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Official bodies for tree work in Australia

Official bodies and official schemes in Australia that matter to tree workers, grouped by what they do. Each row links to the body's own page.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here.

On this page

Workplace safety regulators
Workers' compensation and injury cover
Licences for tree work and felling
Pesticide licensing
Plant health and biosecurity
Plant disease and insect diagnostic labs
Forestry and urban forestry
Utility tree work and vegetation management
Qualifications and apprenticeships
Standards bodies
Underground utility locate centres
Emergency management and civil defence
Business registration and company registries
Tax offices

Workplace safety regulators

Body	Covers	What it does
Safe Work Australia	Whole country	The national policy body for work health and safety and workers' compensation. It does not regulate or pay claims: the states, territories and the Commonwealth do.
WorkSafe ACT	Australian Capital Territory	The work health and safety regulator for the ACT, led by the Work Health and Safety Commissioner under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
SafeWork NSW	New South Wales	The New South Wales work health and safety regulator; its safety alert on tree work covers serious incidents in arboriculture.
NT WorkSafe	Northern Territory	The Northern Territory work health and safety regulator, also covering rehabilitation and workers compensation.
WorkSafe Queensland (Office of Industrial Relations)	Queensland	The Queensland work health and safety regulator; its tree work bulletin points to the national guide on tree trimming and removal.
SafeWork SA	South Australia	The South Australian work health and safety regulator; its tree felling page covers risk assessment and safe work procedures.
WorkSafe Tasmania	Tasmania	The Tasmanian work health and safety regulator; its agriculture, forestry and fishing page covers hazards for forestry workers.
Energy Safe Victoria	Victoria	The Victorian energy safety regulator, responsible for electricity, gas and pipeline safety.
WorkSafe Victoria	Victoria	The Victorian workplace safety regulator; publishes guidance on controlling risks when working with trees, including falling branches.
WorkSafe Western Australia	Western Australia	The Western Australian work health and safety regulator, where a death, serious injury or dangerous incident is notified.

Workers' compensation and injury cover

Body	Covers	What it does
Comcare	Whole country	The national work health and safety and workers' compensation authority, for Commonwealth workplaces and the companies licensed to self-insure under its scheme.
icare NSW	New South Wales	Runs the New South Wales workers compensation insurance scheme, with an employer lookup tool for confirming a policy.
NT WorkSafe (workers compensation)	Northern Territory	Oversees the Northern Territory no fault workers rehabilitation and compensation scheme.
WorkCover Queensland	Queensland	The Queensland workers compensation insurer, handling claims, return to work and premiums.
ReturnToWorkSA	South Australia	The South Australian statutory authority that provides work injury insurance and regulates the Return to Work scheme.
WorkSafe Tasmania (workers compensation)	Tasmania	Its home page leads to workers compensation, the claim form and return to work guides.
WorkSafe Victoria (WorkCover insurance)	Victoria	Administers Victorian WorkCover insurance and workers compensation under the Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013.
WorkCover WA	Western Australia	The government agency that regulates and administers the Western Australian workers compensation scheme.

Licences for tree work and felling

Body	Covers	What it does
NT WorkSafe (high risk work licence)	Northern Territory	Issues high risk work licences once appropriate training is shown.
WorkSafe Queensland (licensing and registrations)	Queensland	Its licensing page covers Queensland high risk work licences, plant registration and the related training information.
WorkSafe Tasmania (high risk work and training)	Tasmania	Its home page lists licensing, permits and registration, including high risk work licences.
WorkSafe Victoria (licences)	Victoria	Issues WorkSafe licences, including high risk work licences.
WorkSafe Western Australia (high risk work licences)	Western Australia	Issues high risk work licences, which its page says are recognised in all states and territories.

Pesticide licensing

Body	Covers	What it does
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)	Whole country	The national regulator of agricultural and veterinary chemicals, pesticides and herbicides among them. The states and territories regulate how they are used.
NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)	New South Wales	Issues the ground applicator licence that its page says is required by anyone providing services that use pesticides (other than fumigants) to control weeds or pests affecting plants or soil.
Queensland Health (pest management)	Queensland	Licenses pest management technicians; its page says pest management using a pesticide must be done by a licence holder.
SA Health (Controlled Substances Licensing)	South Australia	Licenses pest control businesses and pest management technicians under the Controlled Substances Act 1984.
Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (AgVet chemicals)	Tasmania	Its page says a business providing a commercial spraying service holds a Commercial Operator Licence.
Agriculture Victoria (agricultural chemical user permit)	Victoria	Issues the permit for buying and using restricted agricultural chemicals in Victoria; its page says relevant training comes first.
Agriculture Victoria (commercial operator licence)	Victoria	Issues the commercial operator licence that its page says contractors need to use agricultural chemicals on another person's property for a fee.
WA Department of Health (pest industry licensing)	Western Australia	Regulates pest management technicians and businesses under the Health (Pesticide) Regulations 2011.

Plant health and biosecurity

Body	Covers	What it does
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Pests, diseases and weeds	Whole country	The national biosecurity department: plant pests and diseases, weeds, and a form to report a biosecurity concern. General enquiries: 1800 900 090.
Plant Health Australia	Whole country	Not-for-profit coordinator of the national plant biosecurity partnership; its page gives the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline, 1800 084 881.
NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Biosecurity)	New South Wales	The state biosecurity agency protecting New South Wales from pests, diseases, weeds and contaminants.
Biosecurity Queensland (Business Queensland)	Queensland	The state biosecurity agency, with an online form for reporting biosecurity issues.
Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA) Biosecurity	South Australia	The state biosecurity division responsible for preventing outbreaks of plant and animal pests and diseases.
Biosecurity Tasmania	Tasmania	Leads the Tasmanian biosecurity effort, including rules on bringing plants into the state.
Agriculture Victoria (plant diseases)	Victoria	The Victorian agency that publishes guides to recognising and managing plant diseases.
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Biosecurity	Western Australia	The Western Australian agency that manages risks from harmful pests, weeds and diseases.

Plant disease and insect diagnostic labs

Body	Covers	What it does
NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, laboratory services	New South Wales	State laboratories offering plant health testing, among analytical chemistry and veterinary pathology services.
Plant Diagnostic Services (Biosecurity Tasmania)	Tasmania	State service of entomologists, plant pathologists and virologists that identifies insects, mites, bacteria, fungi, nematodes and viruses using morphology, molecular tests and electron microscopy.
DPIRD Diagnostics and Laboratory Services	Western Australia	Western Australia state service that provides plant pathology, animal pathology, and seed testing and certification, with labs in the Perth metropolitan area.

Forestry and urban forestry

Body	Covers	What it does
Forest Practices Authority (Tasmania)	Tasmania	Provides information to forest owners and managers on forest practices responsibilities and threatened native vegetation communities.
Forest Products Commission (Western Australia)	Western Australia	State body working in plantation and native forestry across Western Australia.

Utility tree work and vegetation management

Body	Covers	What it does
Energy Safe Victoria	Victoria	State energy safety regulator for electricity, gas and pipeline safety.

Qualifications and apprenticeships

Body	Covers	What it does
Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)	Whole country	The national regulator for vocational education and training: it works to raise the quality of training by the registered training organisations that run nationally recognised courses.
Training Services NSW (Department of Education)	New South Wales	The division of the NSW Department of Education that handles vocational education and training in New South Wales; its page covers apprentices and trainees and Smart and Skilled.
Northern Territory Government (learning)	Northern Territory	The Northern Territory government entry point for vocational education and training and registered training organisations.
Queensland Government (apprenticeships and traineeships)	Queensland	The Queensland Government page on starting, completing or changing an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Skills SA (apprenticeships and traineeships)	South Australia	The state body whose page explains the training contract between an apprentice or trainee and the employer.
Skills Tasmania	Tasmania	The Tasmanian government site for apprenticeships, traineeships and vocational education and training.
Victorian Government (apprenticeships and traineeships)	Victoria	The state page explaining how Victorian apprenticeships and traineeships combine on-the-job learning with study.
Department of Training and Workforce Development (WA)	Western Australia	The Western Australian government department that leads training and workforce strategies.

Standards bodies

Body	Covers	What it does
Standards Australia	Whole country	Australia's standards organisation, a not-for-profit whose Australian Standards support safety, quality and consistency.

Underground utility locate centres

Body	Covers	What it does
Before You Dig Australia (BYDA)	Whole country	Free national service that supplies plans of buried and overhead utilities and runs a Look Up and Live tool for work near overhead power lines.

Emergency management and civil defence

Body	Covers	What it does
Bureau of Meteorology	Whole country	National weather service with forecasts and severe weather warnings.
Disaster Assist (Australian Government)	Whole country	Australian Government site with a map of the local government areas declared natural disasters.
ACT Emergency Services Agency	Australian Capital Territory	Territory agency with a live incidents map and incident updates.
Emergency (NSW Government)	New South Wales	State page with information on bushfires, floods, disaster recovery and emergency services.
NSW State Emergency Service (SES)	New South Wales	State service for emergency assistance in flood, storm and tsunami.
NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services	Northern Territory	Territory service with fire and emergency contacts and non-emergency reporting.
Queensland Disasters	Queensland	State site with information to help Queenslanders prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.
Emergencies and safety (SA.GOV.AU)	South Australia	State page on what to do before, during and after an emergency or disaster, with emergency numbers.
Tasmania State Emergency Service	Tasmania	State service with pages on flood risk, storms, tsunami and getting ready for emergencies.
Emergency Management Victoria	Victoria	State body leading emergency management in Victoria, with the State Emergency Management Plan.
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES)	Victoria	Control agency for flood, storm, tsunami, earthquake and landslide in Victoria.
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES)	Western Australia	State department that coordinates emergency services for natural disasters and emergency incidents threatening life and property.

Business registration and company registries

Body	Covers	What it does
ABN Lookup	Whole country	Free public access to Australian Business Number (ABN) details that businesses provide when they register.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)	Whole country	Regulator whose site covers registering a business name, registering a company and changing company details.
business.gov.au	Whole country	Australian Government site that connects businesses to information, grants and registrations.

Tax offices

Body	Covers	What it does
Revenue NSW	New South Wales	State office that collects taxes, duties, levies and royalties, including payroll tax and land tax.
Queensland Revenue Office	Queensland	State office managing Queensland taxes, with pages on duties, payroll tax (including how to register) and land tax.
State Revenue Office Tasmania	Tasmania	State office for Tasmanian taxes, with pages on the First Home Owner Grant and property transfer duties.
State Revenue Office Victoria	Victoria	State office managing Victorian taxes, levies and grants, with pages on land tax, payroll tax and duties.

Sources