Trade licences to go digital in NSW

The NSW government has announced it will add trade licences to the digital wallet within the Service NSW app.

According to a NSW Fair Trading spokesperson, the general construction induction “White Card” is the first category to go live as a Digital Trade Licence, followed by a range of other categories including Home Building contractors, supervisors and tradesmen, and high-risk work licences.

This will include specialist trades such as air conditioning and refrigeration, electrical, plumbing, draining and gasfitting licences and certificates issued under the Home Building Act 1989. The next release of Digital Trade Licences is in development and is anticipated to be delivered progressively from mid-2021.  

Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson says the changes represent the next stage of the state’s digital transformation.

“Currently tradies are required to carry anywhere up to 15 plastic licence cards with them on the job,” says Anderson. “It’s an outdated system that is costing tradies time and money.

“Under these changes tradies will finally be able to say goodbye to the plastic licences clogging up their wallets and have quick and easy access to all the work licences they need on their smart phones.”

Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello says the reforms build on the success of the digital driver licence, which has been downloaded by more than 2.54 million motorists since its launch in October 2019.

“There are close to 1.5 million site managers, surveyors and tradies who hold a White Card in NSW and whose lives will be made easier by this reform,” Dominello says.

“We know people love the convenience of a digital licence and this is another example of NSW leading the nation on digital transformation.”

Customers will need a MyServiceNSW account and to download the Service NSW app to display their digital White Card.

More information about the Digital Trade Licence program is available here.