Responsible Service Of Alcohol Certification In Australia

Working in the hospitality industry is a popular vocation for backpackers and temporary visa holders in Australia. If you are planning on a taking up a “front of house” role in a licensed venue (one that serves alcohol), you need to complete state-based competency training in the “Responsible Service of Alcohol” (RSA) before you start work.

What Is Responsible Service of Alcohol Training?

To sell, serve or supply alcohol in Australia, you must complete a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training course provided by an approved training provider.

There is a national unit of competency SITHFAB002 recognised by Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

This is not sufficient in New South Wales (NSW) nor Victoria (Australia’s two most populated states).

State Specific Requirements

Australia is made up of 6 States (Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia) plus several Federal Territories (including two on the mainland continent with Northern Territory and Australia’s Capital Territory).

States and Territories control alcohol licensing independently, meaning that each can make its own rules that govern the sale and supply of alcohol.

Responsible Service of Alcohol training is aligned in Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory under a national unit of competency SITHFAB002.

NSW, ACT and Victoria have their own individual requirements. Whilst in NSW, ACT and Victoria you can do a course that covers the national unit of competency SITHFAB002 and the respective state’s local requirements, neither NSW, ACT nor Victoria recognise each other’s courses.

What Do The Different State Requirements Mean?

In short:

• If you do a course in Victoria and obtain your RSA certification for Victoria, it will not be enough to get you certified/a job in NSW nor ACT;
• If you do a course in NSW and obtain your RSA certification for NSW, it will not be enough to get you certified/a job in Victoria nor ACT;
• If you do a course in ACT and obtain your RSA certification for ACT, it will not be enough to get you certified/a job in Victoria nor NSW;
• NSW and ACT RSA courses will cover the national unit of competency SITHFAB002, and so completing a NSW or ACT RSA course will enable you to use that course to get certification for Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory;
• If the Victorian course you do specifically states it covers the national unit of competency SITHFAB002 (note some don’t), you will be able to use that course to get certification for Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory;
• If you have completed a NSW, ACT or other non-Victorian RSA course (that covers the national unit of competency SITHFAB002), Victoria does offer a free RSA bridging course to have your qualification recognised in Victoria;
• Similarly, if you have completed a course that covers the national unit of competency SITHFAB002, you will need to complete an RSA refresher course (for the ACT) to have your qualification recognised in ACT;

Our Advice on Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certification for Travellers

If you want Australia-wide coverage, the quickest path to coverage is:

• Do a NSW RSA course (we partner with TAFE NSW);
• This includes the national unit of competency SITHFAB002, meaning you will be able to use that course to get certification for Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory;
• Then a Victorian RSA is as simple as the free RSA bridging course to have your qualification recognised in Victoria;
• ACT is a small place (just Canberra, Australia’s capital), if you REALLY want to go and work in Canberra, you’ll only need to do an ACT RSA refresher course if you have already completed a course with the national unit of competency SITHFAB002.

Work In Australia can help you obtain the relevant RSA as part of our Job Ready Packages.

Competency Cards, Certificates and Statements Of Attainment

Completing the course is not always sufficient to then start working in venues that serve alcohol. You maybe required to also apply for a Competency Card / License for the relevant state.

For example:

• NSW requires you to obtain a Competency Card which (be careful) is often NOT included in the course cost (it is if you do it with our partner TAFE NSW);
• Victoria only requires a VCGLR RSA Certificate (generally supplied by the course provider);
• Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory similarly on require the “Statement Of Attainment” generally supplied through the course provided;

NOTE: you may need a USI to do an RSA

With COVID came the broad availability of online RSA courses. Current rules around non-citizens of Australia and accredited training courses mean anyone completing these courses from overseas, will need a “Unique Student Identifier” (USI).

For more details on USIs, see this website.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed?

Knowing all the intricacies of Australian employment laws can be a bit daunting, particularly for a traveller just looking to have a working holiday down-under. This is why we are here to help!

No Stress, No Worries!

We’ll help get you sorted with everything you need to start working in Australia.

We find you the job.

We get you job ready!

You can relax in the comfort that you are about to have the time of your life!

Why not reach out today? Click here to register your enquiry and one of our team will be in touch to talk you through any queries you may have and what the next steps are.