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Market Response - Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019

Survey of Engineers - Professional Engineers Registration Bill (now Act in Victoria) 2019

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on the Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019.

This Bill has been passed by the Upper House (Legislative Council) of Victoria, Australia.

A similar but different Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019 has been proposed in NSW and is currently under inquiry.

These two documents affect all engineers and businesses providing engineering services located in Victoria and or NSW. It also affects engineers and businesses outside Victoria or NSW and including overseas, whose professional engineering services are provided for a client, customer or project based in Victoria or NSW.

If your area of practice is not yet listed it soon could be. The area of Chemical engineering is soon to be added as confirmed by the IChemE and IT has been confirmed by the government. Engineers Australia are recommending that all areas of engineering be captured by these laws.

Note, these documents are not just for the Building & Construction industries. They cover all engineering industries.

This survey is designed to gather the views of the engineering community so that comprehensive feedback can be combined in an effort to understand the broader issues.

The survey only contains 30 questions and should take 10-15 minutes!

Please note, if you choose to leave your details to be kept informed, they will not be passed on to anyone. Other feedback including extended answers will be made available to the public.
 
Some background to this survey;
All links provided will open up in a new window so you can continue to complete the survey with the reference available to you.
 

The survey provides spaces for you to explain your answers but only if you wish.

Please fill in the survey and pass on the survey link to others who may also be interested to participate in this.
 
Your feedback is important. Thank you for your contribution.
1.Are you a qualified professional engineer, engineering technologist or engineering technician?
2.What level of engineering education do you hold?
A Washington Accord 4 year degree has been suggested by both the Victorian Government and Engineers Australia as the likely requirement for registration. All other engineers, technologists and technicians will need to be intimately supervised.

Find out more about the
Washington Accord
Sydney Accord and 
Dublin Accord

List of courses accredited by Engineers Australia
3.What area of engineering or technology are you qualified / competent in?
4.Are you working as an engineer in the same area that you studied in?
5.Are you currently working in Australia?
6.In what industry are you working as an engineer?
7.How many years of experience do you have working as an engineer?
8.Are you aware that legislation has been debated and passed that is proposed to regulate engineers in Victoria in a similar way to the current Queensland scheme and that a similar Bill is proposed for NSW?
9.Do you believe the regulation of engineers and engineering in and for the state of Queensland since 1929 has been successful?
10.What description best describes you?
11.Are you a member of any professional associations? Tick all that apply ...
12.Have you read the Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019 or the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 that is proposed to regulate engineers who provide engineering services both in and for Victoria?
13.Would you like to be consulted and / or kept informed on any discussions regarding regulation of engineers in Australia?
14.Were you consulted or invited to make a submission related to the development of the Professional Engineers Registration Bill or other previous similar Bills?
15.Do you support the implementation of the Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019 in its current form?
16.In your opinion, what method of regulation should be implemented for the engineering industries in Australia?
17.In your opinion, who should be regulated within engineering industries in Australia?
18.Do you believe that engineers should be registered?
19.Are you currently registered as an engineer?
20.Who do you believe should manage a register of engineers?
21.Who do you believe should manage the disciplining of engineers?
22.What do you believe to be the benefit(s) of the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019?
23.What do you believe to be the negative(s) of the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019?
24.In your opinion, is purchasing and maintaining Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) worthwhile for you or your business?
25.Would/does having Professional Indemnity Insurance modify in any way your own professional engineering behaviour?
26.In your opinion, is it acceptable that an inspector has the right to enter your work premises (but not if it's also your place of residence) at any time during business hours, seize, secure or copy any document, take items such as computers or anything else of interest, require people to answer questions and provide computer passwords without having a warrant?

See

27.Do you agree that engineers should apply for registration through the Business Licensing Authority of Victoria? (The BLA is currently set up to register conveyancers, debt collectors, estate agents, introduction agents, motor car traders, owners corporation managers, rooming house operators, second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers and sex work service providers). See Section 6 of the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019.
28.If you could change the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019, what changes would you make?
29.When the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 is implemented as law in Victoria, how would it affect you and or your business?
30.When the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 is implemented as law in Victoria, would you be more or less likely to recommend engineering as a career choice for others?
31.If you would like to get involved in developing the regulations for the Professional Engineers Registration Act 2019 (Vic) then get in contact with Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV)

Roz Howe, Strategic Project Manager
Professional Engineers Registration Implementation
P: 8684 6392 E: roz.howe@justice.vic.gov.au

The regulations will be developed with the Victorian Chief Engineer, Collette Burke

The focus of Engineers Australia is now to push for the same legislation in NSW. If you would like to voice your opinion and or concerns you can contact the

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian here
https://www.nsw.gov.au/contact-us/contact-the-premier/

Alternatively contact your Lower House member in NSW directly here
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/pages/all-members.aspx?house=LA

Any final comments on the regulation of engineers in Australia may be left here in the Comment Box.