hussain I have been working in electrical field since 1994. I have great knowledge and excellent experience in electrical field. In starting I worked house, homes, shops, projects, buildings wirings and ground fault interrupters, instalments of lightings with fans, coolers and window & split type air conditions, and all electrical facilities like door bell, intercom, two ways switch circuits & intermediate switch circuits etc. After five years I started motor windings and all single & 3 phase motors winding and instalment with star delta power circuits, two motor star circuits etc, electrical & mechanical maintenance of all motors, home washing machines, fans coolers etc, electrical & mechanical maintenance of home refrigerators and air conditions, and all electrical safety devoices electrical & mechanical devoices like low ambient control, dual pressure switch, heater sensor, circuit breakers, magnetic contactors, thermal over load relay, timers sensors etc. And I have extra abilities in different works like plumbing etc. Recently, I am doing Air-conditioning work of the Heavy Road Vehicle(Buses and coaches). Except this I have experience of the following:
� Electrical examiner,
� Electrical supervisor,
� General Electrician,
� Electric ground fault interrupters,
� Homes, shop, buildings , projects, wirings,
� A.C & D.C wirings and control circuits,
� Electrical home appliance and power tool repairer,
� Electrical fitter,
� Refrigeration mechanic,
� Air conditions installer & technician,
� Electrical plant operating & maintenance, Etc.
Noted ; I am in Pakistan not in UK just wetting for chance tread License / visa.

Pls email me if you are looking for work and assistance in getting licenced in Australia

Hi Tom,

I live in brisbane Aus, and my brother is currently living in the UK. He is a fully licensed JIB electrician over there (city and guilds), and is already an Australian Citizen, but would like to move back to Australia next year to work in QLD but is not sure how to go about it. We have both heard that it may be easier for him to move to adelaide instead and get his licence there first, and then transfer it to a QLD licence. We are about to undergo the ARTC application process to get that certificate but not sure what to do from there. Will he still need to go to an RTO and do gap training?
Any info you my have would be very helpful!!
Thanks very much

is there any help you can offer me i seem not to get any joy with ARTC application because of vetassess assessments that i have how best can i get my skills assessed without doing the gap training issue

Hi Tom,
I am looking for work in Australia and get the licence. I have 15 years experience.
Would be great if you could help me
Thank you

hi there… interesting thanks… have just emigrated to the sunshine coast from the uk… i am a qualified british trained electrician and want to work in australia… have realised how complicated it appears to be to obtain a licence in Qld… someone has mentioned, as you have, that it’s easier to obtain the licence in SA. i still want to work in qld, so is it easy to then transfer the SA licence to a QLD one on my return??? what do you understand about the process please (many thanks: this has been helpful so far to me!!)

Does white collar supervision, such as Electrical Superintendents, Electrical Quality Assurance & Quality Control and Electrical Inspectors require an electrical license to perform their jobs overseeing major industrial construction projects (such as LNG plants) in Australia.

Thank you

Hi

Recently I got PR of Murray of NSW. I have Vetasses skil Test Certificate an as Electrician. Now what will be the nex step for me to get the electrician license ?
Please advice me !

Tanvir

Hi, how do i successfully gain a general electrician assessment from TRA code 4311-11??

i have already payed for and recieved my visa now its a rush to get as much info as possible, thnax karl

I am an electrician just moved to tasmania and have been an electrician for 30 years.Is there a reciprical agreement with U.S. to tranfer license to here??

Hello
my name is Ronen
I am looking for information
I have a successful general electrician assessment from TRA code 4311-11
What do I need to do if I want to start working as an electrician ?

Thank you
Ronen

Hallo,

I have obtained a PR to migrate to australia with skilled – independent visa as General Electrician. Could you please advise me to proceed further to obtain Electrical license in Victoria to find a permanent job over there.

Thanks & Regards,
K. Jacob Joseph

Hi There,

I am an electrician with 20 years industrial experience and a variety of certificates. I also hold an Australian NSW Electrical Mechanic License which I believe is a high grade. I also have a brother who has immigated to Australia around 5-6 years ago, which I believe may help my quest.
Could you please inform me of how I could best find a sponsor or a way to advertise myself to put myself out there.

Kind regards,

Azme Tamimi

For more information about the Tasmanian Electrical Contracting license course visit this site:
https://sites.google.com/site/tasmanianelectricalcontracting/

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