Victoria reviewing Professional Engineers Registration Act

The Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 (PERA) came into effect on July 1, 2021, establishing a mandatory framework for the registration and regulation of professional engineers working in or for Victoria. Section 102 of the PERA requires that a statutory review of the first three years of the operation of the PERA be conducted in the fourth year.

The objective of the PERA is to promote set standards in the provision of professional engineering services and provide consumer protections by requiring professional engineers to meet qualification, experience, probity and continuing professional development requirements.

It establishes a mandatory registration scheme for professional engineers either operating in Victoria or providing professional engineering services to Victoria. It requires persons providing professional engineering services in one of five areas (civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and fire safety) to register with the Business Licencing Authority, unless they are working under the direct supervision of a registered professional engineer or are applying a prescriptive standard only.

The key objective of this consultation is to support the statutory review of the PERA by seeking to understand the experiences and perspectives of stakeholders, including consumers, engineers and assessment entities, using or affected by the operation of the PERA.

It will consider:

• The effectiveness of the Act in achieving its objectives
• The effectiveness of the institutional arrangements for administering and funding the registration scheme
• Whether there is a benefit to adding more engineering categories beyond the five included in the Act, such as technologists or others
• Whether existing guidelines under the Act are sufficiently clear and can be easily understood
• Whether the existing pathways for registration are fit for purpose
• Potential mechanisms for improving the registration process
• The benefits and possibilities of mutual recognition between states for registered engineers
• Whether registration for organisations should be adopted
• Whether there is an under-registration of engineers in, or for, Victoria, and if so, why, alongside strategies to promote registration among professional engineers in Victoria in compliance with the Act.

As an approved assessment entity in Victoria, AIRAH will be providing feedback to the consultation. If you have views you would like AIRAH to consider, please contact [email protected]

Photo by Edbert Als on Unsplash

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