MUTUAL RECOGNITION ACT 1992 – Section 32

Ministerial Declaration

To give effect to the express wish of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) for full and effective mutual recognition of registered occupations, we the ministers today responsible jointly declare that:

The occupation which may be carried on only by a person granted registration (in the form of a licence, certificate, registration, or other instrument) in the first jurisdiction described in Column A in the attached Schedule is equivalent to the occupation which may be carried on only by a person granted registration in a second jurisdiction as described in the other columns of the same row in the Schedule, subject to any conditions, limitations or restrictions as indicated.

The Honourable Morris Iemma MP    ) (signed)

Premier of New South Wales     ) Morris Iemma

The Honourable John Brumby MLA    ) (signed)

Premier of Victoria      ) John Brumby

The Honourable Anna Bligh MP     ) (signed)

Premier of Queensland      ) Anna Bligh

The Honourable Alan Carpenter MLA    ) (signed)

Premier of Western Australia     ) Alan Carpenter

The Honourable Mike Rann MP     ) (signed)

Premier of South Australia     ) Mike Rann

The Honourable Paul Lennon MHA    ) (signed)

Premier of Tasmania      ) Paul Lennon

The Honourable Jon Stanhope MLA    ) (signed)

Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory ) Jon Stanhope

The Honourable Clare Martin MLA    ) (signed)

Chief Minister of the Northern Territory of Australia ) Clare Martin

Dated this eighth day of May 2008

Notes:

The table at the attached Schedule depicts the registration outcome for any person already licensed in an occupation in a particular jurisdiction (column A of each row) should they seek to be licensed in an occupation in a second jurisdiction (potentially in any other column in the same row). Registration shall be granted by the second jurisdiction in the terms specified provided the applicant is already registered in the equivalent occupation in the first jurisdiction.

If an applicant for mutual recognition holds a licence shown in Column A of a Schedule, but has additional condition/s applying to that licence not shown in the Schedule, then the relevant registration authority in the second jurisdiction shall recognise the primary licence in Column A and may, in issuing a licence, apply those additional conditions to directly replicate the conditions applying to the first jurisdiction licence.

If a licence is not included in the declaration, or if the licence outcome depicted on the Schedule is the statement ‘No equivalent declared’, the decision on licence recognition will be made by the relevant registration authority in accordance with the other provisions of the Mutual Recognition Act 1992.

Licences covered by this declaration are licences that are issued to natural persons, not licences issued to companies.

This declaration and any subsequent declarations will be reviewed for accuracy each year. Declarations and any revised declarations will be published on the COAG mutual recognition website and the websites of the relevant licensing authorities.

Schedules to the Declaration

Schedule 1: Mutual recognition matrix – Individual unrestricted electrical contractors

[Individual unrestricted electrical contractor means an individual electrician authorised to contract with the public for the performance of electrical work in a jurisdiction]

Codes for statutes under which Electrician licences are issued

Agreed scope of work for all individual unrestricted electrical contractor licences in the above table

“Electrical work” means, selection, assembling, constructing, installing, testing, fault-finding, commissioning, maintaining, repairing, altering, removing, or replacing of electrical equipment and/or electrical installations.  It may include the supervision or inspection of electrical work.

"Electrical equipment" means any appliance, article, accessory, wire, fitting, cable, conduit or apparatus that generates, uses, conveys or controls (or that is intended to, or has been used to, generate, use, convey or control) electricity operating above extra low voltage.

“Extra low voltage” means as defined in AS/NZS 3000 (commonly known as the “wiring rules”).

"Electrical installation" is as defined in AS/NZS 3000 (commonly known as the “wiring rules”).

Additional non-skill requirements for individual unrestricted electrical contactor

Prior to the issue of an equivalent individual unrestricted electrical contractor’s licence in this table through the mutual recognition process, a jurisdictional regulator may require evidence that the applicant can comply with any requirements regarding insurance, fidelity funds, trust accounts and the like that are designed to protect the public, clients, customers or others.