Registration update for engineers in the mining sector

Registration of engineers is gaining momentum around Australia, but particularly in the eastern states. The following updates are provided for these states.

Engineering registration in Queensland

In Queensland, there is a push from the Board of Professional Engineers, Queensland (BPEQ) to ensure that all eligible engineers working in the mining sector apply and achieve registration as soon as possible. There is a view that many engineers working in the mining sector are not aware or have not moved to become registered as is required by the Professional Engineers Act. Please refer to the following links for more details.

• Home - Board of Professional Engineers Queensland
• BPEQ Code of Practice
• Understanding the Code of Practice for Registered Professional Engineers - BPEQ 

AusIMM has been an approved assessment entity since 2008 and has recently been recommended by the BPEQ for renewal of our assessment scheme. The updated AusIMM assessment scheme will be published on the AusIMM website when formally approved.

For those members who are already RPEQ, please note that the requirements for maintaining RPEQ include ongoing professional development activities, but with the increased requirement that 75 per cent of PD hours should be in your technical discipline(s). This is an increase from the previous proportion of 50 per cent.

In addition, new candidates for RPEQ must attend a professional interview with an Assessor, to confirm the assessment details and cover any outstanding issues with their application.

Engineering registration in Victoria

The Victorian government has recently implemented a registration scheme for engineers, commencing with the engineers in the building industry and compulsory registration for Fire Safety Engineers. Eligible engineers in the mining sector will be required to become registered in October 2022, under the broader ‘Civil’ category. The registration scheme will be administered by the Business Licensing Authority with Consumer Affairs Victoria. Please refer to the following link for further details. 

Professional engineers – Consumer Affairs Victoria

AusIMM will be submitting an application for approval as an assessment entity in the near future, similar to the Queensland assessment scheme, for the following mining categories:

• Mining Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Metallurgical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering

The Victorian system will have mutual recognition with the Queensland system for RPEQ, so if you are already RPEQ, you will not need to be assessed again for registration.

Given that registration for the mining sector will commence in late 2022, we recommend that all eligible engineers who will be required to be registered ensure that their PD logbooks are up to date and can demonstrate 150 PD hours over the preceding three years.

Engineering registration in New South Wales

The NSW government has implemented a registration scheme for engineers, at this stage limited to those engineers working in the building industry on Class 2 Buildings. It is expected that this scheme will be expanded to include the mining sector within 2-3 years.

Further information

For further information please contact the AusIMM Accreditation team at cpd@ausimm.com.au