SAE-A taking assessment applications for Victoria’s mandatory PERS ticket

The Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia (SAE-A) is now accepting assessment applications for Victoria’s Professional Engineers Registration Scheme (PERS). This approval was granted by the Business Licencing Authority (BLA), specifically in mechanical engineering.

Victoria’s new mandatory registration scheme aims to ensure that engineers providing professional engineering services in the state of Victoria, or services intended for Victoria but originating from interstate, are properly registered.

Failure to register by December 1, 2023 could result in significant penalties for non-compliance as providing professional engineering services in Victoria without registration is considered an offence.

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) national policy and government relations manager Greg Forbes urged engineers whose work is affected by PERS to “act quickly to ensure they are on the register by 1 December 2023”.

According to the legislation, an engineering service is described as an activity or work that involves providing a skill or service to another person. It requires the application of engineering principles and data and is considered ‘engineering’ because it is performed by an engineer.

SAE-A president Gary White said he expected the organisation would receive applications from a broad range of mobility engineering disciplines it represents.

This includes not only automotive engineers but also those involved in the design, construction, repair, or control of engines, machines, electrical equipment, roads, railways and bridges, or whose work falls under one of the five engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, fire).

It is important to note that registration under PERS is mandatory for professional engineers based in Victoria, regardless of where their clients are located.

By the same token, engineers from other parts of Australia who have clients in Victoria must also comply with the registration requirement.

“There are exemptions, such as when an engineer is supervised by a registered engineer, and we can assist applicants in determining their obligations as well as their eligibility,” said Dr. White.

The current PERS Assessment Application fees, as agreed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, are as follows:

• SAE-A Member: $330 (inclusive of GST)
• Non-members: $770 (inclusive of GST)

SAE-A has published an online application form and find comprehensive guidance about the PERS assessment scheme on its website: https://www.saea.com.au/pers