The current Act provides for the registration of journeymen and the licensing of advanced tradesmen. The Board currently issues journeyman registration cards and advanced tradesman licences. Under the current framework, a journeyman is not considered a fully licensed plumber for the purpose of contracting directly with consumers. Work undertaken by a journeyman must be supervised by an advanced tradesman. These terms, and the two-tier structure, have remained largely unchanged since 1983, when the Act commenced.
Accordingly, the following matters have been identified for consideration:
- The framework does not clearly distinguish between a business that contracts directly with consumers, the individual who takes technical responsibility for that business's work, and an employee tradesperson carrying out the work.
- It has been suggested that the terms “journeyman” and “advanced tradesman” are dated, are not used in current training or other industry usage. Changing these names to more universally recognised terms to assist with those moving between jurisdictions.
- The addition of endorsements to a license, so that specific work can only be undertaken by an individual who has the requisite endorsement to do it.
Proposed model
By way of example, Queensland's licensing scheme for plumbing and drainage work is structured around five licence types rather than a two-tier system, including:
- a contractor licence, where you can contact clients directly and run your own business. This requires a person to have an occupational license and additional business and financial qualifications.
- Occupational license, which allows you to perform plumbing or draining work as an employee under a licensed contractor, however, you cannot run your own business or sign any contracts.
Other licence types include and occupational restricted licence, a nominee or site supervisor licence and a provisional licence. Each licence type authorises a different role in the industry, and a person or business may need to hold more than one licence type depending on how they operate. A provisional occupational licence is available where a person has the technical qualification but not yet the practical experience for a full licence, or vice versa, allowing them to work lawfully under supervision while completing requirements.
A proposed model
It is proposed that the Act be restructured around a comparable tiered model. As part of this change, it is proposed that outdated class names be replaced with contemporary equivalents:
Current term under the Act: Advanced tradesman (licence)
Proposed contemporary equivalent:
- Contractor Licence - Plumbing and Drainage. Authorises a business (including sole traders) to enter contracts and take on plumbing and drainage work in the licensed class. Authorises supervision of work on a specific site or contract. This would be a qualified individuals supervising on-site work.
Current term under the Act: Journeyman (registration)
Proposed contemporary equivalent:
- Occupational Plumber and Drainer Licence. Authorises an individual to personally carry out or supervise regulated plumbing/drainage work as an employee of a licensed contractor and to supervise apprentices or qualified workers.
Licence endorsements
Some plumbing and drainage work may require specialised skills and post-trade qualifications beyond those covered by a standard trade qualification, for example roof plumbing. Under the current Act, there is no formal mechanism to recognise these specialised skills within a licence. That is, additional competencies are either not formally recognised, or a licensee is left to demonstrate them on an ad hoc basis to a client or principal contractor.
By way of example, Queensland addresses this through endorsements attached to a licensee's base occupational licence, rather than through a separate licence class for every specialisation. An endorsement authorises a licensee to carry out a defined category of specialised work once they hold the required additional qualification (and, in some cases, relevant practical experience).
It is proposed that a comparable endorsement structure be introduced under the Act, allowing a licensee to add recognised specialised skills to their base occupational or contractor, rather than requiring an entirely separate licence for each. This would give licensees a clear pathway to formal recognition of specialised skills and give consumers and the Board visibility over who is qualified to carry out higher-risk specialised work.
