Changes have been made to the registration requirements for painting practitioners. The Building Services (Registration) Amendment Regulations (No. 2) of 2017  will improve and clarify the qualification requirements for registration as a painting practitioner. The Amendment Regulations will come into effect on 1 September 2018.

Currently, regulation 31 of the Building Services (Registration) Regulations 2011 (BSR Regulations) has four ‘sets’ of qualifications and experience requirements that applicants can use to apply for registration as a painting practitioner. In addition, regulation 32 enables the Building Services Board to conduct Board examinations to assess a person’s knowledge and skills in relation to painting work, small business management, or estimating and specification.

The Amendment Regulations will:

• remove the Set 2 and Set 4 pathways for registration requiring Board examinations; and
• clarify beyond doubt that the Practical Trades Test is a core qualification requirement for applicants undertaking the Course in Painters Registration (Set 3 pathway).

These changes will improve the qualification requirements for painters and will provide greater consistency across the registration pathways. The Amendment Regulations were developed in consultation with representatives from the painting industry. A copy of the Amendment Regulations can be found on the Parliamentary Counsel's Office website under the Government Gazette heading at www.legislation.wa.gov.au.

If you or someone you know is intending to undertake, or is currently undertaking Board painting examinations, they need to be aware of the limited time available. The final Board painting exams will take place from February to June 2018. Once the examinations are completed and passed, a complete application for registration must be provided to the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s Licensing Services on or before 31 August 2018.

From 1 September 2018, if you registered as a painting practitioner under the Set 2 or Set 4 Board exam pathways and you let your registration lapse for three years or more, then you will need to undertake a new training qualification. If you re-register before the three years have passed you will not need to do this. 

For more information, please visit the Board examinations webpage or contact Licensing Services via telephone on 1300 489 099.