Preparing for mandatory registration for civil and structural engineers in Victoria.

 From October 1 2022, civil and structural professional engineers practising in Victoria will need to be registered. This also includes engineers living in other states and territories but working on projects based in Victoria.

With Engineers Australia (EA) recommending commencing the process up to five months beforehand, the time to start is now… with the first step of applying for a competency assessment by 30 June 2022 at the latest.

To support civil and structural engineers get a better understanding of who needs to be registered and what they need to do, Engineers Australia is running a number of free information sessions specifically on Victorian registration during May and June. These sessions are being run in addition to their existing program of registration info sessions.

The sessions will provide valuable information about registration requirements and competency assessments. Attendees will also be able to ask EA’s team of experts any questions about the assessment and registration process.

The Registration Process

Registration of engineers in Victoria is carried out by the Business Licensing Authority (BLA), however, first an applicant must be assessed by an approved entity, of which Engineers Australia is one.

The assessment process has two components:

  • an ‘Entry to Practice’ assessment to determine the adequacy or otherwise of the applicant’s qualifications; and
  • an ‘independent practice’ assessment to determine the acceptability or otherwise of the applicant’s experience and competency.

Engineers Australia recommends that engineers start the registration process at least five months prior to the date by which they are required to be registered to ensure that they can continue to provide professional engineering services in Victoria. This allows six to eight weeks to gain an assessment from Engineers Australia, and three months for the Business Licensing Authority (BLA) to process the application (as recommended by BLA).

What are the implications of not being registered?

From October 1, 2022, there will be serious implications for anyone attempting to provide professional engineering services in Victoria without registration.

If you are not registered, you will either need to work under the direct supervision of a registered engineer or only work in accordance with a prescriptive standard to not commit an offence under the legislation.

It is an offence under sections 67 and 68 of the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 to provide professional engineering services without registration or to hold out to be registered or endorsed without registration; with those breaching the rules risking fines of up to $90,870 per offence.

For further information on getting assessed for Victorian registration, including details of the free information sessions, please visit: https://engaus.org/GetAssessed