To hire tradespeople in Australia, first confirm whether the work is regulated, then verify the licence on your state or territory register, check insurance, get the quote in writing, and decide whether you are engaging a contractor or employing someone. Electrical, plumbing and gas work require a licence everywhere in Australia.
Knowing how to hire tradespeople properly protects more than the job in front of you. Australia has no single national licensing system, so a licence that is valid in Queensland does not automatically apply in Victoria, and the terminology changes as you cross the border. That fragmentation is where most costly mistakes begin.
This guide sets out the checks that matter, the registers to use in each state, and how to decide between a contractor and an employee. Please treat it as general information. For your specific situation, check with the relevant regulator or a qualified adviser.
Step one: work out whether the job is regulated
Not every trade requires a licence, but the high risk ones do everywhere.
Electrical work, plumbing and gas fitting require licensing in all states and territories, without exception. Building work generally requires licensing above a value threshold, and those thresholds differ. New South Wales sets its home building licensing threshold at A$5,000 including GST, while in most of Western Australia builders must be registered for building work worth A$20,000 or more.
By contrast, trades such as carpentry and painting may only require a licence in some states, or above certain project values. Consequently, the first question is never “is this person good” but “does this work legally require a licence here”.
Common regulated trades and their qualifications
| Trade | Typical qualification | Licensing position |
| Electrician | Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician, plus apprenticeship | Licensed in every state and territory. NSW requires a licence for electrical wiring work regardless of value. |
| Plumber | Certificate III in Plumbing | Licensed everywhere. Gas fitting commonly needs a separate endorsement. |
| Builder | Varies by state and licence class | Licensed above a state specific value threshold |
| Air conditioning and refrigeration | Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration | Refrigerant Handling Licence through the Australian Refrigeration Council |
| Asbestos removal | National removal units | Class A or Class B licence through the state WorkSafe or SafeWork body |
| Carpenter, painter | Certificate III level | Varies by state and project value |
Step two: verify the licence yourself
This is the step people skip, and it takes about two minutes.
Ask for the licence number, then search the official register for the state where the work will happen. Confirm four things: that the licence exists, that it is current, that it has not expired or been suspended, and that the licence class actually covers the work being done. That last point catches more problems than the others combined.
Where to check, by state
- New South Wales. The NSW verification service covers builders, electricians, plumbers and other trades, searchable by licence number, name, business name or address. NSW distinguishes contractor licences from tradesperson certificates.
- Victoria. Victoria splits registration from licensing. Use the Victorian Building Authority for builders, plumbers and building practitioners, and Energy Safe Victoria for electrical work.
- Queensland. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission register covers builders and trade contractors.
- Western Australia. Building and Energy WA maintains the online licence search for builders, plumbers and electricians.
- Tasmania. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services maintains a licensed occupations search.
- South Australia, ACT and Northern Territory. Each maintains its own building and trade licensing register.
Two licences, not one. Some trades require both the individual and the business to be licensed. If you are engaging a company, check the business licence as well as the tradesperson’s personal licence.
Step three: understand what an unlicensed hire costs you
The consequences fall on you, not only on the worker, and they extend well past the job.
Unlicensed work can void your home or business insurance. It can also leave you ineligible for statutory warranty protections, which is precisely the cover you need if the work fails later. In some jurisdictions, knowingly engaging an unlicensed worker for regulated work carries a penalty for the person doing the engaging.
Furthermore, compliance certificates matter. In Victoria, plumbers must lodge a compliance certificate with the Victorian Building Authority within five business days, and electricians must lodge a Certificate of Electrical Safety. These certificates are your evidence that the work was inspected and meets Australian Standards. Ask whether they will be lodged, and ask for a copy.
Step four: check insurance and get the quote in writing
Licensing is the floor, not the ceiling. Three further checks are worth the time.
- Public liability insurance. Ask for the certificate of currency and check the expiry date, not just the existence of a policy.
- Industry association membership. Bodies such as the Master Plumbers and Gasfitters Association or the relevant Electrical Contractors Association hold members to a code of conduct. Membership is not mandatory, but it is a useful signal.
- A written quote with scope. Tradespeople and builders are bound by the Australian Consumer Law, which means their work carries consumer guarantees. A written scope makes those guarantees far easier to enforce if something goes wrong.
One practical note on billing. If the final bill exceeds the quote, raise it directly. Consumer Protection guidance is clear that where you cannot reach agreement, you can refuse to pay the additional amount.
Step five: decide between a contractor and an employee
This distinction changes your obligations entirely, and it is judged on the substance of the arrangement rather than what the paperwork calls it.
| Indicator | Points to a contractor | Points to an employee |
| Control | They decide how the work is done | You direct how and when |
| Equipment | They supply their own tools and vehicle | You supply equipment |
| Basis of payment | Paid for a result, invoiced | Paid an hourly or weekly rate |
| Business | Runs their own business, quotes others | Works within your business |
| Continuity | Engaged for a defined job | Ongoing and expected to continue |
If the indicators point to employment, the obligations in our guide to hiring casual staff in Australia apply, including the casual loading and the current Fair Work definition of casual employment.
Where to find tradespeople in 2026?
The channel depends on whether you are engaging a contractor for a job or employing someone ongoing.
For a one off job, lead based platforms suit licensed trades better than open bidding, because public price competition tends to favour the lowest bidder over the strongest credential. Note that the marketplace field narrowed this year: Oneflare was retired by parent company Airtasker on 30 June 2026 and now redirects to Airtasker. Our comparison of Airtasker versus hipages covers the two remaining options in detail.
For an ongoing role, use employment channels rather than task marketplaces. Job boards reach active candidates, while local networks and apprenticeship pathways reach people who never post a profile anywhere.
Timing is worth understanding. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded construction vacancies rising 19.3 per cent in the three months to February 2026, the largest increase of any industry that quarter. Total vacancies then fell 2.1 per cent to 329,500 in the three months to May 2026. In short, construction demand has been strong while the broader market has softened, which means trades remain more competitive to hire than most other categories.
CloudColleague, which publishes this guide, lets a business post both one off jobs and ongoing roles from a single account, which suits businesses whose trade work genuinely spans both. To be direct about the limits: we do not carry hipages’ trade category lead routing, and for a single licensed job in a capital city a trade specific platform will usually produce quotes faster.
A checklist before work begins
- Licence number provided and verified on the correct state register
- Licence current, not expired or suspended, and the class covers this work
- Business licence checked as well, where the trade requires one
- Certificate of currency for public liability insurance sighted
- Written quote with a clear scope agreed
- Compliance certificate lodgement confirmed, where applicable
- Contractor or employee status assessed against the actual arrangement
Frequently asked questions
No. High risk trades including plumbing, electrical and building work require licensing in all states and territories. Other trades such as carpentry and painting may only require a licence in some states or above certain project values. Always check the rules for your state and the specific trade.
No. Licences are issued by individual states and territories and are generally not automatically recognised elsewhere. Mutual recognition arrangements exist and can speed up the process, but a tradesperson working interstate needs to be properly authorised in the state where the work happens.
You may lose consumer protections, your insurance may be voided, and you could be ineligible for statutory warranty cover. In some jurisdictions you can also be penalised for knowingly engaging an unlicensed worker for regulated work.
Ask for the licence number and search the official register for the state where the work will be done. Confirm the licence is current and that its class covers the work. If they cannot tell you which regulator issued their licence, treat that as a serious warning sign.
Judge it on the substance of the arrangement. If you direct how and when the work is done, supply the equipment and pay an hourly rate for ongoing work, that points to employment. If they run their own business, control the method and invoice for a result, that points to a contractor.
Trades remain more competitive than most categories. Construction vacancies rose 19.3 per cent in the quarter to February 2026, the largest rise of any industry, even as total vacancies fell to 329,500 by May 2026.
