ACT Secure Local Jobs Code: certificates, plans and audits
To tender for ACT Government construction work of any value, your business needs a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate before it quotes. So do your trade partners. The Code is now under inquiry, but it remains in force.
What is the ACT Secure Local Jobs Code?
The Secure Local Jobs Code is an ACT Government procurement requirement. Businesses doing territory-funded construction, cleaning, security or traffic management work, or other non-excluded services of $200,000 or more that are primarily for labour, must hold a certificate before quoting. An approved auditor assesses the business, and the Registrar decides. Trade partners need certificates too.
Construction, Cleaning, Security, Traffic Management
Businesses doing this territory-funded work need a certificate at any contract value. Any entity trading under an ABN is covered, including sole traders, partnerships, trusts and companies.
Other Labour Services
Other services of $200,000 or more that are primarily for labour also need a certificate, unless excluded. Exclusions include information media and telecommunications, finance and insurance, real estate, and professional, scientific and technical services.
Trade Partners
A trade partner (subcontractor) at any tier needs a valid certificate unless it provides an excluded service. The head contractor must give the Territory its details before engaging it, and ensure it holds a certificate before it comes on site.
Territory Entities
ACT Government entities must require respondents to confirm they will comply with the Code, and must take the LRTWE plan and any Registrar report on past conformance into account when evaluating.
What the ACT Secure Local Jobs Code asks for.
What you report, and when.
Audit Report
To the Registrar, from your approved auditor
LRTWE Plan
To the territory entity
LRTWE Compliance Report
To the ETWE team, from the contract manager, who may ask you for evidence
Fair And Safe Employment Response Schedule
To the SLJC Branch
Subcontractor Details
To the Territory
- Current Code Certificate And Any Conditions
- Certificate For Every Trade Partner
- LRTWE Plan And Employee Consultation Records
- Progress Against LRTWE Commitments
- Induction Training Records
- Superannuation And Activity Statement Records
- Contact Person Form
Letting A Trade Partner Certificate Lapse
The head contractor must ensure every trade partner at every tier holds a valid certificate before it comes on site. Certificates last up to 30 months and can vary by business, so checking once at engagement is not enough on a long project.
Writing LRTWE Commitments You Do Not Track
Compliance with LRTWE commitments in the past 12 months feeds into the evaluation of your next tender, and contract managers report on them quarterly. A missed commitment on one job can follow you into the next bid.
Leaving The Audit Too Late
The certificate must be in hand before you quote, and audit time depends on your size, your preparation and auditor availability. Waiting until a tender is out can leave no time, even though the Registrar issues within five business days of a complete application.
How Catchment manages the ACT Secure Local Jobs Code.
Certificates From Each Trade Partner
GovAssureThe framework adds the SLJC Code Certificate as a document requirement, and set at package level it reaches each new work package. Add a package-level Form with a File question and a Date question, so each trade partner gives you its certificate and expiry date. The date is recorded, with no alert before it passes.
LRTWE Plan Against What You Delivered
SocialProThe LRTWE Plan sits as a project document, with revisions kept as you agree changes. The Workforce Diversity & Training Hours target starts as a total of all hours. Add filters such as apprentice, trainee or gender to match your plan, which gives you the record to answer your contract manager's quarterly check.
Quarterly Commitment Records
GovAssureAdd a quarterly Form or Document requirement for LRTWE progress, which appears in the package's monthly report until it is filed. Reminder and overdue emails cover the monthly report as a whole. When the contract manager asks for supporting evidence, it is already filed by quarter.
A Register Of Trade Partners
GovAssureA Register requirement with rows drawn from packages can list each trade partner on the job. That gives you one list of trade partners and one answer against each, and you still prepare and submit the Code's details yourself.
Adopting this framework on a project generates these targets and documents. You can edit them to match your contract.
ACT Secure Local Jobs Code questions.
Who needs a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate?
Any business doing territory-funded construction, cleaning, security or traffic management work, at any value. Other non-excluded services of $200,000 or more that are primarily for labour also need one. Trade partners need a certificate as well, unless they provide an excluded service.
How much does a Secure Local Jobs Code audit cost?
Procurement ACT gives indicative costs by size: $450 to $850 for micro businesses, $700 to $2,000 for small, $1,000 to $3,250 for medium and $1,100 to $3,500 for large. The actual cost depends on the auditor. The applicant pays for its own audit.
How long does a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate last?
Up to 30 months, depending on your compliance history. Once the Registrar has a complete and compliant application, a certificate is issued within five business days. Audit time before that varies.
What is an LRTWE plan?
A Labour Relations, Training and Workplace Equity plan is a commitment document you prepare with your employees and lodge with your tender. It is required for construction of $200,000 or more, and for cleaning, security or traffic management of $25,000 or more. Trade partners do not complete one.
What happens if a business breaches the Code?
The Registrar can investigate, impose conditions, suspend or cancel a certificate, and assign infringement points. Accumulating 100 points over two years can lead to suspension or cancellation. Authorised officers have been able to enter and inspect businesses since 1 March 2022.
Is the Secure Local Jobs Code being reviewed?
Yes. A Legislative Assembly committee announced an inquiry in August 2026 into its effectiveness and operation, with submissions due by 6 October 2026. The Code remains in force meanwhile, and its advisory council has also discussed an independent review.
Does the Code set a local jobs or training target?
No. The Code sets workplace and industrial relations obligations, not a percentage or hours target. Training and equity commitments are made by each business in its LRTWE plan, and those become what it is held to.
- Government Procurement (Secure Local Jobs) Code 2020, DI2020-278 (ACT Parliamentary Counsel)
- Secure Local Jobs Code: Business (Procurement ACT)
- Secure Local Jobs Code: Apply (Procurement ACT)
- Secure Local Jobs Code: Compliance (Procurement ACT)
- 8 obligations for Secure Local Jobs Code Certified Entities (Procurement ACT)
- Ethical Treatment of Workers Evaluation: Guide for Respondents (Version 2, July 2024) (Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate)
- Labour Relations Training and Workplace Equity Compliance Plan (February 2025) (Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate)
- Inquiry into the Secure Local Jobs Code: media release, 25 August 2026 (Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Administration, ACT Legislative Assembly)
Reviewed 5 November 2026. General information to help you plan reporting, not legal advice. Policies change, so check the current version with the policy owner before you rely on it.
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