Important changes to electrical licensing in the Northern Territory
Important changes have occurred to the licensing of electrical contractors and workers. On 1 July 2024 the Electrical Safety Act 2022 and Electrical Safety Regulations 2024 commenced in the Northern Territory.
One of the changes under the new electrical laws is the abolishment of the Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board, with the responsibility for licensing transferred to the Electrical Safety Regulator within NT WorkSafe.
NT WorkSafe is now responsible for electrical licensing and electrical safety.
Status of current licences
Current licences remain valid until they expire.
From 1 July 2024, renewed licences will be issued under the new licence categories prescribed under the Electrical Safety Act and Regulations. Information on the new licence types and endorsements is available on the electrical licenses and endorsements page .
Renewing a licence
New licence applications and renewal forms have been developed. Applications made on the old Electrical Workers and
Contractors Licensing Board forms will not be accepted. The new application forms are available on the Electrical licensing page.
Pending licence applications and renewals
The Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board has transferred outstanding licence applications and renewals to NT WorkSafe for action.
These outstanding applications and renewals will be issued with a licence category under the repealed Electrical Workers and Contractors Act 1978, as the application was received before the commencement of the new laws.
NT WorkSafe’s Licencing and Advisory Services Unit is working through this backlog of applications and we ask for understanding and patience.
New certificate of compliance requirements
The NT WorkSafe information bulletin on electrical certificate of compliance has been updated with the new requirements under the Electrical Safety Act 2022.
Stay informed
Electrical contractors and workers are strongly encouraged to subscribe to NT WorkSafe’s information to receive email updates. Key topics recommended are safety alerts, incident information releases and technical updates.
An example of relevant information for the electrical industry is a safety alert issued last week warning of the Electrical safety risk in home meter boxes from damaged service fuse.
New and updated information on the new electrical safety laws is being published on this website over the next few weeks.