How to choose an electrician in Australia

The honest 8-step checklist. No fluff, no upsell — just the questions and checks that separate a sparky who'll do the job properly from one who'll create three new problems.

The 8-step checklist

1. 1. Check the licence — and the class

   Every electrician in Australia needs a current state-issued licence. But there's a wrinkle most homeowners miss: there are two licences, and they're different. An Electrician's Licence (sometimes called a Worker's Licence) lets a person do electrical work under supervision. An Electrical Contractor Licence is what a business needs to quote, take payment and lodge compliance certificates in their own name. The sparky who turns up to your house must be a licensed electrician. The business that quoted you must hold a contractor licence. If a sole trader is operating without a contractor licence, they cannot legally invoice you for electrical work, and your insurance will refuse to pay if something goes wrong. Every state has a free public register: Energy Safe Victoria, NSW Fair Trading, Electrical Safety Office QLD, CBS in SA, EnergySafety WA, Office of Energy in WA. Look up the licence before you let them quote.

2. 2. Ask for a fixed quote, not hourly

   For 90% of residential electrical work — a GPO install, a smoke alarm replacement, a ceiling fan swap, a switchboard upgrade, an EV charger fit-off — a competent sparky can give you a fixed price after a quick site visit or photos sent through. Hourly is only acceptable when the scope genuinely can't be known up front (intermittent fault-finding, opening a wall to chase a buzzing transformer). If a sparky refuses to fixed-quote a $400 RCD swap, the meter is going to run. Always get the quote in writing with materials, labour, callout fee, GST and the compliance certificate broken out — never accept a single lump-sum number.

3. 3. Confirm the compliance certificate is included

   Every state has its own name for the same thing — a piece of paper that says the work was done legally. In NSW it's a CCEW (Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work). In VIC it's a CES (Certificate of Electrical Safety). In SA it's an ESC (Electrical Safety Certificate). In QLD it's a Certificate of Test or Compliance. In WA it's a Notice of Completion / EWN. A licensed sparky bakes this into the quote and lodges it electronically with the relevant authority. If a quote looks 30% cheaper than the others and skips the certificate, walk away — your home insurance will refuse to pay out on uncertified work, and any future buyer's building inspection will pick it up at settlement.

4. 4. Ask about the apprentice situation

   Apprentice electricians in Australia must be supervised by a licensed electrician — but in practice, sending an unsupervised apprentice to a residential callout is widespread. Ask straight up: "Will a licensed sparky be on the job for the full duration, or is this an apprentice job with a 5-minute supervisor visit?" You're not being rude — you're asking what you're paying for. If the apprentice is doing 90% of the hands-on work, the price should reflect that. And if the apprentice is unsupervised on prescribed work, that's a regulator complaint waiting to happen — and your insurance is void.

5. 5. Verify $20M public liability insurance

   $5 million is the bare minimum you should accept for residential electrical work, and most decent contractors carry $10–20M. Electrical work fails differently to plumbing — when it fails, it can burn the house down. Ask for a Certificate of Currency (it's a one-page PDF from their insurer) and check the expiry date. If a sparky causes a switchboard fire and your house goes up, that policy is what stands between you and a seven-figure rebuild bill. No certificate, no job. A sparky who's annoyed by the question is a sparky whose insurance has lapsed.

6. 6. Ask the time and access question

   Two questions, one answer. "When can you start, and how long will it take?" A sparky who can't answer either, or who promises "tomorrow morning" and you never hear from them again, is showing you how the job will go. Reputable sparkies are usually 3–10 days out for non-urgent work and will give you a real time window — "Wednesday between 8 and 10am, I'll text 30 minutes before I leave." The sparky who promises "today" for a non-urgent job is either between jobs because work has dried up (red flag), or about to no-show.

7. 7. Ask what materials they use

   This separates the careful operators from the cheap ones. A good sparky uses Clipsal, HPM, or Hager for switchgear and accessories — Australian-tested, locally supported, and what every wholesaler stocks. A cut-rate sparky uses no-name imports off a marketplace site that may or may not pass AS/NZS 3000. Ask: "What brand of GPO/switch/RCD are you fitting? Is it Australian standards approved?" You're not being a snob — you're asking whether the gear in your wall in 15 years time will still be sourceable for repair. Clipsal Iconic, HPM Excel, Hager Cubikon all qualify. If the answer is vague, walk.

8. 8. The phone test

   Ring the sparky's number during business hours, then again at 5pm, then at 7pm. A sparky who picks up — or has a real receptionist or an AI receptionist that books the job on the spot — has their business sorted. That's the same person who'll turn up when they say they will. A sparky whose phone rings out, or who promises a callback that never comes, is showing you exactly how they'll handle your job. The phone behaviour is a near-perfect predictor of the job behaviour. We'd argue it's a stronger signal than online reviews.

Green flags — hire with confidence

• Answers the phone or has a receptionist. Real or AI — either works. Voicemail doesn't.
• Sends a fixed-price quote in writing. Materials, labour, callout, GST and the compliance certificate broken out.
• Mentions Clipsal/HPM/Hager without prompting. Tells you they care what goes in the wall.
• Hands you a Certificate of Currency. Insurance up to date, no excuses.
• Names the warranty. 12 months minimum on workmanship, longer on switchboards.
• Texts a real time window. "Wednesday 8–10am, I'll buzz 30 mins out" not "sometime next week, mate".

Red flags — walk away if you see these

• No contractor licence number on the quote. Means the business can't legally invoice you.
• Won't name the compliance certificate. They're not lodging one.
• Pressure to pay 100% upfront. A 10–30% deposit is fair. Full payment before work starts is not.
• No written quote. "I'll sort it on the day, mate" is how a $300 job becomes $1,800.
• No ABN. Check it on abr.business.gov.au.
• Cash-only discount. Means no invoice, no GST, no warranty, no record.
• Door-knocking. Real sparkies don't door-knock.
• Refuses to provide insurance certificate. The certificate is one click in their inbox.

The phone test — why it matters

Ring the sparky's number during business hours. Then ring at 5pm. Then ring at 7pm. A sparky who picks up — or has a real receptionist or an AI receptionist that books your job on the spot — has their business sorted. A sparky whose phone rings out, or who promises a callback that never comes, is telling you in advance how they'll run the job.

For pricing context, see our Sydney electrician pricing guide — same logic applies in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, with a $20–$40 swing depending on the city.

Frequently asked questions