How many CPD points do you need? Australian CPD requirements by profession and state

A NatHERS assessor needs at least 12 CPD points in each year of accreditation, and at least 6 of those must be in technical training. The minimum is set by the NatHERS Protocol for Assessor Accrediting Organisations, so it applies whether you are accredited through ABSA, Design Matters National or HERA. One point equals at least one hour, and up to 3 points can be rolled over.

Registered architects in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory need 20 hours or points of CPD a year, at least 10 of them formal. The CPD year differs by board: 1 July to 30 June in Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, 1 April to 31 March in Queensland, and tied to renewal or your registration anniversary in NSW and the Northern Territory. The ACT requirement is not yet confirmed.

The Board of Architects of Queensland’s CPD year runs from 1 April to 31 March, and CPD is reported at annual renewal. Queensland architects need 20 hours a year, at least 10 of them formal.

The architects registration boards in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia each state that they do not accredit CPD providers. Architects judge whether an activity is relevant to their practice and keep the evidence.

It depends on the state and your membership body. Licensed building designers in Tasmania need 20 CPD points a year, and registered design practitioners in NSW need 3 hours a year through Construct NSW courses. Victoria has no requirement yet, with regulations targeted for late 2026. Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory have no state CPD for building designers. BDAA and BDQ members need 20 points a year under their membership rules.

BDAA Full, Chartered, Affiliate and Accredited members need 20 CPD points a year, 10 formal and 10 informal, completed before their membership or accreditation renewal date. BDAA says a state licensing authority’s CPD requirements take precedence over its own.

Members of the Building Designers’ Association of Queensland (Building Design Queensland, or BDQ) need at least 20 CPD points a year and 90 points over a rolling three year period, with 30 a year recommended. At least 2 points a year must be Type A (legislation, ethics, risk management or business skills) and at least 10 must be Type B or C (formal tertiary study or structured learning). The Program year starts on 1 April, and submissions are due by 1 May.

Design Matters National publishes a CPD requirement for its accredited energy assessors: at least 12 points a year, with at least 6 NatHERS Technical points. We could not find a published CPD requirement for its building designer members, so check with Design Matters National.

Yes. Licensed builders and swimming pool builders in NSW must complete 12 points of CPD each year to renew their licence or certificate. The scheme is run by Building Commission NSW, and up to 11 surplus points can be carried forward for 12 months.

Not yet. Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning is aiming to make CPD regulations for builders, other building practitioners and plumbers by late 2026, with the requirements starting at least 6 months after the regulations are made.

No. QBCC says only building certifiers and pool safety inspectors currently have compulsory CPD, and there is no CPD framework for other QBCC licensees.

Registered certifiers in NSW need 25 CPD points a year, plus any mandatory courses, over a CPD year that runs 12 months from their registration date. Swimming pool inspectors need 6 points a year from their second year of registration. Up to 10 surplus points can be carried over.

No Australian state requires CPD for interior design as such. Design Institute of Australia Accredited Designers must earn 50 CPD points each calendar year from at least three categories. In Victoria, anyone registered in the Building Design (interior) class will be covered by the state’s building practitioner CPD once it starts.

In Tasmania, yes: plumbers, gasfitters and electricians need 12 CPD points a year, or 36 over a 3 year licence. Victoria plans CPD for plumbers, with regulations targeted for late 2026. The ACT has no CPD for licensed trades. For other states, check with your licensing regulator.

A CPD point is the unit your registration body uses to count your learning, and each body sets its own rules. For NatHERS assessors one point equals at least one hour, and the Architects Board of WA and BDAA generally give one point per hour. NSW builders earn 2 points an hour for learning assessed through an RTO or university. The NSW and Queensland architects boards count hours rather than points.

Formal CPD is structured learning with stated learning outcomes and either an assessment task that genuinely tests your understanding or significant interaction with the presenter. Informal CPD is self-directed learning relevant to your practice, such as reading practice notes and journals, podcasts, talks by peers, site visits and mentoring. Architects in seven of the eight states and territories, and BDAA members, need at least 10 formal hours or points each year.

They can. The NSW and Victorian architects boards treat online and face to face courses the same way: what makes a course formal is a structured assessment task that genuinely tests your understanding, or significant interaction between the presenter and the participant. Your board or AAO decides whether an activity counts, so keep the certificate and your assessment result.

Keep a certificate for every formal activity showing your name, the provider, the date, the activity, the hours and whether it was formal or informal. The NSW architects board also asks for your registration number and the competency units covered, and does not accept receipts in place of a certificate. For informal CPD, record the date, the activity, the hours and what you learned.

The NSW Architects Registration Board requires records to be kept for at least 7 years. The Board of Architects of Queensland requires at least 5 years, and BDAA asks members to keep evidence for 5 years. If your body does not say, keeping records for 7 years covers all three.

Only where your scheme allows it. NatHERS assessors can roll over up to 3 points in any one year, NSW builders can carry forward up to 11 surplus points for 12 months, and NSW certifiers up to 10. Western Australian architects cannot bank or roll over points.