General licensing information
Doing electrical work without a licence is illegal in Queensland.
Section 55 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (PDF, 788 KB) states that only very limited unlicensed tasks are allowed, such as:
- authorised testing of electrical equipment
- installing or repairing telecommunication cables
- electrical work as an electrical engineer
- learning electrical work as an apprentice or trainee
Section 18 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (PDF, 788 KB) provides more examples of related work that is not classified as electrical work.
Section 56 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (PDF, 788 KB) states that an electrical contractor licence is required for businesses carrying out electrical work for others.
For the public
Only an electrical contractor can do electrical work in your home, unlicenced work is unlawful.
For safety reasons your electrician will need to turn power OFF. Working ‘live’ - with a power supply still connected - is generally not allowed in Queensland.
The law says all home built since 1992 must have safety switches installed on power circuits. They are not an optional extra!
Last updated July 28, 2005