Security Licensing Course (Australia): Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Eight systems, one country

Australia has no national security licence. Each state and territory has its own law and its own regulator. You need a licence in the place where you work.

Place	Main law	Regulator
NSW	Security Industry Act 1997	Security Licensing & Enforcement Directorate (SLED), NSW Police Force
Victoria	Private Security Act 2004	Licensing and Regulation Division, Victoria Police
Queensland	Security Providers Act 1993	Office of Fair Trading
WA	Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996	WA Police Force
SA	Security and Investigation Industry Act 1995	Consumer and Business Services (CBS)
Tasmania	Security and Investigations Agents Act 2002	Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading
ACT	Security Industry Act 2003	Access Canberra
NT	Private Security Act 1995	NT Government (Director-General of Licensing)

In South Australia, crowd controllers who work in licensed premises also need an approval under the Liquor Licensing Act 1997. SA Police do the fingerprinting and integrity checks for CBS.

Lesson 2: Licence types

Most states split licences into the work an individual does and the licence a business needs to supply security staff. The names differ.

Individual licences: examples

NSW Class 1: 1A Security Officer (unarmed guarding, including crowd control), 1B Bodyguard, 1C Cash-in-Transit Guard, 1D Guard Dog Handler, 1E Monitoring Centre Operator, 1F Armed Guard.
ACT employee subclasses: 1A guard or protect property, 1B bodyguard, 1C crowd controller, 1D guard with a dog, 1E monitoring centre operator, and 1FC and 1FP for guards with a firearm.
WA: security officer, crowd controller, security monitoring officer, security bodyguard and others. A WA security monitoring officer needs no training, but cannot do patrols without a security officer licence.

Business licences

NSW has Master licences, which can never be transferred, even if the same owner keeps the business. Every NSW Master licence holder must have a Fitness for Work policy that covers drugs and alcohol. WA has agent licences: a crowd control agent licence lets you supply crowd controllers, but you also need a crowd controller licence to do the work yourself.

Lesson 3: Applying for a licence

The steps are similar across Australia, but the details differ. Common requirements are:

Age: at least 18 (for example NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the NT).
Training: units from CPP20218 Certificate II in Security Operations, done through a registered training organisation (RTO), plus first aid. NSW also requires the NSW Security Licence Course and a pre-enrolment assessment.
Probity: a criminal history check and, in many states, fingerprints. Queensland will not accept an application if you have a conviction for a disqualifying offence in the past 10 years.
Identity: for example 100 points of certified ID in Victoria and Queensland.
Not a prohibited person: Victoria will not license a "prohibited person" as defined in section 13 of the Private Security Act 2004.

Extra requirements: ACT example

Access Canberra requires workplace rights and responsibilities training for the operational subclasses (1A to 1FP), a first aid certificate (valid for 3 years) for most of those subclasses and a police check verified by fingerprints. Security employees at liquor-licensed premises must hold a current RSA certificate. ACT licences run for 1 or 3 years.

Working while you train

Queensland: a restricted licence lasts 6 months and cannot be extended. You work under a fully licensed provider, who may supervise no more than 3 restricted licence holders at once.
NT: you can apply for a provisional licence while you do your training and first aid course.
ACT: a temporary licence is for trainees employed by an ACT Master licence holder and supervised by a licensed person.

Lesson 4: Carrying and displaying your licence

Once licensed, you must be able to show who you are. The rules differ by place.

Place	Norma
NSW	You cannot start work under a new licence until you get the licence card, unless SLED tells you otherwise. Report a lost or stolen card to police within 7 days and get an event number.
Tasmania	Wear the licence on duty, on the outside of your clothes, at or above the waist at the front or side, with the photo showing and nothing covering it.
Queensland	Crowd controllers wear ID at chest level, not on an armband or lanyard.
NT	Carry your licence on duty. Sign the register when you start and finish work. Crowd controllers display a number on their clothing.

Weapons and equipment

A licence does not allow weapons unless it says so. A Queensland unarmed security officer licence does not authorise firearms, handcuffs or batons. In WA, a crowd controller may not carry any weapon, including a baton or pepper spray, while doing crowd control.

Lesson 5: Keeping your licence

A licence is not permanent. You must keep meeting the rules or it can be suspended or cancelled.

Checklist

Report changes on time, for example a new home address within 7 days in Queensland or within 30 days in the NT.
Tell your regulator if you are charged with a serious offence. The NT says to do this immediately for a disqualifying offence.
Keep training current. Queensland crowd controllers must refresh CPR every 12 months.
Renew before the expiry date. In Queensland an expired licence cannot be renewed and you must apply for a new one.
Help police with their enquiries. NSW SLED treats refusing to help as against the public interest.
Follow written or spoken instructions from SLED enforcement officers in NSW.