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The Surveying Industry in Australia

Australia is the largest island continent in the world, with a total area of over 7,600,000 sq km, lying south of the Equator between the Indian and South Pacific Oceans. The population is approximately 19.5 million, with a growth rate of about 1%. The majority of the population (85%) resides in urban areas along the east and southeast coastline and fertile plains.

The free land market in Australia is fundamental to economic development and wealth creation and supports environmental management, sustainable development and a relatively high standard of living. The Australian cadastral system, in turn, is essential infrastructure in support of this land market.

A significant difference between the Australian cadastral system and its European counterparts is that the Australian system is derived from individual surveys of individual parcels for individual owners in support of the legal land transfer system. It is derived from a partial cadastral record of all land parcels as shown on a cadastral map, having its genesis in a land taxation system, which is the case with most European systems.

As a Federation of States, Australia maintains centralised land administration offices in each state, which are almost entirely computerised today. There is no prescribed organisational structure common to all states. Land administration is a state government responsibility under various government departments such as Environment, Planning, Information Technology or Land Administration. Embedded in these departments is a digital map of the state, including the state’s digital cadastral map, Land Registry and Titles Office, Crown Lands Management Office, Surveyors Board, and Land Information and Resources business units. Combinations of these services can be found in all the States, integrated through sharing agreements and often residing in the one central metropolitan office. A consortium of all states and the Commonwealth called the Public Sector Mapping Agencies Ltd, produces national cadastral map products.

The private sector undertakes most cadastral surveys. Qualification of a license or registration for surveyors (depending on the state) is required to perform cadastral surveys. However, other surveys, such as engineering surveys, do not require this. Management of the geodetic network remains primarily a government responsibility; however, updating and upgrading are often outsourced to the private sector.

Surveyor’s or Survey Acts and Regulations in each jurisdiction identify guidelines for licensing and registering cadastral surveyors and undertaking cadastral surveys. Under the Reciprocating Surveyor’s Board of Australia and New Zealand, persons registered by a Board in any State of Australia or New Zealand can apply for registration in any other State of Australia or New Zealand under a reciprocity agreement (Mutual Recognition Act 1993).

A person applying for registration must be issued with a certificate of competency in cadastral surveying, which typically requires 12 to 24 months under a training agreement with another registered surveyor, and in addition, must pass some further professional examinations and practical exercises supervised by the Board of Surveyors. To enter training agreements, persons are required to hold a degree approved by the Board of Surveyors.

There have been ongoing attempts to address the skills shortage in the surveying industry. In March 2019, a new report, ‘Determining the Future Demand, Supply and Skills Gap for Surveying and Geospatial Professionals 2018-2028’ from BIS Oxford Economics, offered the most up-to-date figures on the profession for some time. It forecasts a shortage of surveyors across Australia, which means increased job opportunities for students considering a career in surveying over the next 10 years. In fact, with those job opportunities come salaries that best the national average.

Australia needs over 1400 more surveyors to meet the current demand levels.

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