ACT confirms start date for professional registration

The ACT government has confirmed that its scheme for professional registration of engineers will begin on March 6, 2024. The scheme is underpinned by the Professional Engineers Act 2023, passed in March this year.

There will be a phased approach for different areas of engineering: civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and fire safety. The government says it will provide further information on the phases and deadlines for professional engineers later this year, along with details of the scheme.

The scheme will apply to individuals providing professional engineering services if the services are provided in the ACT, and/or from a location outside the ACT, but for projects in the ACT.

Checking of qualifications, experience and competency requirements will be handled by assessment entities. The ACT government is now seeking applications from organisations that wish to apply to become assessment entities. In the area of HVAC&R building services, AIRAH is an approved assessment entity in Queensland and Victoria through its APER program, and it will also apply to be an assessment entity in the ACT.

The ACT joins Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia as states that either already have or are currently rolling out schemes for registration of professional engineers. This forms one of the major responses to the Building Confidence Report, which highlighted the need for professional engineering regimes to restore community confidence in Australia’s building and construction industry.

More information – including updates on commencement dates and details of the scheme – can be found at the ACT government website.

Photo by Mark Direen.