Pesticide licence in Queensland: categories, exam and renewal

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. The sources are Business Queensland, run by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, and the Queensland Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control Act 1966 and Regulation 2021. Queensland's rules cover ground spraying of herbicides. The parent page, pesticide licences by country, has the national background.

At a glance

Item	What the sources say
Agency	Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Biosecurity Queensland
Credentials for work for hire	Commercial operators licence for the person who runs the spray equipment (licence numbers start with G); ground distribution contractor licence for the business that directs or authorises the work (numbers start with GDC)
Category for trees and turf	No ornamental, shade tree or turf category; the licence covers herbicides, in a restricted or unrestricted class
Qualification	Unrestricted operators licence: statements of attainment for AHCCHM307 and AHCCHM304 from a registered training organisation; no state exam described
Fees	Set in fee units: new licence 35.10 for 1 year or 82.50 for 3 years; renewal 23.65 for 1 year or 70.95 for 3 years; the dollar value of a fee unit is not on the pages read
Renewal	1 year or 3 year licence; renewal within 60 days before expiry; an expired licence cannot be renewed
Insurance or bond	Not stated on the pages read
Reciprocity	Mutual recognition of an interstate weed control licence, decided by checking equivalence

Who needs which licence

Business Queensland's licensing arrangements page says both the operator of the equipment and the business directing the work need licences. Ground equipment means any machine or apparatus other than an aircraft in flight. Hand-powered equipment, equipment driven by compressed air or gas applied directly to the spray liquid without air blast, and hose proportioning devices are exempt outside hazardous areas, but not inside them. The page also says no licence is needed in the areas of Queensland where the legislation does not apply, mainly western and far northern regions. The Act lists defences for operators working on their own land, a relative's land, or land of an employer mainly in pastoral or farming work whose contract is mainly for other work. A person who is self-employed and runs their own equipment may need both licences.

Qualification and the licence term

The page on qualifying for an unrestricted licence says the applicant shows statements of attainment for two nationally recognised units: AHCCHM307, prepare and apply chemicals to control pests, weeds and diseases, and AHCCHM304, transport and store chemicals. Only a registered training organisation can issue them. The Regulation prescribes two classes: a restricted licence limited to herbicides or equipment stated on it, and an unrestricted licence. The applicant must be at least 17 years of age, and a licence runs for 1 or 3 years, chosen when applying. The Regulation also treats a holder of a pest management technician licence under the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019 as holding a commercial operator licence for ground distribution when the holder has the units CPPUPM3005, CPPUPM3006 and CPPUPM3018 or training the department sees as equivalent. The ground distribution contractor licence has no qualification or prerequisite.

Applying, renewing and fees

According to the application page, an online application uploads the statements of attainment, and a renewal notice goes to the email on record 60 days before expiry. A licence that has expired cannot be renewed and a new application is needed. Licensees must tell the department of any change within 21 days. The fee schedule in the Regulation is in fee units: 35.10 for a new 1 year licence, 82.50 for 3 years, 23.65 to renew for 1 year and 70.95 to renew for 3 years. Contractors must keep records of ground distributions made on their behalf for at least 2 years.

Hazardous areas and tree injection

The Regulation declares three hazardous areas by map. In them, ground distribution of picloram or ester formulations of MCPA and 2,4-D is limited by area, and a distribution permit is needed unless an authorised technique is used. For ground work the Regulation names stem injection, and cut stump treatment, frill ringing or basal bark treatment done at least 100 metres from a susceptible crop on someone else's property, as authorised techniques. Ester 2,4-D ground distribution is not allowed in hazardous area no. 2. Permits go to licensed contractors and name individuals, times and weather limits.

Interstate workers

The application page says a person who has worked interstate applying herbicides for weed control and wants to continue in Queensland needs a Queensland commercial operators licence. It gives three routes: full accreditation with the two units, partial accreditation with extra training, or mutual recognition of a current interstate weed control licence after checking that it is equivalent.