Landscape Gardeners jobs in Australia

Licensing

Licensing by state

There is no national licence to work as a gardener or landscape gardener, and routine garden maintenance is unregulated in most of Australia. What changes the picture is structural landscaping — retaining walls, paving, decks, pergolas and drainage — which is licensed building work in several states once the job value passes a threshold.

the Australian Capital Territory

Landscaping and gardening are not licensed construction occupations in the ACT. The occupations licensed under the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004 are builders (including owner-builders), electricians, plumbers, drainers and gasfitters, building surveyors, building assessors, gas appliance workers, works assessors and plumbing plan certifiers. Substantial structural work may still require a licensed builder depending on its nature.

New South Wales

Plain gardening and grounds maintenance is not a licensed activity. 'Structural landscaping' is, however, a listed category of building work in NSW: a contractor licence is required to contract for residential structural landscaping valued above a monetary threshold in labour and materials. Separately, NSW has compulsory pesticide training for occupational pesticide users, administered by the NSW EPA — this catches gardeners and grounds staff who apply herbicides or pesticides as part of their job.

the Northern Territory

Landscaping and gardening are not registered categories with the NT Building Practitioners Board, whose registration categories cover building contractors, building certifiers, certifying architects, certifying plumbers and drainers, and certifying engineers. Confirm with the Building Practitioners Board if the work involves structural elements or forms part of prescribed building work.

Queensland

Garden maintenance and planting need no licence, but structural landscaping is licensed building work regulated by the QBCC once the job value passes a threshold. The 'Structural landscaping (trade)' licence covers preparing, fabricating and erecting carports, decking, fences, gazebos, pergolas, ornamental structures and retaining walls of a height that does not require engineering certification under a local law; laying paving or concrete not intended to carry vehicular traffic; installing surface and subsoil drainage for landscaping; and constructing tennis courts and other sporting venues. A 'Builder restricted to structural landscaping' licence gives a broader scope. Contractor and nominee supervisor applicants must also complete the managerial unit BSBESB402.

South Australia

South Australia does not issue a landscaper or gardener licence. Consumer and Business Services (CBS) requires a building work contractor's licence where a business or individual carries out building work for another person, and a registered building work supervisor must supervise the work. Whether a particular landscaping job is 'building work' depends on what is being built, so confirm with CBS before contracting for structural elements.

Tasmania

Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) is Tasmania's building and occupational regulator and licenses building services providers, who must have the qualifications, experience and competencies CBOS requires and must work only within their area of competence as set out in the Occupational Licensing (Building Services Work) Determination. The determination's treatment of landscaping could not be verified directly from the regulator at the time of writing — confirm with CBOS before contracting for structural landscaping.

Victoria

There is no Victorian licence or registration for gardening or landscape maintenance as an occupation. Landscape work that forms part of domestic building work — construction, renovation, improvement or maintenance of a residential premises — falls under the domestic builder registration scheme, where a Domestic Builder (Limited) registration is restricted to the specified components listed on the certificate. Victoria's building regulator was restructured into the Building and Plumbing Commission from 1 July 2025, so confirm current arrangements before quoting on structural work.

Western Australia

No occupation-specific licence or registration for gardeners or landscapers was identified with Building and Energy (Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety), which administers building services registration under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011. Structural work may still fall within building services registration or require a building permit, so confirm scope with Building and Energy before contracting for retaining walls, decks or similar.