Inspectors and Regulatory Officers

Inspectors and Regulatory Officers nec conduct compliance inspections, audits, and investigations across diverse regulated industries and sectors in Australia, enforcing standards and legislation specific to their assigned domain. They examine premises, records, products, and practices to verify adherence to relevant Australian laws, standards, and codes of conduct, and prepare detailed reports and recommendations. They may initiate enforcement action, issue notices, or refer matters to prosecuting authorities when breaches are identified.

Conduct site inspections and audits of premises to verify compliance with relevant legislation, Australian Standards, and regulatory codes applicable to the sector. Examine records, documentation, and systems to assess organisational compliance with statutory reporting requirements and record-keeping obligations. Collect and document evidence of potential breaches through photographs, samples, measurements, and witness statements in accordance with legal procedures. Interview business operators, managers, and workers to clarify compliance status and obtain information about practices and procedures. Test products, materials, or equipment using specified instruments and protocols to verify safety standards, quality specifications, or regulatory requirements. Prepare detailed inspection reports documenting findings, non-conformances, and risk assessments in accordance with agency templates and standards. Issue notices of breach, rectification notices, or improvement notices to non-compliant organisations, specifying required actions and timeframes. Maintain inspection schedules and prioritise high-risk premises for regular monitoring based on sector risk profiles and compliance history.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). 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.

Most roles are government positions with fixed salary bands that don't reward experience much beyond 10 years. The work is repetitive: you'll inspect the same types of premises month after month. You also need to build thick skin: business owners often resent you, and you're documenting people's failures. Shift work and travel to regional sites are common.

State and local government employ most inspectors. Work is unevenly spread: some regional areas have minimal positions, while metro councils and state departments hire regularly. Very little remote work in this field.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 5995, 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.

• Adjust weight of cargo to capacity of freight transport vehiclescore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Negotiationcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Policy Interpretationcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Verification and Authenticationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Active Listening
• Check payrolls
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliance
• Conflict Resolution
• Correspondence Drafting
• Electronic Document Management
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Quality Assurance and Checking
• Stakeholder Communication
• Time Management and Prioritisation

• 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.

Last updated: 30 October 2026