Electrician CPD and Licence Renewal in Australia: What Each State Requires
Each state and territory sets its own CPD and licence-renewal rules for electricians. Some run formal schemes; others have no ongoing requirement at all. This guide covers all eight jurisdictions, based on the requirements each regulator publishes.
Queensland: skills maintenance is mandatory
To renew a Queensland electrical work licence (a 5-year licence) you must show evidence of maintained trade and first-aid skills: electrical safety legislation, risk management, testing, and CPR (current within the last 12 months for online renewal). Two routes satisfy it: the free Skills Maintenance Online Assessment, or approved courses delivered by Registered Training Organisations. Relevant skills maintenance must be completed within the two years before renewal. (Source: Business Queensland.)
NECA Learn’s online courses can support your broader professional development and safety knowledge. They are not a substitute for Queensland’s approved skills-maintenance pathways unless a specific course is formally approved for that purpose.
New South Wales: CPD before you renew
NSW electrical authorities include individual contractor licences and qualified supervisor certificates, and requirements depend on which you hold. The Service NSW renewal page for qualified supervisor certificates references CPD obligations, with exemptions by application. Building Commission NSW publishes the applicable licensing requirements; its public guidance does not currently set out an electrician-specific CPD program. (Source: Service NSW.)
NECA Learn’s online courses can support professional development for NSW electrical workers. Confirm the requirements for your authority with Building Commission NSW before relying on any course for renewal.
Victoria: a formal CPD scheme with in-person delivery rules
Victoria requires CPD for every electrical licence renewal after 1 July 2023, administered by Energy Safe Victoria under the Electricity Safety (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2020. The requirement has two parts, each capped at 8 hours per 5-year renewal period: Skills Maintenance, refresher training completed within the 2 years before renewal, and Skills Development, which can be completed any time in the period and becomes mandatory from 2028. Skills Development covers technical, industry and mental-health topics, but the delivery rules are strict: non-accredited activities must be delivered in person by a training provider accepted by Energy Safe, and online delivery is not accepted. Energy Safe maintains the list of accepted providers on its website.
NECA Learn’s online courses do not satisfy the ESV CPD requirement. Victorian electricians can still use them as complementary professional development alongside the ESV scheme. For training that counts toward your Victorian CPD, use a provider on Energy Safe’s accepted list.
Tasmania: points-based CPD, and online learning counts
Tasmanian electrical practitioners certify at renewal that they have met their CPD requirement: for electricians that is 12 points per year, or 36 points across a 3-year licence, blending skills maintenance and skills development spread through the licence period rather than crammed before renewal. Acceptable activities are broad, and CBOS explicitly lists online and e-learning programs and webinars among them. To count, an activity must be either nationally accredited training delivered by an RTO, or submitted to and approved by CBOS. You keep your own CPD records, employers keep them for their workers, and contractors must maintain an auditable register.
Western Australia: no ongoing CPD requirement
WA electrical worker licences renew by application within the renewal window (90 days before to 30 days after expiry) plus the fee. There is currently no mandatory ongoing CPD for the worker licence. If you are moving into contracting, the WAE200 module is required training for electrical contractor nominees, which is a licensing prerequisite rather than ongoing CPD. (Source: Building and Energy WA.)
South Australia: no published CPD scheme
South Australian electrical workers’ registration renews every three years through Consumer and Business Services. We could not identify a published CPD requirement for electrical registration on the regulator’s website. Confirm any figure you encounter with Consumer and Business Services directly.
ACT: no CPD requirement today, but change is being consulted on
Renewing an ACT electrician licence currently requires the renewal form and fee; there is no formal CPD obligation for licensed trades. The ACT Government is consulting on introducing CPD and codes of practice for licensed trades (Extension of Trade Licensing consultation, March 2026). No changes have been enacted at the time of writing.
Northern Territory: competency-based renewal under the new Act
The NT rewrote its electrical licensing laws from 1 July 2024 under the Electrical Safety Act 2022, moving licensing to NT WorkSafe. There is no published points or hours CPD scheme; instead, the Electrical Safety Regulator must be satisfied at renewal that you remain competent in electrical work.
Frequently asked questions
Do all Australian states require CPD for electricians?
No. Victoria and Tasmania run formal schemes, and Queensland requires skills maintenance for renewal. NSW references CPD obligations for some authority types without publishing an electrician-specific program. The remaining jurisdictions currently publish no CPD scheme for electrical licences.
Does online training count toward CPD?
In some states. Queensland and Tasmania both accept online learning within their schemes. Victoria does not: non-accredited activities must be delivered in person by an accepted provider.
How many CPD hours does Victoria require?
Regulation 36(2) caps it at 8 hours of Skills Maintenance plus 8 hours of Skills Development per 5-year renewal period.
How many CPD points does Tasmania require?
Electricians need 12 points per year, or 36 points across a 3-year licence.
How often do electrical licences renew?
Five years in Queensland and Victoria, three years in Tasmania and South Australia, and one to five years in the Northern Territory depending on licence type. Check the term printed on your own licence.
Do NECA Learn courses count toward my CPD?
NECA Learn courses record self-paced professional development with a certificate of completion. They are not represented as approved licence-renewal or skills-maintenance courses, and they are not accepted under Victoria’s ESV scheme. Confirm your regulator’s requirements before relying on any course for renewal.
How this guide is maintained. We review regulator guidance and official licence-renewal pages before publishing state-specific information. Where a regulator does not define a requirement clearly, we say so rather than inferring one. Last reviewed: 5 August 2026. Sources checked: Business Queensland, the Electrical Safety Office (WorkSafe Queensland), Service NSW, Building Commission NSW, Energy Safe Victoria, CBOS Tasmania, Building and Energy WA, Consumer and Business Services SA, the ACT Government and NT WorkSafe.
This guide is general information current at August 2026, sourced from each state and territory regulator. It is not legal advice. Requirements change; always confirm with your regulator before relying on it: Business Queensland, Building Commission NSW, Energy Safe Victoria, CBOS Tasmania, Building and Energy WA, Consumer and Business Services SA, Access Canberra, NT WorkSafe.