The mining industry also faces significant challenges in innovating under strict regulatory oversight, with real-time monitoring, automatic shutdowns for non-compliance, and high regulatory costs constraining operations. Rapid policy changes, such as Australia’s Climate Change Act 2022 and Safeguard Mechanism Reforms 2023, have led to project delays, such as the decade-long approval of the New Acland Coal Mine, rising compliance costs, and uncertainty for investors.³

While technological advancements, like drones, 3D printing, and data-driven mining, offer efficiency and safety improvements, regulatory approvals remain a major bottleneck. The industry calls for stable, harmonised Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards and streamlined approvals to balance environmental protection with competitiveness and investment confidence.⁴ 

Additionally, policymaking with respect to innovation tends to be risk-averse in Australia, with both governments and corporations tending to prefer adopting rather than innovating. As a result, corporations tend to operate rarely at the innovation frontier and are bound to licensing fees and royalties. The Mining industry (and by extension the Automotive industry as a peak supplier) in Australia tends to be an exception by leading the innovation and development of new technologies.⁵  However, the lack of systems-level appetite for such behaviour reduces the level of incentive mechanisms and policy levers present to encourage innovation, thus limiting productivity outcomes and benefits. With respect to adoption and the diffusion of new technology, such as electrified mobile plants and vehicles, the industry faces additional challenges from a lack of training pathways and inconsistent licensing approaches at both the federal and state levels. 

Nationally Accredited Training 

Electric Vehicle (EV) Technician

As the stock of EVs increases, demand for skills to diagnose, service, repair, and maintain EVs also grows. There are three formal training pathways under the nationally accredited training ecosystem that can deliver the training needed to maintain, diagnose, service, and repair EVs. 

•    AUR32721 – Certificate III in Automotive Electric Vehicle Technology, a nationally recognised course designed for automotive service and repair technicians and aligns with Australian Standard AS5732:2022. However, limited support for this course in some states means apprentices must still complete combustion engine training, increasing the amount of time spent to train as an EV technician.⁶  
•    AURSS00064 – Battery Electric Vehicle Inspection and Servicing Skill Set 
•    AURSS00063 – Battery Electric Vehicle Diagnose and Repair Skill Set

o    This has no enrollments to date

There is a lack of national or broad-based consensus among employers, unions, and governments on the suitability of these pathways, resulting in both overlaps and gaps. NSW's decision to undertake further work on the policy to require Cert III, the Skill Set, and only recognise and treat them as equivalent for licensing purposes is an example of this.⁷ There is considerable non-accredited OEM-specific training in this space, which can be used to RPL existing workers; however, more research is needed to compile and evaluate such resources. 

Licensing 

There are broadly two occupations that intersect licensing regimes in the electrification space, EV Technicians and Mining Electricians.

EV Technician

There is a lack of comprehensive government initiatives to ensure adequate training for workshops. As it stands, technicians qualified to work on ICE vehicles may legally perform maintenance and repairs on electric vehicles without additional accreditation, which poses potential safety hazards due to the high-voltage nature of EV systems, however, Motor Dealer and Repairer licensing frameworks apply, varying on a state and territory level (Table 2).⁸  

Currently, New South Wales is reconsidering specific licensing requirements for EV servicing^9,10, while Western Australia regulates EV repairers through the Motor Vehicle Repairer’s Certificate issued by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS)¹¹. A practical alternative could be the introduction of a short upskilling licence, similar to the ‘restricted electrical licence’ available to plumbers, which would allow technicians to safely perform defined electrical work on EVs without completing a full-length qualification.¹² Once the EV has been safely depowered or isolated, it can be worked on like any other ICE vehicle (excluding battery and cooling systems). 

Mining Electrician

In Western Australia, under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WHS Act) (Figure 2), all persons conducting a business or undertaking PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking), including mine operators, must ensure the health and safety of workers and others as far as is reasonably practicable. This identifies, eliminates, or minimises risks to health and safety.¹³ This is in addition to Electricians having an unrestricted electrical licence, which can be obtained after completing the UEE30820 Certificate III in Electrotechnology and any other relevant qualifications, such as those in hazardous environments, instrumentation, and high-voltage (HV) switching. The Work Health and Safety (Mines) Regulations 2022 set out clear requirements and responsibilities for Electrical Supervisors and High Voltage Operators (Appendix B). 

The shift to electrification offers substantial productivity benefits, including reduced operational costs, improved automation, and enhanced worker health outcomes – particularly in capital-intensive and sometimes difficult mining operations. However, federal and state-level challenges, such as inconsistent training, fragmented approaches to licensing, and related regulatory bottlenecks, are hindering their full realisation. Addressing these challenges through faster approvals, greater consistency, and robust training is essential to support this part of the workforce and continue driving productivity gains. At the same time, greater collaboration between federal and state governments, industry, and unions is also needed to overcome these barriers and achieve optimal productivity outcomes related to electrification and EVs.

Way forward

Research

• Explore training methods and tools to improve worker understanding of BEV hazards, including battery risks and fire safety.
• Map pathways for EV Technician training and upskill across the AQF framework and across accredited and non-accredited training. 

For industry

• Evaluate long-term reliability and safety of BEVs under underground mining conditions, including extreme temperatures, vibrations, and shocks.
• Evaluate the usability and effectiveness of safety systems, including early detection and fire suppression.
• Develop methods for efficient and safe recycling or repurposing of end-of-life batteries from mining BEVs.
• Explore national guidelines to ensure all EV training, whether from OEMs or independent providers, covers core competencies.

For government

• Align appropriate incentive mechanisms for the innovation, development, and diffusion of relevant technology
• Align policy levers to incentivise skills relevant to the above technologies
• Align and implement policy levers that encourage the innovation and adoption of technologies that support Net Zero outcomes and unlock productivity benefits

For pathway providers

• Align appropriate upskill pathways to new technologies that allow existing workers to upskill, in the form of micro skills and micro credentials that promote a culture of lifelong learning