The introduction of a national licensing scheme for refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanics will benefit the Australian economy by more than $86 million per year, according to the Minister for Skills, Senator Chris Evans.
Releasing the Regulation Impact Statements for each of the occupational areas, Evans said the reforms being implemented as part of Australia’s National Occupational Licensing System (NOLS) will boost labour mobility.
"Having one set of national licences for key occupations is a challenging reform but will make it easier for businesses and individuals to operate across state and territory borders and improve business productivity," Senator Evans said.
"National licensing means these workers will only need one licence to work anywhere in Australia - boosting productivity and labour mobility.
"Doing away with multiple licences for people working in more than one state or territory will save licensees millions in additional fees over the next 10 years.”
Under the national licensing reforms, a central licensing body will administer one set of requirements for each of the licensed occupations.
Evans said the national system will replace current arrangements where each state and territory regulates an occupational area in a different way.
"State and territory licensing bodies will continue to collect fees and monitor performance within the new national standards,” he said.
"There'll also be a national register of licence holders that employers or consumers can use to identify and check the credentials of licence holders."
The documents add to the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement released regarding electrical occupations in mid July.
The Consultation Regulation Impact Statements are aimed at seeking views from licence holders, business and other stakeholders around the country. Information sessions on the proposed changes are currently being held in each capital city.
"This is about working with Australian businesses and licence holders to make sure we've got the best approach to reduce regulatory burdens, increase productivity and grow the economy," Senator Evans said.
As reported previously in CCN magazine (June, 2012) NOLS was initially set to begin on July 1 this year but has been postponed until mid-2013.
The 12 month delay is due to the complexity of the reforms with a draft legislative framework expected in early 2013.
For more information about the proposed reforms go to www.nola.gov.au.
Senator Chris Evans
