May/June 2019

PE Report
Engineers Australia Pushes to Expand Registration

Queensland is the only one of Australia’s six states to regulate and register engineers, but now Engineers Australia is pushing to expand mandatory registration into the southeastern state of Victoria.

Legislation introduced by the Labor Party will require registration of engineers who provide professional services (or who export professional engineering services from Victoria) if they practice in the areas of civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, or fire safety.

Alesha Printz, president of Engineers Australia Victoria, believes that mandatory engineering registration will bring more accountability to the profession and increase public protections.

Engineers Australia is the nation’s engineering accreditation body. The organization oversees the National Engineering Register, which provides assurance to the public and consumers that engineers meet the high standards of professionalism. Registrants must adhere to a code of ethics, accept responsibility for competency and the outcomes of the services provided, and obtain continuing education.

There are three categories of engineering practice on the register:

• Professional Engineer—requires completion of an accredited engineering qualification in Australia of four or more years or equivalent;
• Engineering Technologist—requires completion of an accredited three-year engineering technology qualification in Australia or equivalent; and
• Engineering Associate—requires completion of a recognized two-year engineering associate qualification in Australia or equivalent.

Engineers Australia believes that expansion of registration will benefit the public for the following reasons:

• People who are not registered engineers will not be able to undertake engineering work without supervision and could be penalized for doing so;
• Engineers who don’t uphold the highest standards will be subject to greater accountability and penalties;
• Skilled trades are licensed, but engineers who supervise them don’t have to be registered; and
• Industry and Victoria’s economy will be strengthened.

Engineers Australia also wants to establish registration in the state of New South Wales. Legislators voiced support for regulation following structural failure of the Opal Tower apartment building in Sydney’s Olympic Park in December, which required the evacuation of tenants. Most of the building remains closed. An investigation revealed that the registration of engineers would have reduced the likelihood of the building experiencing structural damage.