Engineers Australia, Consult Australia, Professionals Australia, and the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) have welcomed interim findings from a recent report which calls for reform of mutual recognition schemes for workers.
In a joint submission responding to the National Competition Council’s (NCC) report, the organisations backed both the NCC’s acknowledgement that a one-size-fits-all model is not appropriate across all occupations and its finding that certain professions would benefit from a national licensing framework as a priority.
The groups are calling for engineering to be explicitly called out as meeting that criteria, pointing out that national registration for engineers will strengthen productivity, improve workforce mobility, and reduce regulatory complexity across Australia with a “register once, practise anywhere” model. The joint submission outlines a practical pathway towards a national approach.
“This highlights a significant opportunity for governments to improve national productivity, competitiveness and labour mobility while reducing regulatory burden,” Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO said.
The joint submission outlined several key areas to underpin a national framework, including:
-
-
- Comprehensive coverage across engineering disciplines and sectors
- A standalone legislative framework for professional engineer registration
- A co-regulatory model that leverages the expertise of professional assessment bodies
- Alignment with international standards to support global workforce mobility
- A publicly accessible national register of engineers
- A strong and appropriately empowered regulator with effective compliance, complaints and enforcement functions
-
“Engineering practice is often mobile and not bound by location. Professionals routinely work across jurisdictions, contributing to multiple projects simultaneously. This is particularly evident in major national initiatives spanning infrastructure, energy, defence, shipbuilding, cybersecurity, digital engineering, manufacturing, and asset management, Ms Madew said.
“Our joint submission lays out a practical pathway for a system of national registration which would help support Australia’s long-term infrastructure, economic and productivity goals.
“The NCC’s interim report on mutual recognition shows there’s strong momentum for reform, supported by increasing collaboration between governments and industry.”