Responsible Service of Alcohol in Australia

Responsible Service of Alcohol is one nationally recognised unit, SITHFAB021 Provide responsible service of alcohol, sitting under eight different state and territory liquor regimes. The unit is the same everywhere. What each jurisdiction does with it is not.

A national training record and permission to serve alcohol are different checks. Recognition depends on the destination, your role, where you live, the training date and the document you hold. A Queensland certificate can meet some interstate pathways; it does not automatically authorise every role in every state.

What to check before working interstate

Check Why it matters
Training evidence A national Statement of Attainment, attendance certificate and state RSA card are different documents
Residence and role NSW distinguishes eligible temporary interstate workers from permanent movers and security/RSA marshal roles
Training date and provider Victoria has bridging eligibility criteria; SA’s approved-provider rule preserves training completed before 1 November 2020
Local currency A state refresher or card-renewal duty may apply even when the national training record remains valid

The jurisdiction matrix

Jurisdiction Regulator Interstate certificate accepted? Expiry
Victoria Liquor Control Victoria Use a current Victorian RSA certificate. Eligible interstate holders can apply for free bridging: approved original training within three years, with the online-course residence condition. Specific exemptions apply at qualifying producer events. Victorian RSA Refresher every three years.
New South Wales Liquor & Gaming NSW Eligible temporary interstate workers can use approved interstate RSA. Permanent movers and security or RSA marshal roles must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements; eligible holders can use bridging instead of the full NSW RSA course. NSW competency card: five years. Interstate concessions have separate eligibility and certificate-age requirements.
Queensland Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation Accepted where the evidence is a Statement of Attainment for the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. An attendance certificate is insufficient. Valid RSA training generally has no expiry; training completed before 2002 must be replaced.
Western Australia Racing, Gaming and Liquor Provide the RSA certificate showing completion of the nationally accredited course. An interstate RSA card alone is not accepted as evidence. Keep the RSA certificate as training evidence; approved-manager cards have separate renewal requirements.
South Australia Liquor and Gambling Commissioner Check provider approval and training date. Training from 1 November 2020 must be through a Commissioner-approved RTO. Earlier RSA training need not be repeated solely because of that approval change. No routine RSA renewal period stated in the cited CBS guidance; check applicable licence conditions.
Northern Territory Licensing NT Certificates from an RTO registered to deliver RSA are accepted, including interstate certificates. Check certificate age and the NT refresher requirements. NT guidance gives a three-year limit for interstate certificates and directs holders to a refresher; check current renewal guidance.
Australian Capital Territory Access Canberra Valid interstate RSA certificates are recognised, subject to the ACT’s three-year currency limit and ACT-approved refresher requirements. Three years from course completion, then an ACT-approved refresher.
Tasmania Commissioner for Licensing Interstate certificates can be accepted under the Commissioner’s conditions. Requirements differ for employees and liquor licence holders; check the appropriate role. No RSA expiry date in the regulator’s FAQ; an employer may request updated training.

Current regulator guidance: NSW, VIC, SA, QLD, WA, NT, ACT, TAS.

Victoria: bridging eligibility and event exemptions

In Victoria, an interstate RSA certificate generally cannot be used on its own. Eligible holders can apply for the free RSA Refresher bridging course to obtain a Victorian certificate. LCV requires approved original RSA training completed within the last three years and, for an online course, residence interstate or overseas at the time. Allow about ten working days for the application. LCV lists a specific exemption for interstate liquor producers at qualifying temporary or major events. Check the Victorian eligibility and event rules before relying on a certificate.

Victoria offers a free bridging pathway for eligible interstate holders. If you completed RSA training in another state or territory you apply to complete the bridging course, and the bridging course is the RSA Refresher — free, online, and about 90 minutes. It gives you a Victorian RSA certificate. Eligibility requires all three of: training approved by a state or territory liquor licensing authority; original training completed within the last three years; and that you were living interstate or overseas if you completed it online. Applications that do not meet the criteria are declined, and processing takes about 10 working days. There are separate exemptions for interstate staff working at producers' events.

An RSA Statement of Attainment is a national training record, but permission to serve alcohol depends on the destination’s rules. NSW permits eligible temporary interstate workers; permanent movers and security or RSA marshal roles must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements, using bridging where eligible. Victoria offers bridging to eligible interstate holders. SA applies approved-provider rules to training from 1 November 2020, with earlier training not required to be repeated solely for that change. QLD and WA require suitable national RSA evidence. Tasmania distinguishes staff from licence holders; the ACT and NT have local currency and refresher requirements. Check the regulator before your first shift. See RSA recognition by jurisdiction, NSW’s rules and SA’s rules.

The others that catch people out

NSW permits eligible temporary interstate workers to use approved interstate RSA certification if they remain resident outside NSW, can produce the required evidence and understand NSW liquor obligations. Permanent movers and people performing security or RSA marshal duties must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements; eligible holders can use bridging instead of the full NSW RSA course. Bridging eligibility requires certification within five years for QLD, WA, SA or TAS, or a national Statement of Attainment or RSA refresher within three years for VIC, ACT or NT. See the NSW recognition and bridging rules. For South Australia, check the training date and provider approval. Training from 1 November 2020 must be through a Liquor and Gambling Commissioner-approved RTO. CBS states that people who completed RSA before that date do not have to repeat it with an approved provider solely because of that change. An interstate location alone does not decide acceptance. See SA’s approved-provider guidance.

For South Australia, check the training date and provider approval. Training from 1 November 2020 must be through a Liquor and Gambling Commissioner-approved RTO. CBS states that people who completed RSA before that date do not have to repeat it with an approved provider solely because of that change. An interstate location alone does not decide acceptance. See SA’s approved-provider guidance.

Tasmania distinguishes employees and licence holders. Interstate RSA certification is accepted under the Commissioner’s conditions, and the requirements depend on the role. Check the Tasmanian regulator’s guidance.

The two most portable

Queensland and Western Australia accept suitable national RSA training evidence from an RTO. This is subject to the correct credential: Queensland requires a Statement of Attainment for the national RSA course, and WA requires the RSA certificate rather than an interstate card alone. Check the Queensland requirements and WA requirements.

Queensland adds one genuine exclusion and one exemption. Training completed before 2002 is not valid and must be redone. And licensees or approved managers holding a current RMLV certificate — Responsible Management of Licensed Venues, an OLGR-developed course delivered only by OLGR-approved trainers — do not need a separate RSA certificate. RMLV itself expires three years after issue, which produces the counter-intuitive result that in Queensland the manager's credential lapses while the staff credential does not. Supervised volunteers at community organisations and events are also exempt where the supervisor holds current training. Deadline: 30 days from starting employment.

Western Australia has no register, no expiry and no state top-up module, with a 28-day deadline from commencing employment or volunteering in a service capacity. But it places two duties on the venue that Queensland does not, and multi-state operators trip over the difference: a training register kept on the premises under s 103A(1)(b) of the Liquor Control Act 1988, and a copy of the certificate under reg 14AG(2) of the Liquor Control Regulations 1989. Non-compliance carries a $5,000 penalty. WA also layers management tiers above RSA — a restricted approved manager needs the RSA course, an unrestricted approved manager needs the Course in Management of Licensed Premises with RSA as a prerequisite, and the approved manager card runs five years, renewable online without re-sitting the training, with a national police clearance no more than three months old.

The two territories

Northern Territory. Licensing NT accepts RSA evidence from RTOs registered to deliver the unit, including interstate certificates, and provides a free refresher. Its current page gives a three-year limit for interstate certificates and a five-year refresher interval. Confirm the applicable renewal date with Licensing NT if your circumstances are unclear; do not rely on an old summary of a proposed amendment. See current NT guidance.

Australian Capital Territory. Certificates expire three years from the day of satisfactory completion under s 194(2) of the Liquor Act 2010 (ACT), and that applies to ACT-issued and interstate certificates alike — an interstate certificate is recognised under s 193(2) but still expires three years from original completion, not from your arrival. On expiry you complete an ACT-approved refresher rather than the full program, a deliberate 2022 reform. The refresher's conditions are specific: at least one hour excluding assessment, a face-to-face class size capped at 30, ACT-specific legislative content, and procedures for checking that the person completed a full ACT-approved program, a recognised interstate program, or a program recognised under transitional arrangements. Providers need explicit approval from the Commissioner for Fair Trading, renewed annually by 30 June, and Access Canberra publishes the list. Who needs it: licensees and commercial permit-holders, employees who supply liquor, crowd controllers and security employees at licensed premises.

Victoria has a second stage, and it is the most-missed fact on this subject

Completing SITHFAB021 with an LCV-approved provider produces a Statement of Attainment. In Victoria that is not yet an RSA certificate.

Liquor Control Victoria sets out the sequence itself:

  1. Complete the SITHFAB021 course with an approved RSA course provider
  2. Wait a few working days while the provider sends your completion details to LCV
  3. LCV emails you a certificate number, so you can create an account on the Liquor Control Victoria Learning Hub
  4. On the Hub you are prompted to complete the pre-training survey, the training module Sexual Harassment and Assault: Recognise, Prevent and Respond (SHARPR), and the post-training survey
  5. After all of those, you can download your RSA Certificate of Completion

So a Victorian worker can hold a genuine, correctly issued Statement of Attainment for the unit and still not hold what Victoria calls an RSA. Two documents, two steps, and the second one is nobody's default assumption.

SHARPR is part of the refresher as well as initial certification. LCV states that RSA training, including the RSA Refresher course, now includes the module. It is not a one-time step you clear and forget.

Advanced RSA training is a separate thing again. LCV treats it as a distinct requirement attaching to some licence types only, not to all staff, and it is not a renewal of the ordinary RSA certificate. If a licence condition mentions it, check what it actually requires rather than assuming the standard course covers it.

The Victorian refresher applies to everyone, not only licensees

LCV: you must do the free RSA Refresher course every 3 years to keep your RSA certificate current. That attaches to anyone holding a Victorian RSA certificate, not just to licence holders. Licensees additionally carry their own three-yearly obligation under s 108AA of the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998, which is a separate provision — do not treat the two as one rule.

The refresher is free, online and about 90 minutes, and you need your original RSA certificate number to access it. It sits on the top or bottom of your certificate depending on when it was issued. If you have lost it, email contact@liquor.vic.gov.au with your full name, date of birth, when you completed the original course, and the name of the training organisation, and LCV will verify and provide it.

The licensee's duties, by section

The employer side of the Victorian scheme is not left to good practice. It is a set of named offences, and knowing them explains why a venue asks for paperwork that feels excessive.

Provision What it requires Penalty
s 26B A licence applicant for a general, on-premises, late night or packaged liquor licence must have completed an approved RSA program in the 3 years before applying. Not an offence — a restriction on the grant of the licence —
s 108AA The licensee, or the responsible person for a body corporate, must complete an approved program within 3 years of last completing one 60 penalty units
s 108AB The licensee must ensure anyone who sells, offers for sale or serves liquor has completed an approved program — in the 3 years before first serving, or within one month after first serving 60 penalty units
s 108AC The licensee must ensure each of those people completes an approved program within 3 years of last completing one 60 penalty units
s 108AD The licensee must keep RSA certificates at the licensed premises, demonstrating ss 26B, 108AA, 108AB and 108AC are satisfied 5 penalty units
s 108AE The licensee must produce those certificates on request by a police officer or liquor inspector, with the licensee's or responsible person's name, the name of each person who sells, offers for sale or serves liquor, the date each first did so, and any prescribed information 5 penalty units each

The value of a penalty unit is indexed each financial year under the Monetary Units Act 2004, so the statutory figure is the number of units, not a dollar amount. Check the current value rather than relying on one published on a web page.

The practical reading for a worker: s 108AB is why a venue wants your certificate at hiring rather than later, and s 108AC is why it will chase you about the refresher.

What the Victorian course covers beyond the national unit

The approved Victorian course includes SITHFAB021 plus Victoria-specific topics: Victorian liquor laws, drink spiking, ID checks and preventing secondary supply, the use of prone restraint (holding a person face down on the ground), harm minimisation strategies, and compliance and enforcement.

That content is the substantive reason Victoria runs a provider-approval scheme rather than accepting the bare unit. It is not paperwork for its own sake.

The unit and the skill set are different things

Both are on the national register and both are on our scope, and they are not interchangeable:

What it is
SITHFAB021 The unit of competency. One unit, assessed on its own performance evidence
SITSS00071 The skill set — a nationally recognised group of units that packages the RSA outcome

A Statement of Attainment can be issued for either. If a regulator or employer asks for a specific code, read which one they mean. We hold 81 current skill sets alongside 17 current qualifications and 579 units — see all courses for the hospitality skill sets, several of which combine RSA with food safety or beverage service. Three that pair RSA with something else are worth naming, because they show where the unit leads: SITSS00070 Hospitality Compliance (SITHFAB021, SITXFSA005, SITXFSA006), SITSS00075 Beverage Advice (SITHFAB021 with beers, spirits and liqueurs, Australian wines, and food and beverage matching) and SITSS00094 Sommelier (which adds imported wines and managing the sale or service of wine).

What the unit actually assesses

SITHFAB021 is not a quiz. To be assessed as competent, a candidate must:

Note the verbs. The unit requires the candidate to outline and explain in their own words, not to recognise answers from a list. A course that issues a certificate after a short multiple-choice quiz is not delivering what the unit requires.

The second element of the unit is titled Assist customers to drink within appropriate limits, which tells you where the emphasis sits: the erratic-pattern test and the means of assistance belong to helping a customer stay within limits, not to refusing them. Refusal is what happens when that has not worked.

Why the duty is framed as a personal one

The unit's knowledge evidence requires an understanding of the impacts of excessive drinking across six groups at once, which explains why liquor law puts the obligation on the person pouring rather than only on the business: the individual (physical and mental health, productivity, emotional behaviour); family members, friends and colleagues; the local neighbourhood and community; hospitality venues, the premises and its staff; the liquor industry; and government agencies — specifically local police, health facilities, road authorities and local councils. The last of those is the one almost nobody has seen written down, and it is the clearest statement of why a single over-service decision is treated as a public matter.

RSA is also an academic prerequisite

Separate from every licensing rule above, and it survives wherever you work. SITHFAB021 is a formal prerequisite for SITHFAB034 Provide table service of food and beverage. Formal table service cannot be awarded until you hold RSA, whether or not the role involves pouring wine — the training package treats advising a customer through a menu in a licensed dining room as work presupposing responsible service of alcohol competence. SITHFAB034 is one of two units in the food and beverage stream carrying two prerequisites — the other is SITHFAB023 Operate a bar — and in both cases the pair is SITHFAB021 and SITXFSA005. RSA is also a prerequisite, with SITXFSA005, to SITHFAB023 Operate a bar. See restaurant waiting.

Who needs it

Broadly, anyone involved in the sale, service or supply of alcohol: bar staff, wait staff serving alcohol, bottle shop staff, venue managers, and in most jurisdictions licensees and approved managers. The precise class of person is set by each state's liquor legislation, so check the jurisdiction that applies to your workplace.

Victoria states it by licence type and task. You need a current RSA certificate to supply alcohol at a venue holding a general, on-premises, late night or packaged liquor licence, where your job includes offering alcoholic drinks, taking orders or payment for alcohol, or pouring or serving alcoholic drinks. It is also required when applying for a permanent licence or licence transfer — except a BYO permit or pre-retail licence — or where a licence condition requires it.

New South Wales publishes the widest list, and several entries surprise people. It covers service staff and food and beverage attendants, retail liquor salespersons, winery and brewery staff, promotional staff, RSA marshals, security staff and crowd controllers, volunteers, licensees, approved managers, club secretaries and club directors. The two that catch travellers out are the exceptions to the temporary-worker concession: anyone doing security work or RSA marshal duties at NSW licensed premises needs the NSW competency card regardless of where they live.

Minimum age differs by jurisdiction and is a separate question from enrolment age. In Victoria, LCV states that if you are under 18 you can complete RSA training but must wait until you are 18 to serve alcohol. Queensland sets no minimum age under its Liquor Act 1992, and under-18s may serve or supply alcohol in hotels, restaurants and cafes provided the venue holds no adult entertainment permit — though they still need RSA. Western Australia takes a different shape again and penalises a licensee who employs a juvenile to sell, supply or serve alcohol, with a penalty of $10,000. Those are three different kinds of rule. Do not carry one state's position across to another.

When you need it by also differs. Several jurisdictions allow a short window rather than requiring the certificate before the first shift — Victoria before you start supplying alcohol or within one month of first supply, Queensland 30 days, Western Australia 28 days with a copy provided to the employer. The ACT publishes no grace period. Confirm the window for your state rather than assuming either extreme.

Two things RSA is not

Victorian RSG is free approved training: online modules through RSG Online and venue-arranged sessions with venue support workers. National SITHGAM training does not replace it. See the official training requirements and our RSG guide.

RSA does not cover food handling. If you handle ice, cut fruit or unpackaged garnishes you are a food handler, which brings you inside Standard 3.2.2A's food handler training requirement. That requirement is lighter than most people assume: the training must cover safe food handling, food contamination, cleaning and sanitising, and personal hygiene — or you must possess skills and knowledge commensurate with the activity. It does not have to be nationally accredited and no refresher period is mandated. See food handling.

Accredited or not

This is where RSA scams concentrate, so the check matters.

An accredited outcome is a Statement of Attainment naming SITHFAB021, issued by a registered training organisation, appearing on your national training transcript against your Unique Student Identifier. Its elements are prescribed rather than stylistic: the RTO's name, registration code and logo; the full title and national code of each unit as listed on the National Register; the NRT logo used per its conditions of use; the signature of an authorised individual; the organisation's seal, corporate identifier or unique watermark; and a statement that a VET statement of attainment is issued by an NVR registered training organisation when an individual has completed one or more accredited units or modules. Your USI must not be printed on it.

Anything described as a "Certificate of Achievement", "Certificate of Completion" or "RSA Certificate" without a unit code and RTO number is not a nationally recognised outcome. It may be refused by an employer and will not satisfy a regulator.

Four further checks:

  1. Does the state require an approved provider? In Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, yes. Verify the provider appears on that state's own published list. In Victoria, LCV publishes an approved-provider wordmark and tells readers to look for it on a provider's website or advertising.
  2. Is the claimed approval real? Queensland and Western Australia operate no approved-provider scheme for RSA, so a claim of approval there is describing something that does not exist. An RTO may only represent that completing a training product leads to a licensed or regulated outcome where the relevant industry regulator has confirmed it.
  3. Check the RTO code, not the brand name. An RTO may trade under several registered business names — we use several registered business names. The code identifies the issuer; the brand does not. An unfamiliar name is not evidence of a problem, and a familiar one is not evidence of legitimacy.
  4. Does the duration make sense against the performance evidence above? And when you have been assessed as competent, certification must be issued within 30 calendar days from the completion of the assessment, once you have completed the product and paid all agreed fees.

In Victoria there is a further consequence worth knowing. LCV states that if you complete a course it has not approved, you receive "an RSA Statement of Attainment" and "this does not allow you to supply alcohol in Victorian licensed venues or locations". The training is real; the permission is not.

See beware of RSA training course scams for the fuller version of this check.

Our own position, stated plainly

RTO registration is granted by ASQA for vocational training. It is not the same as approval by a liquor regulator, and those are separate registers held by separate bodies. So that you can check rather than take a claim on trust:

This is the same distinction that applies to food safety: we are not on the NSW Food Authority's approved provider list and cannot issue the NSW Food Safety Supervisor certificate. An RTO's scope tells you what it may train and assess. It tells you nothing about a state licensing scheme.

Where RSA sits in a qualification

SITHFAB021 is a core unit in SIT30722 Certificate III in Hospitality (Restaurant Front of House), so completing that qualification includes it.

It is not core in SIT30622 Certificate III in Hospitality or SIT40422 Certificate IV in Hospitality, where it sits in the elective groups and can be built in rather than bought separately.

That matters financially, and not because of the RSA itself. A single unit does not change your pay. But a completed Certificate III, relevant to your classification and actually used at work, sets a minimum classification of Level 4 under three of the four awards that cover hospitality premises — MA000009 (cl 18.1), MA000119 (cl 18.1) and MA000058 (cl 18.3). The fast food award, MA000003, has no equivalent provision. Under MA000119, Level 4 is defined in Schedule A as Food and beverage attendant grade 4 (tradesperson), and the award's own "standard rate" is the Level 4 rate.

So taking RSA as an elective inside a qualification, rather than as a standalone purchase, is the route that eventually reaches a pay floor. Which award covers you is decided by the premises, not the job title — and note that a registered club is MA000058, not MA000009, because clause 4.4(d)(i) of MA000009 expressly excludes clubs registered under state or territory legislation. A night club, being commercial, is MA000119.

Units already completed elsewhere carry across: credit transfer under Standard 1.7 recognises a Statement of Attainment from any Australian RTO with no reassessment. If you hold RSA and later enrol in a qualification containing it, say so at the pre-training review, required under Standard 2.2 of the Outcome Standards for RTOs. Note that credit transfer of the national unit does not discharge a state licensing requirement — those are independent systems. We first verify the evidence and equivalence, check that the units fit your training product, and check for licensing or regulatory restrictions before granting credit. See ASQA’s credit-transfer guidance.

Practical notes before you enrol

About us

We are Complete Hospitality Training, RTO 3722, CRICOS provider code 04242E, Level 3, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, and 410 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Contact melbourne@cht.edu.au or +61 3 9654 1554. See about us for the registration record.

SITHFAB021 is on our scope of registration, both as a standalone unit and within the skill set SITSS00071. Completing it produces a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment.

See also RSA in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, RSA online, bartending and all courses.

We link to the relevant course and regulatory sources in this guide. Check those sources for current requirements, and confirm course availability, delivery, fees and entry requirements with us before enrolling.

Is RSA the same in every state?

An RSA Statement of Attainment is a national training record, but permission to serve alcohol depends on the destination’s rules. NSW permits eligible temporary interstate workers; permanent movers and security or RSA marshal roles must meet NSW training and competency-card requirements, using bridging where eligible. Victoria offers bridging to eligible interstate holders. SA applies approved-provider rules to training from 1 November 2020, with earlier training not required to be repeated solely for that change. QLD and WA require suitable national RSA evidence. Tasmania distinguishes staff from licence holders; the ACT and NT have local currency and refresher requirements. Check the regulator before your first shift. See RSA recognition by jurisdiction (/rsa/), NSW’s rules (https://www.nsw.gov.au/business-and-economy/liquor-and-gaming/training/rsa-bridging) and SA’s rules (https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/sections/LGL/RSA-approved-providers).

Can I use an interstate RSA in Victoria?

In Victoria, an interstate RSA certificate generally cannot be used on its own. Eligible holders can apply for the free RSA Refresher bridging course to obtain a Victorian certificate. LCV requires approved original RSA training completed within the last three years and, for an online course, residence interstate or overseas at the time. Allow about ten working days for the application. LCV lists a specific exemption for interstate liquor producers at qualifying temporary or major events. Check the Victorian eligibility and event rules (https://www.vic.gov.au/rsa-training) before relying on a certificate.

Does my RSA expire?

It depends. Queensland and Western Australia impose no expiry. The Northern Territory and the ACT expire it after three years, under s 137(1)(b) of the Liquor Act 2019 (NT) and s 194(2) of the Liquor Act 2010 (ACT) respectively. Victoria requires the free refresher every three years to keep the certificate current. New South Wales issues a competency card valid five years. Your national Statement of Attainment never expires — the limit belongs to the state credential.

Is the Victorian refresher only for licensees?

No. LCV says you must do the free RSA Refresher every three years to keep your RSA certificate current — that applies to any certificate holder. Licensees carry a separate three-yearly obligation under s 108AA of the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998, and a further duty under s 108AC to ensure their staff refresh theirs.

What exactly is my employer required to do in Victoria?

Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998: ensure anyone who sells, offers for sale or serves liquor has completed an approved program (s 108AB, 60 penalty units); ensure each of them refreshes it within three years (s 108AC, 60 penalty units); keep the certificates at the premises (s 108AD, 5 penalty units); and produce them on request by a police officer or liquor inspector, with names and first-service dates (s 108AE, 5 penalty units each). Penalty unit values are indexed annually under the Monetary Units Act 2004.

I did my RSA in Queensland and I am moving to Sydney. Is it valid?

No. New South Wales requires training delivered by a provider approved by Liquor & Gaming NSW, and issues a competency card. If you are moving permanently you may qualify for the NSW bridging course rather than the full course; a Queensland certificate qualifies at five years, a Victorian one at three.

I am a manager in Queensland. Do I still need RSA?

Not separately, if you hold a current RMLV certificate — Responsible Management of Licensed Venues. But RMLV expires three years after issue while RSA in Queensland does not expire, so an expired RMLV can leave you with no current credential at all. Diarise it independently.

I finished the unit in Victoria. Do I have an RSA?

Not yet. Victoria requires a second stage through the LCV Learning Hub — a pre-training survey, the SHARPR module and a post-training survey — before the RSA certificate exists. The Statement of Attainment alone is not it.

Is SHARPR part of the Victorian refresher?

Yes. LCV states that RSA training, including the RSA Refresher course, now includes the sexual harassment and assault module. It is not confined to initial certification.

What is Advanced RSA training?

A separate Victorian requirement attaching to some licence types only, not to every staff member, and not a renewal of the ordinary RSA certificate. If a licence condition refers to it, check what that condition actually requires.

What happens if I do a course LCV has not approved?

You receive a Statement of Attainment, and LCV states plainly that it does not allow you to supply alcohol in Victorian licensed venues or locations. Check the provider against LCV's list before enrolling, and look for the approved-provider wordmark.

What unit code should I look for?

SITHFAB021 Provide responsible service of alcohol. If a course does not name it, it is not delivering nationally recognised RSA.

What is the difference between SITHFAB021 and SITSS00071?

SITHFAB021 is the unit of competency. SITSS00071 is the skill set that packages the RSA outcome. Both are on the national register and both are on our scope, and they are different entries.

Is any provider "OLGR-approved" in Queensland?

No. Queensland operates no approved-provider register for RSA. Any RTO with the unit on scope may deliver it, and Queensland recognises the credential rather than approving providers. The same is true of Western Australia and "DLGSC-approved".

Are you approved in Victoria?

Yes — we appear on Liquor Control Victoria's published list of approved RSA course providers, under in-person, one-day RSA courses. We are not on LCV's separate online provider list, and it is not approved in New South Wales. Check the register yourself rather than relying on any provider's own description, this page included.

Do I need it before my first shift?

Not always. Several jurisdictions allow a window — Victoria before you start supplying alcohol or within one month of first supply, Queensland 30 days, Western Australia 28 days with a copy to the employer. The ACT publishes none. Confirm your state's rule rather than assuming.

I am a volunteer, not paid staff. Does it apply to me?

Often yes. South Australia's requirement covers all paid and volunteer staff engaged by a licensee who sell, offer for sale or serve alcohol, and New South Wales lists volunteers expressly. Queensland exempts supervised volunteers at community organisations and events where the supervisor holds current training. Check your own jurisdiction.

How old do I have to be?

Enrolment age and the legal age to serve alcohol are different questions. In Victoria you may complete RSA training under 18 but must be 18 to serve. Queensland sets no minimum serving age under its Liquor Act 1992. Western Australia instead penalises a licensee who employs a juvenile to sell, supply or serve alcohol. The rule is set by each state's liquor legislation.

Can I do RSA online?

In Victoria, yes — LCV states training can be in person or online, but the provider must be on its approved list for the mode concerned, and it publishes separate in-person and online lists. In New South Wales, online or in person, the training must come from a provider approved by Liquor & Gaming NSW. See RSA online (/courses/rsa-online/) for the general position.

What does my venue have to keep in Western Australia?

Two things, which is one more than in Queensland: a training register on the premises under s 103A(1)(b) of the Liquor Control Act 1988, and a copy of your certificate under reg 14AG(2) of the Liquor Control Regulations 1989. Non-compliance carries a $5,000 penalty.

Is RSA a prerequisite for any other unit?

Yes. SITHFAB021 is a formal prerequisite for SITHFAB034 Provide table service of food and beverage, and — with SITXFSA005 — for SITHFAB023 Operate a bar. Both are academic requirements from the training package, entirely separate from state licensing.

Does RSA cover gaming?

Victorian RSG is free approved training: online modules through RSG Online and venue-arranged sessions with venue support workers. National SITHGAM training does not replace it. See the official training requirements (https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/safer-communities/gambling/responsible-service-of-gaming-training) and our RSG guide (/courses/responsible-service-of-gambling-rsg-melbourne/).

Does RSA make me a food handler?

No, but bar work usually does. Handling ice, cut fruit or unpackaged garnishes brings you inside the food handler training requirement, which is a different and lighter obligation.

Will RSA increase my pay?

Not on its own. A completed Certificate III, relevant to your classification and used at work, sets a Level 4 minimum under MA000009, MA000119 and MA000058. Taking RSA as an elective inside a qualification is the route to that.

Do I need a USI?

For nationally recognised training, a USI is generally required before your qualification or Statement of Attainment can be issued, unless an applicable exemption applies. We can explain the requirements for your enrolment. See the official USI exemption guidance (https://www.usi.gov.au/students/create-your-usi/exemptions-usi). Creating a USI is free; recover an existing one rather than creating another. Your USI must not be printed on your qualification or Statement of Attainment.

What document proves I have it?

A Statement of Attainment for SITHFAB021. In New South Wales you will also hold a competency card issued through the state scheme, and in Victoria the LCV-issued RSA Certificate of Completion that follows the Learning Hub stage — and in Victoria it is that certificate, not the Statement of Attainment, that your employer must keep on site.

I lost my Victorian certificate number. How do I do the refresher?

Email contact@liquor.vic.gov.au with your full name, date of birth, when you completed the original course, and the name of the training organisation. LCV verifies your details and provides the number.

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