What electrical, plumbing and gas work can you legally DIY in Australia? (2026)

The short version: Australia is strict. Unlike the UK or New Zealand, no Australian state has a general “homeowner” exemption for electrical work, and the plumbing exemptions are narrow and specific. The good news is that the jobs you can do are clearly defined — and there’s usually plenty of the job around the licensed bit that’s yours.

The quick answer, job by job

This is the national picture. Where a state differs, it’s noted — the details are further down.

Job	Can I DIY it?	Notes
Change a light globe	DIY OK	Normal use of the fitting
Replace a battery-only smoke alarm	DIY OK	Hardwired alarms are licensed work
Plug in an appliance (dishwasher, plug-in rangehood)	DIY OK	Only into an existing power point
Replace a power point or light switch	Licensed electrician	Every state
Replace a light fitting or downlight	Licensed electrician	Every state
Install a ceiling fan	Licensed electrician	Every state
Hardwired smoke alarm	Licensed electrician	Every state
Connect an oven, cooktop or hardwired rangehood	Licensed electrician	In QLD you can fit an oven into the cabinet — just not connect it
Replace a plug on an appliance or extension lead	Licensed in QLD	Don’t assume it’s fine elsewhere — check your regulator
Change a tap washer or jumper valve	DIY OK in QLD, WA, VIC, NSW, TAS	Check with your regulator in SA, ACT and NT
Replace a screw-on showerhead	DIY OK in QLD, WA, VIC, TAS	NSW allows repairing one; VIC’s exemption is for water-efficient heads
Replace a whole tap or mixer	Depends	Licensed in NSW, QLD, VIC and WA. Tasmania allows like-for-like
Replace a toilet suite	Licensed plumber	Every state
Replace toilet cistern washers	Depends	Specific parts are DIY-OK in QLD and WA
Hot water system	Licensed plumber	Plus a gasfitter for gas units
Anything gas, beyond plugging a portable appliance into an existing bayonet	Licensed gasfitter	Every state

Electrical work: state by state

Every state and territory requires a licensed electrician for electrical installation work. None of the regulators’ own pages list a homeowner exemption for fixed wiring.

New South Wales: you need a licence for “any electrical wiring work”, regardless of cost or type. The electrician lodges a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) when they finish.
Victoria: Energy Safe Victoria is blunt — electrical work “isn’t a DIY job, even for small jobs such as changing power points or light switches”. Your electrician gives you a Certificate of Electrical Safety.
Queensland: the Electrical Safety Office’s definition of electrical work covers installing, repairing, altering, removing or replacing electrical equipment. It specifically lists power points, switches, replacing a batten holder with a light fitting, ceiling fans and plugs on leads as licensed work, and says fines can reach $40,000 for individuals.
Western Australia: “Don’t DIY electrical work” and “never replace fittings and switches yourself”. Your contractor must give you an Electrical Safety Certificate for notifiable work.
South Australia: use a licensed electrician; they issue an electronic Certificate of Compliance (eCoC).
Tasmania, ACT and Northern Territory: licensed electricians only for fixed wiring. Tasmania publishes a specific Electrical Work Exemptions Order — check it with CBOS before relying on any exemption.

Three things that surprise people

In Queensland, fitting a new plug to a lead is electrical work. The Electrical Safety Office lists “replacing a plug on the end of an extension lead” and “constructing an extension lead” as work for a licensed electrician.
That list of “legal DIY electrical jobs in Victoria” you’ve seen online isn’t from the regulator. Energy Safe Victoria’s own page doesn’t list any permitted DIY tasks beyond normal appliance use.
Fitting isn’t the same as connecting. Queensland’s regulator gives the example of a wall oven: sliding it into the cabinet and securing it is not electrical work — connecting it is.

Plumbing: the small list of DIY-OK jobs

Plumbing and drainage work needs a licence in every state, but most states carve out a handful of minor jobs for owners.

Queensland has the clearest list. The QBCC’s “unregulated” plumbing work includes replacing a shower head or water filter cartridge; replacing a tap washer or jumper valve; replacing the drop-valve washer, float-valve washer or suction-cup rubber in a toilet cistern; cleaning a ground-level trap grate; and irrigation work downstream of a tap. It still has to meet the plumbing code. Unlicensed regulated work carries penalties of up to 250 penalty units for a first offence. Full Queensland guide →
Western Australia (rules updated March 2024): owners can maintain, repair or replace a showerhead; maintain or repair a tap (not thermostatic mixing taps); replace a cistern washer or water filter cartridge; and clear a blocked fixture or waste pipe with a plunger.
New South Wales: you need a licence for any plumbing, draining or gasfitting work “regardless of the cost” — individuals face fines of up to $22,000. The regulations let an owner-occupier repair a tap or showerhead in their home (not thermostatic mixing or tempering valves).
Victoria: tap washers, other minor tap repairs and changing over a water-efficient showerhead are exempt; everything else needs a registered or licensed plumber.
Tasmania: “low risk” work lets owners repair or replace tapware, showerheads and shower hoses like-for-like on their own property.
South Australia, ACT and Northern Territory: we couldn’t confirm any homeowner exemptions from the regulators’ own pages. Treat plumbing as licensed-only and check with the regulator before doing anything beyond a plunger.

The myth to avoid: “I can swap a tap myself — it’s just a tap.” In NSW, Victoria, Queensland and WA, the exemptions cover repairing a tap (washers, jumper valves), not replacing the whole tap or mixer. Tap rules by state →

Gas: licensed gasfitters only

All gasfitting — pipework, installing or moving appliances, installing a bayonet point — needs a licensed gasfitter everywhere in Australia. The one thing designed for you to do is plug a portable appliance, like a gas heater, into an existing bayonet fitting. In Victoria, installing, moving or replacing a gas appliance always needs a compliance certificate, whatever the cost.

Waterproofing

Bathroom waterproofing is licensed trade work in several states when you pay someone to do it — in Queensland, a QBCC waterproofing licence is needed for work over $3,300. Whether an owner can waterproof their own bathroom depends on your state’s owner-builder rules, so check with your building regulator first. Wet-area waterproofing has to meet the Australian Standard AS 3740, and failed waterproofing is expensive to fix, so this is one to get right.

What you can do yourself

A licensed job rarely means the whole job is off-limits. Typically you can:

Plan it properly: decide exactly where power points, lights and taps go before the tradie arrives, so you’re paying for work, not decisions.
Batch the licensed work: one electrician visit for five power points costs far less than five separate call-outs.
Do the prep and the finish: demolition, patching, painting, tiling (after waterproofing), cabinetry, and mounting plug-in appliances.
Handle the plug-in upgrades: smart plugs, plug-in USB adapters, battery smoke alarms and plug-pack garden lighting don’t touch fixed wiring.

Why it matters beyond the fine

Safety: mains electricity and gas can kill, and a mistake can stay hidden in a wall until it causes a fire. That’s why every state treats this as licensed work.
Insurance: check your policy — insurers can refuse claims for damage caused by work that wasn’t done lawfully.
Selling: buyers and their inspectors may ask about work done without the right licences or certificates.

Keep the certificates. Snap a photo of every compliance certificate your electrician, plumber or gasfitter gives you and keep it with the job in Jib, alongside the before-and-after photos.

Sources

Every rule on this page is taken from these official sources. If a rule has changed, please tell us and we’ll fix it.

This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules differ between states, councils and individual properties, and they change. Confirm with your state regulator or council before starting work, and if in doubt, get a licensed tradesperson.