Tag: Licensing

Australia’s refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) industry continues to grow in scale and importance, with over 113,000 current ARCTick permit holders as of 30 June 2025. This includes 90,966 Refrigerant Handling Licence (RHL) holders and 22,357 Refrigerant Trading Authorisation (RTA) holders, underscoring the critical role RAC industry plays in environmental protection and technical excellence. Continue reading ARC Insights: Driving sustainability and skills – the rise of automotive refrigerant licensing in Australia

Ozone Act review

By Refrigerants Australia executive director Dr Greg Picker To prevent emissions of R134a, and its predecessors, in 2005 the federal government made it a requirement for all technicians who worked on vehicle air-conditioners to be competent to do so, and have this status reflected in a license. Anyone who did not have the license was … Continue reading Licensing for car air-conditioning approaching a cross-road?

Due to popular demand, CoolDrive Auto Parts and TAFE NSW have scheduled an additional two-day automotive air-conditioning training course for October 3-4, 2025, following the success of their August program. It is the last opportunity to partake in this training in 2025. The accredited course at CoolDrive’s Yatala facility provides automotive professionals with the certification … Continue reading October session announced: Accredited auto-AC training with CoolDrive and TAFE NSW

The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC)’s 2024/25 summer ‘Look for The Tick’ campaign resultes in significant increases in consumer engagement, with website visits increasing 62.66 per cent over the previous year to 136,000. Licence checks through this service jumped by 58.75 per cent to nearly 13,000 checks completed this year alone, while more than 18,500 business … Continue reading Look for The Tick uptick

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has updated regulations to enable qualified electric vehicle (EV) technicians to obtain refrigerant handling licenses. It addresses the growing need for skilled professionals capable of servicing and maintaining the complex thermal management systems in electric vehicles. These vehicles use refrigerant-based systems for battery and … Continue reading Electric Vehicle Technicians Gain Access to Refrigerant Handling Licenses

Australia’s federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is running a public consultation survey about permit schemes, including the one operated by the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC). The survey is live now and will close at 5pm on 28 February 2025. VASA members are encouraged to take part in the survey … Continue reading Have your say: RAC Permit Scheme consultation closes on February 28

ARC Insights: Don’t fear the audit!

We often talk about the fear of the unknown, and rarely are such fears more unfounded than when an ARCtick licence holder is preparing for an audit, especially their first audit.  Officially these audits are called permit condition checks, and their purpose is to ensure that holders of a Refrigerant Trading Authorisation (RTA) are complying … Continue reading ARC Insights: Don’t fear the audit!

With Australian Refrigeration Council CEO Glenn Evans As a member of VASA, you no doubt know about the ARCtick licensing scheme for Australia’s climate control industry – you most likely hold an ARCtick refrigerant handling licence (RHL) or refrigerant trading authorisation (RTA). The automotive sector has more than 32,000 RHLs and well over 10,000 RTAs … Continue reading Inside ARC: A look at licensing and environmental Initiatives

Queensland’s automotive service and repair sector breathed a sigh of relief as the state government stepped back from a controversial proposal that only licensed electricians should perform work on electric vehicles. The proposal, initially tabled in 2023 as part of the Electrical Safety Act review, was put forward by the Queensland Electrical Safety Office but … Continue reading Queensland government rejects proposal to include EVs in sparkie licence

ARCtick fees 2024

Fees for ARCtick licence applications have been frozen for 2024 as part of a Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) initiative to ensure licences are financially accessible at a time when many are facing cost-of-living pressures. Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) CEO Glenn Evans said the freeze on application fees reflected a … Continue reading ARCtick licence fees frozen for 2024