No – joining the National Engineering Register (NER) is entirely voluntary. It’s a service offered by Engineers Australia to publicly endorse engineers who meet its competency and CPD standards, but it does not carry any statutory requirement to practise engineering in most jurisdictions Engineers Australia.
However, some states and territories do mandate statutory registration for professional engineers. For example, from 6 March 2025, all professional engineers providing services in the Australian Capital Territory must hold a formal engineering registration—distinct from NER membership—to legally practise there
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