Traffic Control Awareness Course (Australia): Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Who can control traffic

Traffic control means stopping, slowing or guiding vehicles and people around a hazard, such as road works or an event. On public roads it is a regulated job. Each state and territory sets its own rules. A security licence alone does not let you direct traffic on a road.

State	Who is involved	What the rules say
Nova Gales do Sul	SafeWork NSW (training by approved providers)	A Traffic Control Work Training (TCWT) card is mandatory for traffic control work on or next to public roads.
Queensland	Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)	Traffic controllers must be accredited to control traffic at road worksites and at events that close a road. Accreditation lasts 3 years.
Vitória	Transport Victoria	Companies doing temporary traffic management must make sure their staff meet the Austroads National Training Framework.
Austrália Ocidental	Main Roads WA	Traffic controller accreditation is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.

Queensland accreditation only works in Queensland. TMR also lists people who do not need it, such as police, State Emergency Service officers and people who direct traffic within a car park. TMR still says anyone who controls traffic should have suitable training and safety clothing. Employers must not use an unaccredited person as a traffic controller on a road worksite.

The Austroads roles

Most states now use the Austroads National Training Framework for Temporary Traffic Management. It has three practitioner roles:

Traffic Controller (TC): controls traffic, for example with a stop-slow bat.
Traffic Management Implementer (TMI): puts the plan in place by setting up, monitoring and adjusting the signs and devices.
Traffic Management Designer (TMD): designs traffic management plans and guidance schemes.

Under the framework, a Traffic Management Card is recognised until it expires or for three years from the date of issue, whichever comes first. The practical part must be finished within six months of passing the theory. The national unit for this work is RIIWHS205E Control traffic with stop-slow bat, which Main Roads WA lists among the units a traffic controller needs.

Lesson 2: Plans, standards and staying in your role

Traffic control is planned before anyone steps onto the road. The plan shows where signs, cones, barriers and controllers go. The main guides are:

Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (AGTTM): the national guide.
New South Wales: the Transport for NSW Traffic Control at Work Sites (TCAWS) standard. In June 2026, Transport for NSW published a new version, Technical Standard TS 05492:1.0, which follows the older Issue 6.1 manual.
Queensland: the Queensland Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (QGTTM). Part 7 is about traffic controllers.
Western Australia: the Main Roads WA code of practice for traffic management for works on roads and for events.

The Austroads framework sorts roads into three categories. Category 1 is urban streets and low-volume rural roads. Category 2 is high-volume roads. Category 3 is motorways and freeways.

Stay within your role

Each role has limits. SafeWork NSW says the traffic controller course does not qualify a person to set up or work with traffic control plans. The implementer course does not qualify a person to control traffic with a stop-slow bat. Do only the tasks your training and the plan cover.

Signals and signs still matter. Queensland's guide says a traffic controller must not direct traffic against an operating traffic signal, and must cover a STOP or GIVE WAY sign before directing traffic through it.

Traffic controller ahead
Road work

Lesson 3: Staying safe near live traffic

Traffic controllers can be hurt or killed by vehicles that do not stop. In 2026, SafeWork NSW reported a controller who died when a vehicle entered a work zone at speed and broke through water-filled barriers. Its advice to businesses includes:

Do not make workers stand in live traffic where this can be eliminated.
Use portable traffic control devices, such as portable traffic lights or remote-controlled boom gates.
Use continuous barriers that can withstand a vehicle impact.
Put the planned speed reductions in place and check them often.
Plan for drivers who speed or fail to stop.

Rules from Queensland's guide (QGTTM Part 7)

Topic	What the guide says
Breaks	Relieve a controller after no more than 2 hours, for at least 15 minutes of rest or other duties.
Clothing	Wear the traffic controller garments. Keep them clean, with fluorescent and reflective parts that are not faded.
Position	After traffic stops, move as needed so approaching drivers can clearly see you.
Eyesight	Be able to make out a vehicle about 150 metres away.
Lightning	Do not control traffic where lightning is occurring. Think first about suspending the works.
Night	Use hand signals with an illuminated wand or a torch with a cone. Upright means STOP. A sweeping sideways movement means SLOW.

TMR also says Queensland controllers must show their industry authority card when an authorised officer asks to inspect it.

Lesson 4: Car parks, loading docks and sites

Many security officers manage vehicles on private property, such as car parks, loading docks, building sites and events. Here, work health and safety (WHS) laws apply. The person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must make sure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and other people are not exposed to risks. Workers must take reasonable care and follow reasonable instructions.

Separate people and vehicles

Safe Work Australia's guide says the best way to protect pedestrians is to make sure people and vehicles cannot interact. Options include:

Separate walkways, barriers, guardrails and boom gates
Separate entries for people and vehicles
Speed limits that are enforced, and speed humps
Clear signs and road markings that are checked and kept visible
Good lighting, especially at junctions and walkways
Visitors reporting to reception before they enter vehicle areas

Personal protective equipment (PPE), such as high-visibility clothing, is the last control option. It is used together with the higher-level controls, not instead of them.

Reversing vehicles and plant

If a driver cannot see clearly behind, a person may direct the reversing vehicle. That person should stay in visible contact with the driver at all times and wear high-visibility clothing. Exclusion zones keep people away from moving plant, and the operator of plant such as a forklift should control the exclusion zone.

At site exits, traffic controllers, mirrors, stop signs or warning devices help drivers see pedestrians before they drive onto a public road. For work on or near a public road, the business must contact the local road authority for its rules.

Lesson 5: Communication, plans and incidents

Traffic control is teamwork. Safe Work Australia's guidance on communication says:

Radios may be used, but have a back-up method in case the radio fails.
Line-of-sight signals, such as hand signals or cap lamp signals, can also be used.
The person who receives a message should confirm it was received and understood.

Queensland's guide lets traffic controllers use hand signals to direct pedestrians across a road when it is safe. Controllers may also control cyclists and people using wheelchairs or personal mobility devices where control is needed on a roadway.

Workplace traffic management plans

A traffic management plan is most useful for large sites with a lot of traffic. Workers should know the plan and be trained in it. It should be reviewed regularly and after any incident. Where several businesses share a site, they must consult each other and coordinate.

If something goes wrong

Make the area safe and call 000 if someone is hurt or in danger.
Tell your supervisor about every incident and near miss.
Write down what happened while it is fresh.