Electrical, plumbing, gas and refrigeration sit outside the general building-licence regime — they are separately licensed, trade by trade, with their own authorities. Each needs an individual practitioner licence plus a contractor/business registration, and refrigerant work needs a national ARCtick licence on top. Here is the map.
Electrical
Every state licenses electrical work separately, splitting an individual electrician's licence from a contractor licence for the business. The foundational qualification everywhere is the Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician (UEE30820), via apprenticeship. The authorities:
| State | Authority |
|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Fair Trading |
| VIC | Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) |
| QLD | Electrical Safety Office (ESO) |
| WA | EnergySafety WA |
| SA | CBS |
| TAS | CBOS |
| ACT | Access Canberra |
| NT | Electrical Safety Regulator |
One VIC quirk: prescribed electrical work needs a Licensed Electrical Inspector (LEI) to inspect before connection. Restricted-work categories vary by state.
Plumbing and gasfitting
The qualification ladder: a Cert III in Plumbing gets you registration as a plumber; a Cert IV in Plumbing and Services lets you practise independently, supervise, and issue compliance certificates. Plumbing is licensed in separate categories — water supply, sanitary/drainage, gas installation, fire sprinkler, backflow prevention, and roofing/guttering — so you are licensed for the categories you are competent in, not "plumbing" as a blanket.
Gasfitting covers gas mains, piping, appliances and LPG. A Type A gas licence authorises combined plumbing and gasfitting; advanced categories cover LPG (vapour phase, autogas) and CNG. Gasfitting typically needs 3+ years' relevant experience plus state registration. (Migration skills assessments go through Trades Recognition Australia.)
Insurance: public liability ($5–20M) is mandatory for plumbing contractors in all states, and home-warranty cover applies to residential contracts above the thresholds (NSW and WA $20,000, VIC $16,000 — see Home Warranty Insurance).
ARCtick — refrigeration and air-conditioning
Any work installing, servicing or repairing equipment that contains refrigerants (fridges, freezers, AC, automotive AC) needs an ARCtick licence — a national scheme run by the Australian Refrigeration Council under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Regulations 1995. Two main types (indicative fees, 2025–26):
- Refrigerant Handling Licence (individual technicians): 1-year $89 / 2-year $178 / 3-year $267.
- Refrigerant Trading Authorisation (businesses that acquire, handle or dispose of refrigerants): 1-year $280 / 2-year $560 / 3-year $840.
Restricted and trainee licences exist at reduced fees. Register at the ARC. A technician needs the Refrigerant Handling Licence plus the appropriate qualifications — and HVAC work often also needs the relevant electrical licence above.
The pattern to remember
For all four: an individual licence (your competence) plus a contractor/business registration (to contract and advertise), trade-by-trade and category-by-category. An ABN and a general building licence do not cover reserved electrical, plumbing, gas or refrigerant work — and doing it unlicensed is an offence with voided insurance.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a building licence (or an owner-builder permit) covers electrical/plumbing/gas — it does not.
- Holding an individual licence but contracting without the contractor/business registration.
- Doing refrigerant work without ARCtick (separate from your electrical licence).
- Working outside your plumbing category (e.g. gas or backflow without the endorsement).
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