The ASIAL briefings on 3 June 2026 made one thing clear: Victorian security compliance is getting tighter, more connected and harder to “sort out later”. So if you were hoping this would all quietly sort itself out in the background, bad news – it will not.
This is no longer just about having a security licence.
Operators now need to think about the authorities in this state: Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD), the Labour Hire Authority (LHA), and the Portable Long Service Authority (PLSA).
In plain English: licences, training, labour hire, subcontractors, payroll, personal protective equipment (PPE), and portable long service leave records all need to be managed properly.
Not exciting, I know. But very, very necessary.
Here are the three big takeaways:
1. LRD – refresher training and licensing changes are active
Victoria is moving further into its single-tier licensing model, with the old registration system being phased out.
Existing registrations (for equipment installers and advisers) need to be transitioned into licences, with the key transition date sitting at 19 June 2026.
Operators should not assume everyone is “good because they have always worked.” Check the licence. Check the activity. Check the expiry date. Check the renewal status.
The next big practical update is refresher training.
LRD refresher training will apply to individual licence holders in the following activities:
- Security Officers
- Crowd Controllers
- Bodyguards
The training is expected to be completed as part of the licence renewal process. The briefing material indicated LRD will notify licence holders around 10 weeks before licence expiry.
The refresher training will be delivered online through an ASIAL learning platform approved by Victoria Police.
The cost listed in the briefing material is: $63 excluding GST
The four modules are:
- Industry Update
- Risk Management and Situational Awareness
- Effective Communication
- Safe Compliance Tactics
Once completed, the licence holder receives a Certificate of Completion, which must be included with the renewal information submitted to LRD.
And – First aid is not optional. The briefing was clear that first aid certification is mandatory for all security activities, not just guards, crowd controllers or bodyguards. If you hold a Victorian private security or business licence, you should be planning for first aid as part of your renewal process.
The first aid certificate must be current at renewal and dated within the previous three years. The briefing material referred to workplace first aid HLTAID011 as the relevant benchmark. Operators and licence holders should expect to supply the first aid certificate with their renewal documentation, alongside any required refresher training certificate.
In practical terms: do not leave first aid until the week your licence is due. Track it now. If you manage workers, add first aid expiry dates to your licence register and keep copies of certificates on file. Not exciting, but very much the sort of admin that saves you later.
Operator actions:
Build refresher training into your licence register now.
At minimum, track:
- licence number
- licence activities
- licence expiry
- first aid expiry
- refresher training status
- certificate held
- renewal lodged date
A guard saying “yeah, I think it’s sorted” is not a compliance system. That is a future headache wearing your logo.
2. LHA – labour hire is under the pump
The Labour Hire Authority update was a big one. Like, massive.
The briefing made it clear that supplying security guards and crowd controllers is considered labour hire. You put a body into a client site? Yeah – that’s labour hire. And you need a licence to do it.
That means if you supply guards to venues, events, retail sites, commercial premises or other clients, you need to know whether you need a LHA licence and whether your business structure stacks up.
The briefing listed security industry LHA activity as at 15 May 2026:
- 372 active licences
- 37 licences with conditions
- 18 applications refused
- 1 renewal refused
- 28 licences cancelled by LHA
So this is not a theory. It is already happening.
From 1 June 2026, LHA changes include stronger fit and proper person testing, broader review of compliance history and greater focus on financial viability.
The briefing also flagged security industry conditions, including:
- LHA Information Statement to all workers
- one-tier subcontracting restrictions
- no supply of independent contractors unless they hold the correct private security business licence
- reporting obligations for payroll service providers
- restrictions on cash payments to workers and subcontractors, unless an exception applies
- provision of PPE without charge
That is a lot for operators to digest, but the theme is simple: LHA wants cleaner worker supply chains and less cost-recovery from your own employees – it’s your duty of care after all.
Long subcontracting chains, loose ABN arrangements, cash payments, poor PPE practices and underpriced labour models are all risky and are now being targeted directly.
Cheap rates are only cheap until someone asks how wages, super, insurance, WorkCover and portable long service leave were supposed to fit inside them. If the maths ain’t mathing, it’ll come unstuck.
Operator actions:
Review:
- whether you need a LHA licence
- whether your subcontractors are properly licensed
- whether subcontracting stops at one tier where required
- whether workers receive the LHA Information Statement
- whether payroll is traceable
- whether cash payments need to stop
- whether PPE is provided without improper deductions
- whether your pricing actually supports lawful compliance
If your business model only works by cutting corners, it probably does not work at all.
If you need help with your labour hire compliance, you can review our Labour Hire Compliance Plan for your business.
3. PLSA – portable long service leave records need to be clean
Portable long service leave is becoming a bigger issue for security businesses.
Covered security employers must register with the Portable Long Service Authority, register covered workers, submit quarterly returns, report hours and ordinary pay, and pay the levy.
This matters because it affects pricing. If your quotes do not account for portable long service leave, your numbers may already be wrong.
The briefing also highlighted that the scheme is moving into a stronger claims and compliance phase.
As more workers reach around seven years of recognised service since its launch, missing service claims are expected to increase. That can mean backdated returns, corrected records and unpaid levies. Not the kind of admin anyone wants to discover three years later in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
Common issues include:
- wrong worker names
- poor contact details
- missing workers
- incorrect hours
- incorrect ordinary pay
- missing termination dates
The briefing also made an important point: security workers cannot keep working in covered security work while taking portable long service leave.
That makes this a rostering issue too, not just a payroll issue. Collective eye roll, yes, but these are worthy entitlements to support relaxation for your hard-working employees.
Operator actions:
Check:
- PLSA registration if required
- covered worker list
- quarterly returns
- ordinary pay reporting
- hours reporting
- termination dates
- levy payments
- missing service claim process
- rostering process for workers taking portable LSL
Final takeaway
- LRD is tightening licensing and refresher training.
- LHA is tightening labour hire, subcontracting, payroll, PPE and worker supply chains.
- PLSA is tightening worker records, quarterly returns and missing service claims.
For good operators, this is not bad news. It helps separate serious businesses from those running on underquoted work, messy records and hope.
But it does mean one thing:
You need systems that prove what you are doing.
If you are starting or reviewing a Victorian security business, this should be built into your business plan, onboarding documents, labour hire compliance materials, licence register and operating procedures from day one.
Because the question is no longer just:
“Do you have a licence?”
It is:
“Can you prove you are operating properly?”
And, if you’re considering establishing a new security business, see our guide to starting a security business in Victoria.
This article is general information only and is not legal advice. Operators should confirm current requirements directly with Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division, the Labour Hire Authority, the Portable Long Service Authority and any relevant professional advisers for their circumstances.