Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician

An air conditioning and refrigeration technician installs, maintains, and repairs mechanical cooling and climate control systems in residential, commercial, and industrial settings across Australia. They diagnose faults using diagnostic equipment, recover and recycle refrigerants in compliance with the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Regulations, and perform preventive maintenance to ensure system efficiency and safety.

Diagnose faults in air conditioning and refrigeration systems using pressure gauges, multimeters, and digital diagnostic equipment. Install new air conditioning and refrigeration units including indoor and outdoor components, ductwork, and control systems. Recover and recycle refrigerants using certified recovery equipment and document the process in compliance with Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Regulations. Repair faulty compressors, condensers, evaporators, expansion devices, and electrical components in cooling systems. Perform preventive maintenance including cleaning filters, checking refrigerant levels, inspecting electrical connections, and lubricating moving parts. Braze or solder copper tubing connections and test joints for leaks using nitrogen pressure and electronic leak detectors. Commission new systems by setting thermostats, balancing airflow, verifying refrigerant charge, and testing safety controls. Comply with electrical safety standards and Safe Work Australia guidelines when working with high-voltage equipment and pressurised systems.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is physically demanding: climbing rooftops, crawling into tight spaces, working in extreme heat and cold. Emergency callouts mean weekends and nights are never truly off. Once you're qualified, competition from overseas workers on visas keeps wages lower than other trades.

Summer is peak season for emergency repairs. Remote work is not possible. Some regional areas have steady work in agricultural cooling and industrial plants, but fewer opportunities overall.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3421, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Invoicing and Billing Administrationcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Complaint Handling
• Digital Literacy
• Quality Assurance and Checking
• Record Management
• Supplier Communication
• Team Collaboration
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technician workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026