Do florists need a licence in Australia?

No. Floristry is not a licensed occupation in any state or territory, and no fair trading or consumer affairs regulator issues a florist's licence. You need only the ordinary business registrations any retailer needs.

What qualification do I need to be a florist?

None is compulsory. SFL30115 Certificate III in Floristry is the recognised industry qualification and is what employers look for in skilled roles, but many florists enter through a traineeship or on-the-job retail experience.

Which award covers florists?

The General Retail Industry Award 2020 (MA000004) is the award that ordinarily covers retail floristry. Award rates are reviewed and change each 1 July, so check the current Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide rather than relying on an older figure.

Is floristry a trade?

ANZSCO classifies Florists (362111) at Skill Level 3 - the same indicative skill level as apprenticed trades - reflecting a Certificate III plus on-the-job training. It is not, however, a licensed or apprenticed trade in the legal sense, and there is no statutory trade recognition.

What are the busiest times of year for a florist?

Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and the spring wedding season drive the sharpest peaks, with funeral work providing steadier year-round demand. The seasonality shapes both staffing and the cash flow risk of buying perishable stock ahead of a peak.

How do florists manage wastage?

It is the central commercial skill of the trade. Careful conditioning, cool room discipline, water treatment, accurate forecasting against known peaks and disciplined buying at market all matter, because unsold stock becomes worthless within days rather than being marked down.

Can I run a floristry business from home?

There is no occupational licence preventing it, so the constraints are planning and premises ones - local council home business rules, cool room and storage capacity, and any conditions on customer visits or deliveries. Check your council's home-based business requirements before committing.

Florists jobs in Australia

Florists design, construct and sell floral arrangements for retail sale, weddings, funerals and corporate work, and manage the buying, conditioning and care of fresh flowers and foliage. Floristry is not a licensed occupation in any Australian state or territory.

Browse matching roles Talk to Valont People

Vacancies

Current vacancies

No florists roles are listed on Valont right now. Licensing and local context below still apply — this page updates when a matching role is published.

Browse all jobs

Locations

Where we cover florists

AdelaideSA AlbanyWA Albury-WodongaNSW/VIC Alice SpringsNT ArmidaleNSW BairnsdaleVIC BallaratVIC Batemans BayNSW BathurstNSW BendigoVIC Blue MountainsNSW BrisbaneQLD Broken HillNSW BroomeWA BunburyWA BundabergQLD BurnieTAS BusseltonWA CairnsQLD CanberraACT Central CoastNSW Charters TowersQLD Coffs HarbourNSW DarwinNT DevonportTAS DubboNSW EchucaVIC EmeraldQLD GeelongVIC GeraldtonWA GladstoneQLD Gold CoastQLD GoulburnNSW GriffithNSW GympieQLD Hervey BayQLD HobartTAS HorshamVIC IpswichQLD KalgoorlieWA KarrathaWA LauncestonTAS LismoreNSW LoganQLD MackayQLD MandurahWA MaryboroughQLD MelbourneVIC MeltonVIC MilduraVIC Mount GambierSA Mount IsaQLD Murray BridgeSA NewcastleNSW NowraNSW OrangeNSW PerthWA Port HedlandWA Port LincolnSA Port MacquarieNSW QueanbeyanNSW RedlandsQLD RockhamptonQLD RomaQLD SaleVIC SheppartonVIC Sunshine CoastQLD SydneyNSW TamworthNSW TareeNSW ToowoombaQLD TownsvilleQLD TraralgonVIC Wagga WaggaNSW WangarattaVIC WarrnamboolVIC WarwickQLD WhyallaSA WollongongNSW

Licensing

Licensing by state

Floristry is not a licensed occupation in any Australian state or territory. No jurisdiction issues a florist's licence or requires registration to design, make or sell floral arrangements. The regulatory obligations that do apply are general business ones rather than occupational: ordinary retail trading and consumer law compliance, and biosecurity controls on imported cut flowers administered nationally by the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry rather than by the states. Florists who also sell live plants may face state plant biosecurity or nursery requirements, but these attach to the goods, not to the florist.

the Australian Capital Territory: Not a licensed occupation. Access Canberra does not license florists. Only general business registration applies.
New South Wales: Not a licensed occupation. NSW Fair Trading does not license floristry. No individual or business floristry licence exists.
the Northern Territory: Not a licensed occupation. NT Consumer Affairs does not license floristry. No Territory licence or registration is required.
Queensland: Not a licensed occupation. The Office of Fair Trading does not license florists. Only ordinary business registration and Australian Consumer Law obligations apply.
South Australia: Not a licensed occupation. Consumer and Business Services does not license floristry. No occupational licence or registration applies.
Tasmania: Not a licensed occupation. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) does not list floristry as a licensed occupation. No licence is required.
Victoria: Not a licensed occupation. Consumer Affairs Victoria does not license florists. No registration is required to trade as a florist.
Western Australia: Not a licensed occupation. Consumer Protection within the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) does not license florists. No floristry licence exists.

Role

What the job involves

Select, buy and condition fresh flowers, foliage and sundries
Design and construct bouquets, arrangements, wreaths, posies and installations
Interpret customer briefs for weddings, funerals and events and quote accordingly
Advise customers on flower selection, seasonality, meaning and care
Cost arrangements to protect margin and control perishable wastage
Maintain cool room temperatures, water treatment and stock rotation
Process orders, payments, deliveries and relay or online orders
Maintain shop display, workroom hygiene and equipment

Training

Qualifications and training

SFL30115 Certificate III in Floristry - the industry's trade-level qualification, covering design, construction, buying and selling of floristry products
Entry is also common through a traineeship or direct retail employment with on-the-job training; there is no licence or mandatory qualification anywhere in Australia
Short courses and post-trade specialisation in wedding, event and sympathy work are offered by registered training organisations but carry no statutory requirement

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Floral design, colour theory and composition · Wiring, taping, binding and mechanics of construction · Flower and foliage identification, seasonality and vase life · Conditioning, cool room management and wastage control · Customer consultation for weddings and funerals with sensitivity · Costing, quoting and margin management on perishable stock · Buying at market and supplier relationship management · Retail selling, visual merchandising and online order handling

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about florists work in Australia.

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Get in touch

Sources

Florists — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 3621 Florists - https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/3/36/362/3621; training.gov.au SFL30115 Certificate III in Floristry - https://training.gov.au/training/details/SFL30115; Fair Work Ombudsman, General Retail Industry Award 2020 - https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000004.html; NSW Fair Trading - https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/; Consumer Affairs Victoria - https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/; Queensland Office of Fair Trading - https://www.qld.gov.au/law/fair-trading

Hiring florists?

Valont People can design the role, place the advert and shortlist against award and licensing must-haves.

Talk to Valont People Browse open roles