The new laws will make it compulsory for all Victorian civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and fire-safety engineers to be registered.
It will now be an offence for those who are not registered to represent that they can provide professional engineering services in those areas.
Engineers Australia has welcomed the passage of the Professional Engineers Registration bill through Victorian parliament and said it will result in higher levels of community safety.
Engineers Australia’s General Manager in Victoria, Alesha Printz said the bill is a significant step forward for the profession.
“Currently, consumers have no real way of knowing whether they are dealing with an engineer who is currently qualified and competent, or if they maintain standards through ongoing professional development and are bound by a code of conduct,” said Ms. Printz.
She said the introduction of these new laws will allow faux engineers to be identified and prevented from being called engineers.
Engineers Australia Chief Executive Officer Peter McIntyre said the bill paved the way for the introduction of similar legislation in other states.
“Queensland has had a successful register of engineers in operation since 1930 and it shouldn’t take a crisis for governments to act in the interests of community safety and consumer protection,” he said.
Engineers Australia is now urging other states and territories to follow and take immediate action on the introduction of a compulsory registration scheme for engineers.
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