Engineers Australia and other professional bodies have welcomed a National Competition Council (NCC) finding that a national licensing scheme could improve workforce mobility and reduce regulatory barriers for engineers.
The NCC’s final report to the Council for Federal Financial Relations identified engineering as the leading example of an occupation that could benefit from national registration as part of its review of mutual recognition arrangements for workers.
The report found that national licensing schemes had the potential to deliver “large benefits for labour mobility” by removing barriers associated with existing mutual recognition arrangements, including complex licence equivalence assessments.
“National licensing would create greater certainty while also simplifying compliance and administration,” the NCC said in the report.
Engineers Australia, Consult Australia, Professionals Australia and the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia said a national registration scheme could replace the current state and territory arrangements with a single system allowing engineers to register once and work across Australia.
Engineers Australia Chief Executive Officer Romilly Madew AO said the NCC’s findings demonstrated the potential productivity benefits for industries and services that rely on engineering expertise.
“The NCC’s report marks an important step towards a framework that allows engineers to register once and practise anywhere in Australia,” Madew said.
She said engineers working on national security, energy and infrastructure projects often operated across state and territory boundaries and should be able to do so without unnecessary regulatory barriers.
“National registration will reduce compliance costs associated with the current fragmented system and create more opportunities for the more than 545,000 qualified engineers in Australia to work in regional and remote areas facing skills shortages,” Madew said.
Consult Australia CEO Jonathan Cartledge said the existing arrangements created constraints for businesses seeking to move engineers between jurisdictions.
“This review recognises the significant business constraints that stop our members moving engineers to regions to ensure government can deliver their expansive public infrastructure pipeline,” Cartledge said.
Consult Australia estimates that more than $54 million could be saved by enabling existing registered engineers to work across state and territory borders without additional registration requirements.
Engineers Australia said polling by Professionals Australia had found 93 per cent of Australians supported a national registration system, while nearly eight in 10 engineers backed the proposal.
The organisation said it would work with governments, states and territories and other engineering bodies on developing a national scheme, with its Member Advisory Groups providing industry and technical expertise.
“We hope governments continue with this momentum to reduce the regulatory burden for our professionals,” Madew said.
