General Construction Induction Card
Access Canberra administers the issuing of General Construction Induction Cards on behalf of the WorkSafe ACT Commissioner.
When working on a construction site in the ACT you need a General Construction Induction Card, known as a ‘White card’.
WorkSafe ACT considers it best practice for owner builders to have a White card. Read more about your obligations on the WorkSafe ACT website.
The process to get a White card has 2 steps:
- Complete General Construction Induction Training.
- Apply to Access Canberra for the card.
General Construction Induction Training
General Construction Induction Training is a competency unit titled ‘Prepare to work safely in the construction industry’.
The unit is a 6-hour training program that provides construction workers with an awareness and understanding of:
- their rights and responsibilities under Work Health and Safety law
- common hazards and risks associated with construction work
- basic risk management principles
- the standard of behaviour expected of workers on construction sites.
You must complete the training through a registered training organisation (RTO).
You can search for a provider on training.gov.au.
After you complete the training
You will receive your statement of attainment after you complete your training. You then have 60 days to apply for a White card.
If you apply for your White card more than 60 days after your statement of attainment was issued, you must provide a written declaration from the RTO confirming successful completion of the training.
Apply for a White card
Fees
Fees are determined by the Work Health and Safety (Fees) Determination for the relevant financial year.
See the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Regulations and Instruments.
Before you start
You must apply using your own Digital Account. A parent or guardian cannot apply for you.
Before you can apply online, you will need:
- A Level 1+ or Level 2 ACT Digital Account
- Level 1+ requires a verified email and mobile phone number, and verification of one accepted identity document.
- Level 2 requires, in addition to the information above, a residential and postal address, and verification of two accepted identity documents.
- A digital copy of your General Construction Induction Training statement of attainment or a written declaration.
If you do not have a first name or surname, enter a hyphen (-) in the blank name field.
- To get a Level 1+ or Level 2 ACT Digital Account, register for an ACT Digital Account.
- Learn more about the ACT Digital Account.
If you experience difficulties creating a digital account because of identity verification requirements, please contact the Digital Accounts team. They can be contacted by calling 13 22 81 or via this Feedback form.
If you cannot apply online
Contact Access Canberra Construction Licensing and Registrations team at cwpl@act.gov.au.
After you apply
Access Canberra will review your application and contact you if anything is missing.
It can take up to 6 weeks to assess an application.
Once your application is approved, we will post your White card to you within 2 weeks.
Working while you wait
The General Construction Induction Card does not expire. Unless cancelled by the Work Health and Safety Commissioner, it remains valid indefinitely.
While Access Canberra reviews your application, your application receipt and your training certificate are sufficient to start work on a construction site.
If you are not approved for a White card, you must stop work immediately.
Using your White card
The White card is automatically recognised for construction work in any state or territory of Australia.
Check the relevant legislation of the state or territory before you start work there.
Replacement cards
If your White card was issued before 2010 in another state or territory, contact the relevant authority for a replacement card.
If your white card was issued in the ACT and you don’t already have an ACT Digital Account, you will need to create a Level 1+ or Level 2 ACT Digital Account.
Once you have an approved ACT Digital Account, link your White card details to the account and apply for a replacement card.
To link your white card:
- log in to your Digital Account
- go to my Access Canberra Services
- select Occupational Licenses, Registrations and Permits
- click on the link request.
If you have any questions or need support, please contact the Construction Licensing and Registration team via email at cwpl@act.gov.au or phone 02 6207 8096.
If your address or contact details change, sign in to your Access Canberra Digital account to update your information online.