Plumber — Residential, Commercial and Maintenance Services, Australian Employers

Plumbing contractors, builders, facilities managers and utilities across Australia hire licensed plumbers, gasfitters and drainers for residential, commercial and infrastructure work. It is a licensed trade, which means the qualification is only half the requirement — the other half is a licence issued by the state you intend to work in.

What the work involves

Installing and repairing water, waste and drainage systems; fitting fixtures and hot water units; roof and stormwater work; and fault finding on existing installations. Commercial and industrial work adds larger pipework and mechanical services; gasfitting is a separately authorised specialisation on top.

Requirements

• Certificate III in Plumbing, completed through an apprenticeship of about four years
• A plumbing licence from the relevant state or territory authority — this is what makes the work lawful, not the certificate alone
• White Card construction induction training for site access, recognised across every state and territory
• Working knowledge of the Plumbing Code of Australia and the relevant standards
• A separate gasfitting authorisation for any gas work — always separate, never bundled
• Physical fitness, fault-finding ability, and a driver's licence for almost every role

How the pay is quoted

• Employed. Qualified plumbers are advertised around $70,000 to $90,000, with experienced and licensed roles from $90,000 upward
• Apprentice. Around $45,000 to $60,000. Award apprentice rates are percentages of the qualified trade rate, so this can lawfully sit below the national minimum wage
• Self-employed. $80 to $150 an hour is a charge-out rate, not earnings. Materials, vehicle, insurance, licence fees, your own superannuation and every unbilled hour come out of it

Before you apply

Check which state licence the role needs, and whether it includes gas. Automatic Mutual Recognition lets most licences travel between states, but Queensland sits outside the scheme in both directions and gasfitting classes are exempt from it even where it applies.

Note: pay, licensing requirements, contract type and any sponsorship decision are set by each employer and by state regulators — not by JobGader. Confirm the details on the employer's own advertisement before applying.