A NSW Government website

NSW Resources Regulator

Practising certificates overview

An overview of the new system of practising certificates and eligibility requirements.

The Resources Regulator administers practising certificates to ensure NSW mining professionals in safety-critical roles have the necessary current skills and knowledge. The Practising certificate fact sheet (PDF, 80.43 KB) provides an overview of the new system of practising certificates and eligibility requirements.

Anyone who works, or wishes to work, in certain safety-critical statutory positions in the NSW mining and petroleum industries requires a practising certificate, as specified in the Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulations 2022.

Practising certificates are issued for five years and require the holder to undertake ongoing learning as part of the maintenance of competence scheme.

Eligibility for a practising certificate

If you hold a certificate of competence, required qualification or mutual recognition (refer below), you will be able to apply for a practising certificate. Find out how to apply.

As of 1 October 2020, people exercising a statutory function requiring a practising certificate are required to hold a certificate. 

People who apply after 30 September 2020 are required in a condition on their certificate at a minimum to complete 20% more learning for the maintenance of competence scheme condition in the first year of the certificate issue period. 

Mutual recognition

If you hold a current valid certificate to exercise a WHS statutory function required in another state or New Zealand, then you can apply for mutual recognition to obtain a NSW practising certificate for an equivalent occupation(s). Find out how to apply.

Holders of South Australian certificates of competence may be eligible to apply for a practising certificate if they satisfy the Notice of other criteria published in a gazettal (PDF, 2.2 MB).

Webinars

The Regulator conducts webinars for updates on practising certificates and maintenance of competence. Recordings of these webinars and answers to questions posed are available below.

14 June 2023 - Webinar resources

Implementation timeline

The timeline for all people practising with a certificate of competence or production manager permit in a statutory function to apply to have a practising certificate finished on 30 September 2020.

Those people issued with a practising certificate during the invitation 'bonus' period are able to claim activities for maintenance of competence in the year prior to the issuing date on their certificate.

Statutory function Invitation 'bonus' period Applications 'grace' period
  • Mining engineering manager
  • Mechanical engineering manager
  • Electrical engineering manager
 1 September 2017 to
31 August 2018		 1 September 2018 to
31 August 2019
  • Undermanager
  • Quarry manager
 1 December 2017 to
30 November 2018 		 1 December 2018 to
30 November 2019
  • Ventilation auditor
  • Ventilation officer
  • Dust explosion control measures auditor
  • Open cut examiner
  • Electrical engineer
  • Mechanical engineer
 1 March 2018 to
28 February 2019 		 1 March 2019 to
28 February 2020
  • Deputy
  • Underground mine supervisor
 1 June 2018 to
31 May 2019 		 1 June 2019 to
31 May 2020
  • Quarry manager – conditioned to a specific mine (previously called production manager permits).
 1 September 2018
(no bonus or grace period)		 31 August 2020

Further information

For more information view the following resources: