National registration for engineers is needed, says Engineers Australia

Engineers Australia has urged the federal government to bring forward its plans to create a national system of registration for engineering professionals. The organisation says it is critical to ensure appropriate professional standards for the protection of the community.

Engineers Australia put out the call following reports that a Brisbane man may have fraudulently adopted the engineering qualifications of a former colleague in order to practise in Australia and New Zealand.

“The ramifications of someone misrepresenting their qualifications in any profession are obviously very serious. This is particularly so in the engineering profession where the implications of things going wrong could be tragic,” said Engineers Australia CEO Stephen Durkin. “Engineers Australia has long called for a system of engineering registration to address the type of risks highlighted in these recent media reports.”

“These current allegations of fraud highlight the importance of having a system in place whereby the 200,000 engineering professionals in Australia are held to the same high standards that apply to other professionals, such as doctors, lawyers, architects, vets and nurses.

“It is unacceptable that engineering is one of the only longstanding professions that is not subject to regulation, given the important work of engineering professionals and the size of the engineering workforce. As a profession that is involved in so many critical aspects of our life, the public deserves to know that engineers are properly regulated.”

Given Australia’s heavy reliance on skilled migrants, a rigorous registration framework would mean that all engineers practising in Australia would be held to high standards, Durkin said.

“Engineers Australia believes it must be a priority for government to develop a uniform system of registration for engineers and this must be backed by the weight of the law. Engineers Australia members are held to a very high standard, however membership is voluntary and we can’t currently guarantee that these same high standards apply to all engineers.

“The recent Senate report into engineering skills shortages recommended the introduction of a national system of engineering registration. Engineers Australia is now calling on the government to take concrete steps towards introducing legislation to ensure that consistent standards are in place across the engineering profession,” Durkin said.