Security licence requirements by state in Australia

Eight regulators, eight Acts, one employer

There is no national security licence in Australia. Each state and territory licenses guards under its own law: the Security Industry Act 1997 in New South Wales, the Private Security Act 2004 in Victoria, the Security Providers Act 1993 in Queensland, the Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996 in Western Australia, the Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995 in South Australia, the Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002 in Tasmania, the Security Industry Act 2003 in the ACT and the Private Security Act 1995 in the Northern Territory.

Every jurisdiction licenses both the individual guard and the business supplying them. If a guard you roster is unlicensed, or your own firm licence doesn’t cover the work, the offence is yours as well as theirs. This guide covers what to check, where to check it and the dates that catch firms out.

State and territory comparison

The figures below are for an individual licence to work as an unarmed guard, checked against official pages and legislation on October 18, 2026. Every regulator that names the qualification still names CPP20218 Certificate II in Security Operations; we found no regulator page requiring a newer code. Where a figure isn’t stated officially, the table says so. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the regulator before you rely on them.

Individual unarmed guard licences in Australia
Jurisdiction	Regulator	Minimum age	Training	Licence term and fee (new)	Checks	Employer check
New South Wales	Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (NSW Police)	18	NSW Security Licence Course at a SLED-approved RTO: mandatory CPP20218 units plus HLTAID011 first aid issued in the last 3 years	Class 1A: 1, 3 or 5 years ($160, $400, $640)	Finger and palmprints ($40); disqualifying offences	Public register (Verify licence NSW)
Victoria	Licensing & Regulation Division (Victoria Police)	18	CPP20218 for security guard and crowd controller; statement of results dated within 12 months	Not stated officially on the pages reviewed; fees are in a separate 2026–27 schedule	Full set of fingerprints; prohibited-person rules	Public register (name, activities, expiry)
Queensland	Office of Fair Trading	18	CPP20218, all 14 units including HLTAID011	Unrestricted single function: 1 year ($376.20) or 3 years ($744.60); restricted: 6 months ($213.80)	Fingerprints ($113.30); criminal history check ($47.35)	Free public register; paid official extract
Western Australia	Licensing Services (WA Police)	18	Certificate II in Security Operations, written test, current first aid certificate	1 or 3 years (the Act allows up to 3); guard fee not shown in the fee schedule reviewed	Fingerprints ($135); criminal history	WA Police publishes licence-holder lists by category
South Australia	Consumer and Business Services	Not stated officially	CPP20218, all 14 core units (general guarding and crowd control)	Renewed every 12 months; new employee licence $1,053, renewal $414	Personal information declaration; overseas police certificate if applicable	SA Licensing Register
Tasmania	Consumer Affairs Tasmania (formerly CBOS)	18	CPP20218 for general guarding and crowd control; first aid certificate	3 years ($235.20 employee licence)	Fingerprints ($75); national police check ($45)	Public occupational licence search
ACT	Access Canberra	Adult (the Act does not state a number)	Courses set by the Security Industry Regulation 2003, workplace rights training, first aid (valid 3 years)	1 or 3 years ($166 or $504)	Fingerprint-verified police check no older than 2 months; capture $54	Public registers
Northern Territory	NT Government (lodged via Territory Business Centre)	18	CPP20218, all 14 units including HLTAID011 or HLTAID003; provisional licence while training	1, 2 or 3 years ($257, $347, $444 for security officer)	Police fingerprint check; criminal history check for “security licence”	Not stated officially

Fees are in Australian dollars for a new individual licence and change every July. Links to every official page are at the end of this guide.

New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland

New South Wales uses classes. Class 1A covers unarmed patrol, protection and guarding, including crowd control; 1B is bodyguard, 1C cash-in-transit, 1D dog handler, 1E monitoring centre operator and 1F armed guard. Check the subclass, not just the licence: a 1E monitoring licence doesn’t cover a static guard post.
Victoria replaced registrations with licences from June 19, 2025; registration holders had until June 19, 2026 to apply for a licence. Licences list activities such as security guard and crowd controller. Since December 19, 2025, sole traders and contractors working on an ABN need both a business licence and an individual operator licence. Subcontracting needs the client’s consent.
Queensland issues single-function and multiple-function licences, each either unrestricted or restricted. A restricted licence lasts six months and only allows work while a fully licensed provider supervises the holder, so a restricted guard can’t be rostered alone. Licence holders must report changes to their details within 7 days.

Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT

Western Australia requires security officer and crowd controller applicants to pass a written test before applying, then apply within 6 months. Since September 1, 2023, ID cards no longer show first aid expiry, so ask for the certificate.
South Australia is the outlier on cost and cycle. A new employee licence costs $1,053 and must be renewed every 12 months for $414. Crowd controllers can be directed to drug and alcohol testing, and a licence can be cancelled for failing to comply.
Tasmania licenses employees separately from agents. An employee licence does not allow the holder to work for themselves, and a new application must name the licensed agent they will work for.
ACT uses subclasses: 1A for patrolling or guarding property (including cash in transit), 1C for crowd control, plus others. A temporary licence lets a trainee work for up to 12 months, but only under supervision by someone licensed for that activity.
Northern Territory offers a provisional licence while a guard completes training. Under the Act it ends at the close of the next available training course and no later than 12 months after issue, so diarise both dates.

Your firm needs its own licence

NSW master licence: classes are capped by the number of operatives you supply on any one day: MB up to 3, MC up to 14, MD up to 49, ME unlimited (MA is self-employed). A new one-year licence costs $410 (MB) to $5,225 (ME). When you subcontract, both firms need a matching master licence class, and interstate firms supplying NSW clients need a NSW master licence.
Victoria business licence: requires standard operating procedures, public liability insurance and proof of competency, such as membership of an approved security industry organisation or a Certificate IV in Security Management (CPP40719).
Queensland security firm licence: you must be a member of an approved industry association. No training is required. Every person you supply must hold a licence for their work.
WA agent licence: requires an open-book test of 20 questions with a 90% pass mark. A new three-year licence costs $1,590 (2026–27 fees). The licence belongs to the business and can’t be transferred. Self-employed and subcontracting guards need their own agent licence.
SA business licence: costs $1,509 for an individual or $2,169 for a company, and is renewed yearly. A licence restricted to working as an employee does not allow the holder to run a business, and that includes subcontracting.
Tasmania agent licence: costs $891.80 for an individual and lasts 3 years. Crowd control must be on your licence, and you must give each crowd controller a numbered identity card before they start.
ACT master licence: costs $1,102 for 12 months or $3,308 for 36 months. It lets you employ or provide guards but does not let you do security work yourself.
NT security firm licence: costs $923 (individual or partnership) or $1,846 (corporation) for one year. Every officer of a company or partnership needs a criminal history check.

Interstate guards and mutual recognition

Standard mutual recognition lets an individual apply for the equivalent licence in another state; companies can’t use it. Automatic mutual recognition (AMR), which lets interstate licence holders work without a new licence, is where the states split:

New South Wales: does not apply AMR to security work. SLED was granted a five-year exemption from July 1, 2022. Interstate guards apply under standard mutual recognition (form P608), and SLED can postpone a decision for up to 6 months.
Western Australia: excludes security licences from AMR as “significant risk”. Under standard mutual recognition, WA issues a 3-month interim licence on the day of application if the interstate licence has more than a month left to run.
South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT: allow AMR for guards who live in another state and hold the equivalent licence there. Tasmania requires notification before work starts. The ACT lists security employee licences under its deemed registration scheme, with pre-work steps for crowd controllers.
Victoria and Queensland: their security pages describe only standard mutual recognition applications, and we did not find an official statement on AMR. Ask the regulator before rostering an interstate guard. Queensland takes fingerprints again even if they were given in another state.

How to verify a licence before the first shift

1Collect the licence number, class or activities and expiry date in writing, with a copy of both sides of the card.
2Check the public register of the state where the post is. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT run online registers. Queensland’s free register can’t be used as evidence; order an official extract if you need proof. In WA, use the published licence-holder lists or contact Licensing Services; in the NT, contact the licensing team.
3Match the class to the post: crowd control, guarding, monitoring and dog or firearm work are separate authorities in most states.
4Keep dated proof of the check in the guard’s file. In NSW, a master licensee has a defence if it didn’t know and couldn’t reasonably have known that an operative was unlicensed. In Tasmania, sighting the guard’s identity card before engaging them is a defence. Both depend on records.
5Record first aid and refresher dates alongside the licence, and re-check at every renewal.

Renewal traps

In most jurisdictions an expired licence cannot be renewed: Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the NT all require a new application. NSW allows a late renewal up to 90 days after expiry, but the guard is unlicensed until it’s complete; after 90 days it’s a new application with current training. In WA, after 6 months expired, tests and training start again.

Two states let a guard keep working past the expiry date, and only on conditions. In Victoria, a licence continues until a decision is made if the renewal was submitted and paid and the photo taken before expiry. In Queensland, a guard who renews and pays before expiry can keep working while carrying the expired licence and the payment receipt. Lodge a day late and neither rule applies.

Watch the lead times. WA requires the renewal to be received 28 days before expiry, and in February 2026 warned that some renewal notices were not being sent. In Victoria, from October 5, 2026, security guards, crowd controllers and bodyguards must complete refresher training in the 12 months before renewal, and every individual operator needs HLTAID011 first aid completed within the 3 years before expiry. Use this tracker if you are still on a spreadsheet:

Licence tracker and alert rules

LICENCE TRACKER (one row per guard)

Guard | State/territory | Licence no. | Class / subclass / activities | Issued | Expires | Verified on (public register) | First aid unit + date | Other (refresher, RSA, baton, firearm) + expiry | Next action

ALERT RULES
90 days before expiry  -> remind guard; check first aid date (NSW, ACT and Victoria count back 3 years)
                          Victoria: guard books the online refresher training now
56 days before expiry  -> NSW renewal window opens; WA renewal notices are due to go out
                          (WA says some notices have not been sent: don’t wait for one)
35 days before expiry  -> WA: renewal must be RECEIVED 28 days before expiry; lodge this week
30 days before expiry  -> escalate to manager; plan cover for this guard’s shifts
On expiry date         -> no shifts from 00:00 until the renewed licence shows on the register
                          Exception only where the regulator says so (VIC, QLD): renewal lodged
                          and paid before expiry, receipt on file, guard carries it on post

CHECK BEFORE EVERY NEW ASSIGNMENT
[ ] Licence valid for the whole shift (not just the start)
[ ] Licence held in the state or territory of the site (AMR does not apply in NSW or WA)
[ ] Class or activity covers the post (e.g. crowd control vs guarding)
[ ] QLD restricted licence: a fully licensed provider supervises on this shift
[ ] Your own master / firm / agent licence covers this guard and this activity

What employing an unlicensed guard can cost

These are statutory maximums for the offence of employing, supplying or engaging an unlicensed person, not fixed fines.

Maximum penalties for using unlicensed guards
Jurisdiction	Offence	Maximum penalty
New South Wales	Master licensee supplying an unlicensed person (s 39)	1,000 penalty units ($110,000) for a corporation; 500 penalty units ($55,000) or 2 years’ jail for an individual
Queensland	Hiring an unlicensed security provider	$86,350 first offence; $120,890 or 6 months’ jail second; $172,700 or 18 months third; up to five times for corporations
Western Australia	Employing an unlicensed security officer or crowd controller (ss 20, 39)	$15,000 fine
South Australia	Employing an unlicensed agent or engaging an unlicensed crowd controller (s 12A)	$20,000
Tasmania	Employing or engaging an unlicensed person (s 21A)	1,000 penalty units for a body corporate; 200 for an individual
ACT	Master licensee employing an unlicensed person (s 45), strict liability	50 penalty units ($40,500 for a corporation, $8,000 for an individual) or 6 months’ jail
Northern Territory	Engaging an unlicensed person, directly or indirectly (s 13(2))	500 penalty units for a body corporate; 100 for an individual
Victoria	Offences under the Private Security Act 2004	Not quoted here: we could not retrieve the current authorised text

NSW penalty unit: $110. ACT values at the November 2025 republication. The NT Act also says no reward is payable for work done without a licence.

How GuardDesk handles licences

GuardDesk keeps each guard’s licence, class, first aid and other certificates with their expiry dates, and checks them before a shift is assigned: a dispatcher can’t give a shift to a guard whose licence won’t be valid on that date. When a licence nears expiry, the affected shifts show up as exceptions before they become a problem.

Questions owners ask

Is CPP20218 still the qualification for an Australian security licence?

Yes, as of October 18, 2026. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the NT all name CPP20218 Certificate II in Security Operations for unarmed guarding and crowd control. Queensland no longer accepts the older CPP07 qualification.

Can a guard licensed in one state work in another?

Not automatically. NSW and Western Australia exclude security from automatic mutual recognition, so the guard needs a local licence through standard mutual recognition. South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the NT allow automatic recognition for guards who live interstate, with conditions. Check with the regulator in Victoria and Queensland.

How do I check if a security licence is valid?

Use the public register in the state or territory where the guard will work. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT have online registers. In WA, use the published licence-holder lists or contact Licensing Services.

Is there a grace period if a guard’s licence expires?

Not for working. NSW lets a licence be renewed up to 90 days late, but the guard is unlicensed until it is renewed. Victoria and Queensland let a guard keep working only if the renewal was lodged and paid before expiry. Elsewhere, an expired licence means a new application.

Does my security company need its own licence?

Yes, in every jurisdiction. It is called a master licence in NSW and the ACT, a business licence in Victoria, a security firm licence in Queensland and the NT, and an agent licence in WA and Tasmania. In NSW, the class also caps how many guards you can supply in a day.

Sources

General information for security firm owners and managers, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the regulator or your lawyer before relying on them. Checked October 14, 2026.

Security guard licensing in Australia: an employer’s guide by state and territory