In July 2008 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to the introduction of a National Occupational Licensing System as part of a program of regulatory reform to increase Australia’s productivity.
Currently, occupations are licensed by each state or territory with the licence only covering work performed in that state. Under a national licence, companies and individuals will be licensed to work anywhere in Australia, removing duplicated and inconsistent regulation between states and territories for specific occupations.
National licensing will also:
- improve business efficiency and the competitiveness of the national economy
- reduce red tape
- improve labour mobility
- enhance productivity
- enhance consumer confidence and protection without imposing unnecessary costs or lessening competition.
The National Occupational Licensing Authority is the independent statutory authority responsible for establishing the National Occupational Licensing System for specific occupations across Australia. It has supported the work of the COAG National Licensing Taskforce to develop the policy around the first wave of occupations, and will be responsible for implementing the Licensing System for these occupations as well as developing policy for next wave of occupations.
The Authority is working with state and federal governments, stakeholders, industry associations and regulators to define and implement a national occupational licensing system that will allow licence holders to use their national licence to work anywhere in Australia.
COAG has announced that the National Occupational Licensing System will be implemented in 2014 following additional consultation conducted by States and Territories.