Warehousing, Storage and Distribution jobs in Australia

Licensing

Licensing by state

There is no licence needed simply to work in a warehouse. What is licensed is high risk work — most importantly operating a forklift (class LF) or an order picking forklift (class LO). A high risk work licence is issued by the work health and safety regulator in the state or territory where you apply, after training and assessment by a registered training organisation accredited by that regulator. The classes are national and the licences are mutually recognised in every state and territory, so an LF licence issued in Queensland is valid in Western Australia; you renew with the regulator where you live. High risk work licences run for five years. Beyond that, the main jurisdictional variation is which regulator you deal with and which safety legislation your employer sits under: every jurisdiction except Victoria now operates under the model work health and safety laws, while Victoria retains the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. Sites handling food, chemicals or dangerous goods may add further state-based requirements.

the Australian Capital Territory

High risk work licences are issued by WorkSafe ACT. The ACT operates under the model WHS laws. Because the ACT is small, many workers train and are assessed in NSW — that is fine, since high risk work licences are mutually recognised in every jurisdiction.

New South Wales

High risk work licences are issued by SafeWork NSW, with assessment through SafeWork NSW-accredited assessors at registered training organisations. NSW operates under the model WHS laws. The LF and LO classes and the five-year term are the same as everywhere else, and an interstate licence is honoured in NSW.

the Northern Territory

High risk work licences are issued by NT WorkSafe, within NT Worksafe / the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice. The Northern Territory operates under the model WHS laws. LF and LO classes and the five-year term are the same nationally, and licences issued elsewhere are recognised in the NT.

Queensland

High risk work licences (LF forklift, LO order picking forklift) are issued by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, part of the Office of Industrial Relations. Training and assessment must be through an RTO with WHSQ-accredited assessors. Queensland operates under the model WHS laws. Licences are valid five years and are recognised in every other state and territory.

South Australia

High risk work licences are issued by SafeWork SA. South Australia operates under the model WHS laws. Training and assessment must be through an RTO with SafeWork SA-accredited assessors. Licences run five years and are recognised nationally.

Tasmania

High risk work licences are issued by WorkSafe Tasmania, within the Department of Justice. Tasmania operates under the model WHS laws. LF and LO licence classes and the five-year term match the rest of the country, and interstate licences are recognised.

Victoria

High risk work licences are issued by WorkSafe Victoria. Victoria is the only jurisdiction that has NOT adopted the model work health and safety laws — it operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and its own regulations. Despite that, the high risk work licence classes are the same national classes and Victorian LF and LO licences are mutually recognised across Australia.

Western Australia

High risk work licences are issued by WorkSafe WA, which sits within the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety. Western Australia adopted the model work health and safety laws through the Work Health and Safety Act 2020, which commenced in 2022 — bringing WA into line with the eastern states on WHS, even though WA remains outside the Heavy Vehicle National Law. LF and LO licences are nationally recognised.