Engineers Australia has welcomed the ACT Government’s decision to establish a mandatory registration scheme for professional engineers.

The Professional Engineers Bill 2022, which will be introduced in the ACT Legislative Assembly today, will bring the ACT into line with other Australian states and territories that have introduced/are introducing similar engineer registration schemes.

Initially, the scheme will only apply to five areas of engineering but may later be expanded. The areas proposed in the current scheme are civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and fire safety engineering

Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO said the new laws will be a significant step forward for the territory.

“Governments around Australia are attempting to reduce the risks of buildings being evacuated or left uninhabitable and infrastructure like bridges and roads being unsafe. Registering engineers is a critical part of tackling this problem.” Ms Madew said.

One of the main benefits for registering engineers in the building sector in the ACT is to reduce the risk to public health, safety, and welfare. There are also economic benefits, particularly with today’s supply and skills constraints, in more efficient use of materials and less rectification work.

“Engineers are trusted everyday by the community, often without realising how much is created by them. The buildings we live in and the infrastructure we use daily relies on engineering skills to make them a reality,” she said.  

“Most engineers provide their services competently and ethically, however, use of the title ‘engineer’ is unrestricted and therefore it has become a generic term. Without registration, anyone can claim to be an engineer and provide engineering services without the appropriate qualifications and competencies.”

“We thank Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction Rebecca Vassarotti and the ACT Government for their commitment to improving building standards and look forward to working with them to develop the regulations.”

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