The Australian Senate has passed legislation which will enable the automatic mutual recognition of state and territory based occupational licences and registration.
The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) said the automatic mutual recognition legislation’s passage will boost the ability of Australia’s mining workforce to work across regions without the red tape and cost of obtaining additional licences.
Chief Executive Officer of the MCA, Tania Constable, said the reform will enhance productivity by automatically deeming tradespeople and other workers who hold an occupational licence in their home state or territory and who want to do the same work in another state or territory to have the necessary licence without additional fees.
“This means an electrician working on a mine in Moranbah can relocate to the Pilbara and begin working immediately, or a diesel mechanic can move from the Hunter Valley to a mine in Bendigo to go to the next level in their career or get experience in other commodities without having to get a new licence for the same work,” Ms Constable said.
“Even if more mine workers are sourced locally, given the increased demand for Australian commodities it is unlikely that the need for a mobile mining workforce of fly in fly out workers and specialised trades will go away any time soon.”
“Under an intergovernmental agreement signed by all Australian governments in December 2020, the Federal Government will establish the scheme and the states and territories will implement it.”
Ms Constable added that with a potential increase in GDP of $2.4 billion over 10 years from the reform, states and territories should act now to lock in the benefits after the legislation was backed by the Senate.
“The success of Australia’s resources sector depends on a highly skilled and mobile workforce which includes access to traditional and emerging trades across Australia,” she said.
The passage amends the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 to: introduce a uniform scheme of automatic mutual recognition by enabling an individual who is registered for an occupation in their home state to carry on those activities in other states and territories; enable a state minister to exempt a registration in their state from being subject to AMR for a renewable period of up to five years because of a significant risk to consumer protection, the environment, animal welfare or the health or safety of workers or the public; and enable a state minister to exempt a registration in their state for a temporary period of six months after commencement of the Act, with an option to extend for a further period to 30 June 2022 if needed.
