White Card
A White Card is the short safety course every construction site in Australia asks for, and some FIFO employers want it too. It's quick, it's cheap, and it keeps working for as long as you keep working in construction. The catch is that every state runs it its own way, from whether you can do it online to who replaces a lost card. Check your state's rule before you pay, and you'll only pay once.
What a White Card is
A White Card is the card you get for passing a short course in construction safety, the unit CPCWHS1001. You need one before you do construction work anywhere in Australia, and it's valid in every state. Depending on the state, the card comes from the training provider or from the state government.
White Card: Where to start
- Want to do the course onlineStart here
- Applying for FIFO jobsStart here
- Trained in one state, working in anotherStart here
- Checking a card or a card numberStart here
- Lost your cardStart here
- Two years or more out of constructionStart here
Where to get a White Card
Any registered training organisation that runs the course in your state can do it, in a class or, in some states, online. Check a provider on training.gov.au (opens in a new tab) before you pay. For a class, National Courses (opens in a new tab) runs one-day White Card courses in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. Blue Dog (opens in a new tab) runs them around Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and Paragon (opens in a new tab) runs three-hour ones in Perth. Students rate all three highly on Google.
White Card at a glance
| Cost | $89 to $150 for the classes we recommend; add a card fee of $31 in the NT and $47 in the ACT |
|---|---|
| How long | Most of a day: at least 4.5 hours in Queensland, and 6 in NSW, Victoria and the ACT |
| Online? | At your own pace in WA and Tasmania, live online in most other states, and classroom only in Victoria |
| The card | Sent by the course provider in WA, SA and Queensland, and by the state elsewhere |
| Expiry | None, but two years without construction work means doing the course again |
| FIFO jobs | On some FIFO ads, entry-level jobs included |
Rules and prices checked October 2026.
Do you need a White Card for FIFO?
Short answer
You need a White Card for FIFO when the job ad asks for one, and some camp and mine ads do, even for utility work. A White Card is a construction ticket, and mine sites run their own inductions as well. If you're applying for entry-level jobs, it's a cheap way to tick one box early.
In October 2026, some utility ads from the big camp caterers listed a White Card beside a police check and a driver's licence. What else those ads ask for, and what it all costs, is on FIFO tickets.
How do you get a White Card?
Short answer
You get a White Card by passing the assessment at the end of the course, then waiting for the card to arrive. Your course certificate lets you start work while you wait, for up to 60 days. Some states post the card within days, and others take up to two months.
What the course covers
The course is the national unit CPCWHS1001, Prepare to work safely in the construction industry. It covers the safety laws on a site, the common hazards and how they're controlled, how safety problems get reported, and what to do when something goes wrong.
You'll need a Unique Student Identifier, which is free, and photo ID. In a class held live on video, you also show your ID on camera and put on your safety gear for the trainer to see.
How much does a White Card cost?
Short answer
The White Card classes we recommend cost $89 to $150 in October 2026, and the price varied by state and provider. There are slightly cheaper online options available if you look. However, the overall ratings for these courses were less consistent than the ones listed.
Our picks are registered training providers, approved by the state where it keeps a list, and well reviewed. Prices and times are from each provider's own page, October 2026, so book direct and check the date before you pay.
| State | Our picks in a room | Online instead? |
|---|---|---|
| WA | Paragon (opens in a new tab): Perth CBD; $100, paid on the day; about 3 hours; card the same day Licences 4 Work (opens in a new tab): Malaga, Kenwick, Atwell and Rockingham; from $95, usually $111; 1 day, or about 4 hours at night; card on the day, or within 24 hours after a night class | Yes, at your own pace |
| Queensland | Tradie Training (opens in a new tab): Aspley and Rocklea (Brisbane) and Ashmore (Gold Coast); $99, usually $149; 4.5 hours; card on the day Blue Dog (opens in a new tab): Milton, Mango Hill, Arundel (Gold Coast), Ipswich, Browns Plains (Logan) and Mooloolaba; $99 on weekday mornings; at least 4.5 hours; card on the day National Courses (opens in a new tab): Brisbane City, Logan Central, Southport, North Lakes, Kawana and Ipswich; from $99; 5 hours; certificate the same day | Yes, live on video |
| NSW | National Courses (opens in a new tab): Sydney CBD, Parramatta, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Penrith, Blacktown, Bankstown, Miranda, Dee Why, Wollongong, Erina and Newcastle; from $99; 6 hours; card posted in 2 to 4 weeks, and a statement of training lets you work meanwhile | Yes, live on video, with an approved provider |
| Victoria | Origin Institute (opens in a new tab): Melbourne CBD (Bourke Street) and more than 35 other places, including Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura, Frankston and Dandenong; from $97, up to $149, with the WorkSafe fee included; 6 hours, with evening classes at some places; certificate the same day, and WorkSafe posts the card in about 2 to 3 weeks National Courses (opens in a new tab): Melbourne, Broadmeadows, Cranbourne, Werribee, Ringwood, Geelong, Sunshine and Dandenong; $99, or $110 in the city; 6 hours; card posted, allow up to 60 days | No |
| SA | FACT (opens in a new tab): Adelaide (South Terrace); $89, usually $120; 6 hours; card printed on the day National Courses (opens in a new tab): Adelaide (North Terrace); $89; 6 hours; card the same day | Not clear, as most providers teach it in a room only |
| Tasmania | OnRoad OffRoad (opens in a new tab): Glenorchy (Hobart); $150; 1 day; no dates were listed in October 2026, so ask when the next class runs; you then apply for the card at Service Tasmania (opens in a new tab) within 60 days | Yes, at your own pace |
| NT | All Global Training (opens in a new tab): Winnellie (Darwin); $132; 6 hours; certificate within 2 business days; you then apply to the Territory Business Centre for the card (opens in a new tab) within 60 days | Yes, live on video |
| ACT | Safenet (opens in a new tab): Fyshwick (Canberra); $150, paid on the day; 8 hours, starting at 7:30 am; certificate the same day; you then apply to Access Canberra for the card (opens in a new tab) within 60 days | Yes, live on video |
Every state accepts a card done properly in another. Victoria checks that a card was lawfully obtained. Other registered providers run the course too, and the resource list has them.
Cheaper, or free
Job seekers can ask Workforce Australia (opens in a new tab) to pay for the course, but the approval has to come before you book, because money already spent isn't paid back. Some states subsidise it too: in October 2026, North Metropolitan TAFE, the state-run college in Perth, charged $40.72, and Charles Darwin University charged eligible NT locals $23.10.
What are the White Card rules in each state?
Short answer
A White Card works across Australia: every state accepts one from any other, as long as it's still valid where it was issued. Each state only issues its own card to people who trained in that state, and each one sets its own course rules. Who sends the card, and how long it takes, depends on the state too.
White Card in Western Australia
In Western Australia you can do the whole course online, as long as you're in WA, and the training provider issues your card.
White Card in Queensland and the Gold Coast
In Queensland, the Gold Coast included, the online option is a live class with an approved provider, which also issues the card.
White Card in NSW and Sydney
In New South Wales, Sydney included, the course runs in a classroom, or live online with some providers. SafeWork NSW issues the card, usually within 30 days.
White Card in Victoria
In Victoria the course is in a class only, not online. WorkSafe Victoria sends the card within 60 days.
White Card in South Australia
South Australia allows a class or, with some providers, a live online session, and the card is issued by your course provider.
White Card in Tasmania
Tasmania lets you do the course online if you're in the state when you sit it. WorkSafe Tasmania issues the card, through Service Tasmania.
White Card in the NT and Darwin
In the Northern Territory, Darwin included, the course can be a live online class, an option since July 2026. The NT Government takes up to 20 business days to issue the card.
White Card in the ACT
In the ACT some providers teach the course live online, and you then apply to Access Canberra for the card yourself.
Each state's rules come from its regulator's own site, checked in October 2026.
The detail for each state, and who runs the courses, is on the online page.
Can you get another state's White Card?
You can get another state's White Card only by training there, and WA is the strictest about who can sit its course. WorkSafe WA only gives one to people who are in WA while they do the course, and asks for an address to prove it, such as on a WA licence or a bill.
So someone in Queensland can't do WA's online course from home to skip Queensland's live class, even though Queensland accepts WA cards. If you're in WA when you sit the course, the card is good in every state. Victoria goes a step further and only accepts interstate cards that were lawfully obtained, so a card from a course you weren't entitled to do can come back to bite you.
Moving states with a card you got properly is simple: it's still good. Replacing it, though, goes back to the state or provider that issued it.
How do you check a White Card?
Short answer
You check a White Card with the state that issued it, and only WA and NSW have a public lookup. Elsewhere, the provider that trained you or the state's regulator can confirm a card. Your card number is printed on the card itself.
In WA, search the card on WorkSafe's online licence search (opens in a new tab). In NSW, use the state's licence check (opens in a new tab). In the NT, the QR code on a digital card shows whether it's valid.
In Queensland, Victoria, SA, Tasmania and the ACT, keep your provider's details and a photo of your card, because nobody can look it up for you. If you've lost the card and can't remember who trained you, your USI (opens in a new tab) (Unique Student Identifier) transcript lists every accredited course you've done since 2015.
How do you replace a lost White Card?
Short answer
You get a replacement White Card from whoever issued it: in WA, Queensland (QLD) and SA the provider you trained with, and in NSW and elsewhere the state. A card from another state goes back to that state, not the one you live in. Have your card number or your course details handy before you start.
| State | Who replaces it | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | The provider that issued it | The provider's fee |
| Queensland | The provider that issued it | The provider's fee |
| New South Wales | SafeWork NSW, online through Service NSW | $36 online, $43 other ways |
| Victoria | WorkSafe Victoria, by phone or online | Not stated |
| South Australia | Only the provider that issued it | The provider's fee |
| Tasmania | Service Tasmania, for Tasmanian cards | $13.72 |
| Northern Territory | The Territory Business Centre | $31 |
| ACT | Access Canberra, through your digital account | $44 |
Fees as each state listed them in October 2026.
If your training provider has closed, take your statement of attainment to another provider in the same state. In Queensland you also sign a declaration saying how the card was lost.
Does a White Card expire?
Short answer
A White Card doesn't expire and needs no renewal, but it stops counting if you go two years in a row without construction work. In WA, NSW and Victoria the card itself becomes invalid; elsewhere the law stops an employer letting you work on it. Either way, you'd have to sit the course again.
Camp jobs like cleaning, cooking and housekeeping aren't construction work, so years on a camp roster don't keep the card alive. If a mine or contractor job asks for a White Card after a long camp stint, check when you last did construction work before you apply.
The ACT says its cards never expire, but its employers are bound by the same two-year rule as everyone else's.
Ready to book?
Before you book a course your state allows, make your USI, the free number every training provider asks for, online at usi.gov.au (opens in a new tab). It takes one form of ID, or your passport and visa once you're in Australia. Then bring photo ID on the day.
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