Scaffolding Ticket: Licence Classes, Cost and Renewal

Licence classes: SB, SI, SA

SafeWork NSW sets out the three scaffolding classes. WorkSafe Victoria uses the same names. Each class builds on the one before it:

• Basic (SB): modular or prefabricated scaffolds, cantilevered materials hoists with a maximum working load of 500 kg, ropes and gin wheels, safety nets and static lines, and bracket scaffolds (tank and formwork).
• Intermediate (SI): everything in basic, plus cantilevered crane loading platforms, cantilevered and spurred scaffolds, barrow ramps and sloping platforms, perimeter safety screens and shutters, mast climbers, and tube and coupler scaffolds, including covered ways and gantries.
• Advanced (SA): everything in intermediate, plus cantilevered hoists, hung scaffolds and suspended scaffolds.

The 4 metre threshold also appears in the national unit text on training.gov.au. For the wider licence system see our high risk work licence guide.

Prerequisites

Age. SafeWork NSW says you must be at least 18. HPA Training, Holmesglen and Civil Safety each list 18 as a minimum too. WorkSafe Victoria’s page does not state an age.

English. SafeWork NSW says you must be able to speak English well enough to carry out high risk work safely with other people. Providers may also check language, literacy and numeracy: Holmesglen mentions a pre-training review and possibly a test, and Civil Safety lists sufficient language, literacy and numeracy plus a Unique Student Identifier.

White card. The national unit says anyone carrying out construction work needs general construction induction, and that CPCWHS1001 meets it. Holmesglen lists a Construction Induction Card as an entry requirement. HPA Training does not list one but asks for a 100 point ID check, basic maths for formulas and load charts, and the health and fitness to work safely. So some providers ask for it and some do not. Get yours sorted early with our white card page.

Class order. The intermediate unit has a prerequisite: the basic unit (CPCCLSF2001) or a valid basic scaffolding licence. SafeRight lists basic and intermediate as prerequisites for advanced. Plan to climb the classes in order.

Experience. Holmesglen also asks for at least 6 months of employment in manufacturing, construction or infrastructure. Other providers did not list this, so ask.

Assessment and how long it takes

The national unit states that competence in the unit does not in itself result in a licence. A licence comes after competence is assessed under your state or territory work health and safety rules. The usual steps are: train with a registered training organisation, pass the assessment, then apply to the regulator.

• Holmesglen (Vic): 5 days, full time, on campus.
• Civil Safety: 5 full days, face to face, at multiple training centres across Queensland and Western Australia, or at your location.
• HPA Training (NSW): 4 days of training including HPA’s assessment, plus a separate 1 day SafeWork NSW assessment, 5 full days in total.
• SafeRight (WA): 4 or 5 days per class, in a post dated 20 August 2024.

After you pass, the clock starts. SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria both say to apply within 60 days of your assessment (NSW: the issue date of your Notice of Satisfactory Assessment; Victoria: 60 calendar days from passing). In Victoria, after that you must repeat the assessment at your own cost.

Cost

There are two costs: the course and the licence application. Prices are indicative, taken from provider pages read on 13 October 2026 unless stated, and each provider says its own fees can change.

The licence fee comes on top. WorkSafe Victoria lists $77.70 per class for a new licence and $58.70 to renew. NSW and WA direct you to their own fee pages, which we did not read. As a rule of thumb from these sources, budget from the low hundreds to around $1,600 for the basic class, depending on state, funding and provider, and confirm before paying.

Renewal

A scaffolding licence lasts 5 years, per both SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria. In NSW, classes added later expire at the same time as the licence. You can renew up to 12 months after expiry. After 12 months you must retrain with a registered training organisation, be reassessed as competent and submit a new application. If you submit your renewal before expiry in NSW, you can keep working until you get confirmation. Victoria also allows renewal within 12 months of expiry, with exceptional circumstances needed beyond that. Set a reminder: SafeWork NSW aims to send one about 60 days before expiry, but do not rely on it.

State regulator differences

The classes and units are national, but you apply to your own state or territory regulator, and the process differs.

• NSW: SafeWork NSW. Age 18, English requirement, apply within 60 days of your Notice of Satisfactory Assessment, renew up to 12 months after expiry.
• Victoria: WorkSafe Victoria. $77.70 per class new, $58.70 renewal, apply within 60 calendar days of passing, renew within 12 months of expiry.
• Western Australia: the state high risk work licensing page says you get two copies of a Notice of Assessment: the green copy acts as an interim licence and the white copy goes with your application. Apply within 60 days. Applications typically take 4 to 6 weeks, and the card should arrive within 28 days of the grant.
• Queensland and others: check WorkSafe Queensland or your own regulator. We could not read their scaffolder pages and make no claims about them.

If you move state, ask your regulator whether your licence carries across before you assume it does.

Scaffolding in mining

Mine sites need scaffolding during maintenance and shutdowns, when plant is opened up and crews need safe access. A published example is a Monadelphous contract with BHP for maintenance services with a contingency scaffolding contract across Pilbara sites including Mt Whaleback, Jimblebar, Eastern Ridge, Mining Area C and Yandi. The page describes the scope as multidiscipline maintenance, including shutdown services, outage services, emergency breakdown services and minor capital works, for three years with two one-year extension options. It does not detail the scaffolding work itself, so we are not claiming more than that.

On pay, SEEK’s Scaffolder page (October 2026) shows an average advertised salary of $97,994 for Mining, Resources and Energy from 130 openings, against $82,365 for Construction (70 openings) and $80,809 for Trades and Services (299). These are ad averages, not a guarantee. See our scaffolder salary page for more.

Ads often pair scaffolding with related tickets. Browse our working at heights, rigging and dogging pages, and use the Mine Ready Plan to order them. Sites run their own inductions on top of any ticket, so see our WA mining jobs guide for what to expect.

What we could not source

We left out Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania regulator details, current licence fees for NSW and WA, and any guarantee that a ticket leads to a job. We also could not read a Safe Work Australia page on scaffolding, so the 4 metre threshold is cited from SafeWork NSW and the national unit text instead. Check with your regulator and a registered training organisation before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Last updated 13 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below.

• SafeWork NSW: High risk work licences (read 13 October 2026)
• WorkSafe Victoria: High risk work licence (read 13 October 2026)
• Government of Western Australia: Apply for a new high risk work licence (read 13 October 2026)
• training.gov.au: CPCCLSF3001 Licence to erect, alter and dismantle scaffolding intermediate level (read 13 October 2026)
• HPA Training: CPCCLSF2001 scaffolding basic level, NSW (read 13 October 2026)
• Holmesglen: Licence to erect, alter and dismantle scaffolding basic level, Vic (read 13 October 2026)
• SafeRight: Scaffolding course guide, WA (post dated 20 August 2024, read 13 October 2026)
• Civil Safety: Scaffolding basic level (read 13 October 2026)
• SEEK career advice: Scaffolder salary, October 2026 (read 13 October 2026)
• Monadelphous: BHP maintenance services with contingency scaffolding contract (read 13 October 2026)

All figures come from the pages above, read on 13 October 2026, and change often. Course prices are indicative: providers set their own and funding depends on your circumstances. We could not read the WorkSafe Queensland scaffolder licence page, so we make no Queensland-specific claims. Tickets come from registered training providers and licences from your state regulator. MiningReady is independent and not affiliated with any of them.