Key takeaways
- Victoria, Queensland and the ACT set 20 hours of PD a year, South Australia sets 20 hours for each year of your registration term, and NSW, WA and the NT count 100 hours across the period. Tasmania sets no minimum hours, and you can renew on 120 full-time equivalent teaching days instead of PD.
- Casual and relief teachers have PD requirements too, with some differences: NSW gives casual and part-time teachers 7 years, and Queensland has no requirement in a year you teach fewer than 20 days.
- Most regulators want your PD tied to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and recorded as you go, so keep your log up to date.
You've picked up relief days in a new state, or your renewal email has just landed, and you can't remember how many PD hours you need. Each regulator sets its own number, its own period and even its own name for it.
So what are the teacher professional development requirements by state? Victoria, Queensland and the ACT ask for 20 hours of PD a year. South Australia asks for the equivalent of 20 hours for each year of your registration term. NSW, WA and the NT count 100 hours across your maintenance or registration period, and Tasmania sets no minimum hours, accepting either relevant PD or 120 full-time equivalent teaching days at renewal. Most regulators want your PD linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. These rules change from time to time, so check your regulator's website for the latest requirements.
PD requirements by state at a glance
| State or territory | Regulator | Hours | Over what period | Casual and part-time teachers | Where you record it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | NESA | 100 hours | Each maintenance period | 7 years instead of 5 | eTAMS or your own log |
| VIC | VIT | 20 hours | Each year | Same 20 hours for CRTs with full registration | MyPD in MyVIT |
| QLD | QCT | 20 hours | Each year you teach 20+ days | Same rule for supply and contract teachers | myQCT |
| WA | TRBWA | 100 hours (full registration) | Since registration was last granted or renewed | Applies to all registered teachers | Professional Learning Log in Teacher Login |
| SA | TRB SA | 20 hours a year equivalent | Each registration term | Includes temporary relief teachers | Teachers Portal |
| TAS | TRB Tasmania | No minimum (about 20 a year suggested), or 120 FTE teaching days instead | Five-year cycle | If you've taught under 120 FTE days, you renew through PD | TRB Online |
| ACT | TQI | 20 hours | Each school year | Includes casual teachers | TQI portal |
| NT | TRB NT | 100 hours | Preceding five years | Not specified | Professional Learning Log template |
PD, PL or CPD?
The regulators don't agree on a name. NESA, TRB Tasmania and TRB NT call it professional development (PD). VIT, TRBWA, TRB SA and the ACT Teacher Quality Institute call it professional learning (PL). Queensland uses continuing professional development (CPD). They all mean the learning you log to keep your registration, so search for your regulator's own term when you look something up.
NSW
NSW teachers maintaining Proficient, Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher accreditation complete 100 hours of PD in each maintenance period (NESA). The maintenance period is 5 years if you work full-time and 7 years if you work casual or part-time (NESA).
Any activity where you learn new skills or practices related to the Standards counts. Everyday duties such as programming, marking and writing reports don't count, and neither do courses unrelated to teaching or curriculum. You log PD in eTAMS or keep your own record, and you hold onto it for 12 months after you submit your maintenance. NESA audits a random sample of PD logs every quarter.
For the detail on what counts, how to log it and how audits work, read our guide to NESA PD requirements. ClassCover Learn is a NESA approved PD provider.
Victoria
Fully registered Victorian teachers complete at least 20 hours of professional learning each year that references the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (VIT). That learning has to cover at least one descriptor in each of the three domains of the Standards (VIT).
You enter each activity in the MyPD tile of your MyVIT account, with a reflection on how it improved your knowledge or teaching practice. The 20 hours are part of annual registration, which you complete by 30 September each year. VIT also asks for at least 20 days of practice a year, and that can be full-time, part-time or casual relief teaching. Provisionally registered teachers don't show the 20 hours at annual registration, because VIT expects them to meet it as they move to full registration.
Queensland
Fully registered Queensland teachers complete at least 20 hours of CPD each year if they teach 20 days or more (QCT). If you teach fewer than 20 days in a calendar year, there's no CPD requirement for that year. The rule is the same whether you teach full-time, part-time, supply or contract. You meet the requirement in each year of your five-year registration to renew.
Your CPD needs a balance of employer-directed and teacher-identified learning, a variety of activities, and alignment with the Standards. Routine teaching tasks and extracurricular activities don't count. QCT recommends tracking your CPD in myQCT, and if you're audited you provide evidence such as certificates, attendance lists or reflection notes. Supply and contract teachers should also keep records of their teaching days, such as payslips or service statements.
Western Australia
Fully registered WA teachers need at least 100 hours of professional learning to renew their registration (TRBWA). The hours count from when your registration was last granted or renewed, and the requirement applies to all registered teachers. Limited or Provisional Registration granted for 3 years needs 60 hours, and shorter terms are pro rata at 20 hours a year. If you moved to WA under Mutual Recognition, PD from your previous state or territory counts. If you can't meet the hours, you can ask the Board to consider your case.
Each activity must relate directly to at least one element of the Professional Standards for Teachers in Western Australia, and your evidence should show how. TRBWA expects the learning to go beyond your normal role, such as planning, programming and reporting. Formal and informal learning both count, from workshops and online learning to professional reading. At renewal you declare that you've met the requirement, and TRBWA can ask for evidence, so keep the Professional Learning Log in Teacher Login up to date.
South Australia
South Australian teachers complete the equivalent of at least 20 hours of professional learning for each year of their registration term (TRB SA). Registration renews for five years at a time (TRB SA), so a full term means 100 hours. The requirement applies whether you teach full-time, part-time or as a temporary relief teacher, and while you're on extended leave, including parenting leave.
The learning has to sit above your normal duties, such as programming, assessing and reporting, and be referenced against the Standards. You record it in the Teachers Portal with annotations that connect each activity to the Standards, and you keep the evidence for 12 months after your registration term expires. Without the minimum hours, you risk not being able to renew.
Tasmania
Tasmania sets no minimum number of PD hours (TRB Tasmania). To renew Full Registration at the end of your five-year cycle, you show ongoing competence in one of two ways: 120 full-time equivalent days of teaching during the cycle, or relevant professional development during the cycle. TRB Tasmania says about 20 hours a year of relevant PD would be reasonable.
Relevant activities contribute to your professional competence and directly or indirectly enhance teaching and learning. You list your key activities in TRB Online and keep evidence of participation in case you're asked for it.
ACT
ACT teachers record and reflect on at least 20 hours of professional learning each school year (TQI). At least 5 hours come from TQI Accredited programs and at least 5 from Teacher Identified Professional Learning (TIPL). The other 10 can be any mix. The requirement covers all registered teachers, including teachers on leave, casual teachers and teachers working outside the ACT.
Accredited programs appear in your PL profile once the provider confirms you've finished, and you complete a TQI evaluation for each one. You enter TIPL yourself in the portal. Most TIPL activities count for up to 5 hours each, and formal academic study or formal action research for up to 10. Only non-accredited programs go in as TIPL, and courses accredited in other states and territories can be recorded as TIPL even if they aren't accredited in the ACT. Everything is submitted by the end of the school year, and a TQI delegate from your school verifies your records. Casual teachers choose a school they have a rapport with to do the verifying. In your first year, the hours depend on when your registration starts: 10 hours from 1 July and 5 hours from 10 October. If you're struggling to meet the hours, talk to your school leader or ask TQI for a PL variation plan.
Northern Territory
NT teachers renewing full registration need a minimum of 100 hours of professional development across the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in the preceding five years (TRB NT). The Board wants a broad range of activities, and it also asks for 100 days of teaching practice in the previous five years. Full registration renews for up to five years at a time.
TRB NT publishes a Professional Learning Log template to help you record your PD. It audits teachers at random, by registration number, in the six months after the renewal period. If you can't meet the PD requirement at renewal, you can ask to be considered for Provisional Registration for three years instead.
What counts as PD across Australia
The wording differs, but the lists overlap. VIT, QCT, TRBWA, TRB SA and TQI all name online learning or online courses as PD, and most also list workshops, conferences and professional reading. NESA counts any activity where you learn new skills or practices related to the Standards.
What doesn't count is just as consistent. NESA, QCT, TRBWA and TRB SA all exclude routine parts of the job, and NESA, TRBWA and TRB SA name planning, marking and reporting.
If you're a casual or relief teacher
Casual and relief teachers have PD requirements too, and a few states spell out how they apply:
- NSW gives casual and part-time teachers 7 years to complete their 100 hours, instead of 5.
- Queensland applies the 20 hours in any year you teach 20 days or more, so keep your payslips or service statements with your CPD records.
- South Australia applies its requirement to temporary relief teachers in the same way as everyone else.
- The ACT includes casual teachers, who pick a school they have a rapport with to verify their PL each year.
- Victoria applies the same 20 hours to casual relief teachers with full registration, and your CRT days count towards the 20 days of practice.
- Tasmania lets you renew Full Registration on 120 full-time equivalent teaching days. If you've taught fewer, you renew through relevant PD, about 20 hours a year.
- WA applies its requirement to all registered teachers.
Online, self-paced PD fits around the days you're booked. ClassCover Learn has a collection of PD for casual and relief teachers.
Keep your PD record ready
- Log as you go. Add each activity to your regulator's tool when you finish it, so the total is ready at renewal or audit time.
- Link it to the Standards. Most regulators ask how each activity connects to the professional standards, and SA asks for annotations.
- Keep your evidence. QCT and TRB SA both list certificates as evidence, and Queensland supply teachers also keep records of their teaching days.
- Check your dates. NSW wants your log kept 12 months after you submit your maintenance, and South Australia wants evidence kept 12 months after your term expires.
Where ClassCover Learn fits
ClassCover Learn PD counts towards registration in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania and the NT. In the ACT, check TQI's rules for Teacher Identified PL before you log a course.
A membership gives you 200+ hours of online PD for $99 a year. To try a course first, start with our free teacher PD.
Requirements change, so check your regulator's website before your next renewal or maintenance date.
Frequently asked questions
How many PD hours do teachers need in each state?
NSW teachers complete 100 hours in each maintenance period (5 years full-time, 7 years casual or part-time). Victoria, Queensland and the ACT ask for at least 20 hours a year. South Australia asks for the equivalent of 20 hours for each year of your registration term. WA and the NT ask for 100 hours for full registration renewal. Tasmania sets no minimum hours, says about 20 hours a year is reasonable, and also accepts 120 full-time equivalent teaching days at renewal.
Do casual and relief teachers have to do PD?
Yes. NSW gives casual and part-time teachers 7 years to complete their 100 hours. In Queensland the 20 hours apply in any year you teach 20 days or more. Victoria applies the same 20 hours to casual relief teachers with full registration. South Australia applies its requirement to temporary relief teachers, and the ACT includes casual teachers, who choose a school to verify their records. In Tasmania, if you've taught fewer than 120 full-time equivalent days in your cycle, you renew through relevant PD.
What's the difference between PD, PL and CPD?
They're different names for the same thing. NESA, TRB Tasmania and TRB NT say professional development (PD). VIT, TRBWA, TRB SA and the ACT Teacher Quality Institute say professional learning (PL). The Queensland College of Teachers says continuing professional development (CPD).
What counts as PD for teacher registration?
Learning that builds your professional knowledge and practice, usually linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Online courses appear in most regulators' lists, and most also name workshops, conferences and professional reading. Routine duties don't count in NSW, Queensland, WA or South Australia, and most name planning, marking and reporting.
How do I record my PD hours?
Use your regulator's online tool: eTAMS in NSW, MyPD in Victoria, myQCT in Queensland, Teacher Login in WA, the Teachers Portal in South Australia, TRB Online in Tasmania and the TQI portal in the ACT. The NT publishes a Professional Learning Log template. Link each activity to the Standards and keep your evidence.
Which state has no set number of PD hours?
Tasmania. TRB Tasmania sets no minimum hours and says about 20 hours a year of relevant professional development would be reasonable. Teachers can also renew Full Registration through 120 full-time equivalent days of teaching in the cycle.
Does ClassCover Learn PD count towards teacher registration?
ClassCover Learn PD counts towards registration in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania and the NT. In the ACT, check TQI's rules for Teacher Identified PL before you log a course.
How much does ClassCover Learn cost?
ClassCover Learn costs $99 a year for 200+ hours of PD across every course.
