Planning to work in a role involving the sale or service of alcohol in Australia? You’ll need a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate.
This certificate is a requirement to comply with state legislation and helps ensure safe alcohol service in hospitality environments.
The rules on RSAs can change depending on the state you are working in, and they can get pretty confusing. This guide will help you understand everything you need about RSA certificates, who needs one, and how to get one.
Whether you’re new to the industry or looking to renew your certification, this guide is designed to help you navigate each step of the RSA process, ensuring you have the knowledge needed to create a safe, responsible workplace.
Contents
What is an RSA Certificate?
An RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate is a mandatory qualification for anyone working in Australia in roles that involve selling, serving, or supplying alcohol. It certifies that the individual has received training on responsible alcohol service practices, which are aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm and promoting safe environments in venues that serve alcohol, such as bars, restaurants, and events.
The RSA course teaches essential skills like recognising intoxication, understanding legal obligations, managing difficult situations, and knowing how to refuse service when necessary. RSA certification is legally required across all Australian states and territories, but specific regulations, course requirements, and validity periods can vary by region.
Completing an RSA course provides a nationally recognised SITHFAB021 Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol Statement of Attainment and allows you to work in licensed venues.
Who needs an RSA Certificate?
In Australia, anyone working in a role that involves the sale, supply, or service of alcohol is legally required to hold an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate. This includes people working in:
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Hospitality: Bartenders, waitstaff, and other front-of-house staff in bars, pubs, clubs, and restaurants.
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Retail: Staff in liquor stores, bottle shops, and other retail establishments that sell alcohol.
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Event Staff: Employees or volunteers at events where alcohol is served, such as festivals, concerts, and sporting events.
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Security Personnel: Security staff who monitor patrons in venues where alcohol is consumed, as they may need to manage situations involving intoxicated customers.
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Supervisory and Managerial Roles: Managers and supervisors in establishments where alcohol is served or sold must also have RSA certification, as they are responsible for overseeing the compliance of staff. These roles include duty manager, bar manager, restaurant manager, gaming manager, operations manager and venue manager.
Even if it’s not mandatory in your job role, having an RSA Certificate can be an advantage when looking for new job opportunities.
How do I get an RSA in Australia?
It’s pretty simple to get an RSA Certificate in Australia:
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Select an Approved Provider: Ensure the course provider is approved in your state or territory. CTA Training Specialists are an approved RTO to deliver RSA training in all states and territories apart from Tasmania, we are often registered under our business name 'Servir Group Pty Ltd'.
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Complete the Training: Take the RSA course as required, whether online or in-person, depending on your state.
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Receive Your Certification: After completing the course, keep your RSA certificate or card accessible when working, as employers and regulators may require proof.
RSA NSW Competency Card
Getting an RSA in New South Wales is a little different as you need to obtain a competency card as well. This is why RSA NSW courses are more expensive, they include the cost of your competency card.
Interim certificates
Upon completing an RSA course, you will receive an interim certificate. This certificate is valid for 90 days and allows you to work immediately.
Getting your card
To obtain a NSW RSA competency card, present your interim certificate to a Service NSW centre and complete an identification check. Service NSW will send your card to your address. This can take up to one month.
Can I do an RSA Online?
Yes, you can complete a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course online in all Australian states and territories.
CTA Training Specialists offers a fully accredited, self-paced online RSA course that's available 24/7 for every Australian state and territory except for Tasmania.
What does the RSA course cover?
The RSA Online course is broken down into small sections designed to improve your learning. At the end of each section is a multiple-choice quiz.
To move to the next section, you will need to get each question correct but don’t worry, if you get any questions wrong, you can re-do the assessment as many times as you need and will only have to re-do the questions you got wrong.
In line with the new Australian Government Department of Education & Training course packages, it is a requirement to upload a video as part of the RSA course assessment. You will be assessed via video submission on your ability to “Refuse service to customers in a professional manner.”
The Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course covers the following elements:
Element 1: Follow the principles of responsible service of alcohol.
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Identify the provisions of relevant state or territory legislation, licensing requirements, house policy and responsible service of alcohol principles.
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Where appropriate, request and obtain acceptable proof of age before sale or service.
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Provide accurate information to customers on alcoholic beverages according to organisation or house policy and government legislation.
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Assist customers with information on a range of non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase.
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Identify issues related to the sale or service of alcohol to different types of customers, especially those at risk.
Element 2: Assist customers to drink within appropriate limits.
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Use knowledge of industry requirements and professional standards to determine the volume for standard drinks or samples.
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Use a professional manner to encourage customers to drink within appropriate limits.
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Identify erratic drinking patterns as an early sign of possible intoxication and take appropriate action.
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Monitor the emotional and physical state of customers for signs of intoxication and signs of illicit or other drug use.
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Where appropriate, offer food and non-alcoholic beverages in following house policy.
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Decline requests for alcohol to be dispensed in an irresponsible manner and advise customers of the reasons for the refusal.
Element 3: Assess alcohol-affected customers and identify those to whom sale or service must be refused.
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Assess the intoxication levels of customers using appropriate methods.
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Identify factors that may affect individual responses to alcohol.
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Identify customers to whom sale or service must be refused according to state and territory legislation.
Element 4: Refuse to provide alcohol.
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Refuse sale or service in a professional manner, state reasons for the refusal, and where appropriate point out signage.
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Provide appropriate assistance to customers when refusing service.
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Where appropriate, give customers a verbal warning and ask them to leave the premises according to organisational or house requirements, the specific situation, and provisions of state or territory legislation and regulations.
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Use appropriate communication and conflict resolution skills to handle difficult situations.
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Refer difficult situations beyond the scope of own responsibility to the appropriate person.
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Promptly identify situations that pose a threat to the safety or security of colleagues, customers or property, and seek assistance from appropriate colleagues according to organisational or house policy.
How much does an RSA cost?
RSA course costs vary from state to state and they are:
What are the requirements to get an RSA?
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A unique email address not previously used by another student
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Unique student identifier (USI), a government requirement.
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A suitable device, computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone with internet access and a modern browser ie. Chrome
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Access to a smartphone, or webcam to record your final assessment
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In Victoria, while you can get an RSA when you are under 18, you can not work in a role involving the service of alcohol until you turn 18.
Does my RSA expire?
The expiration of an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate depends on the state or territory in which you have your RSA and in which you’re working.
In Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, you will need to complete a refresher course every 3 years.
The refresher course for Victoria is free and run by Liquor Control Victoria, don’t pay for a refresher course from any other provider.
In Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, your RSA has no expiry date.
In New South Wales, your RSA and competency card is valid for 5 years. After this time, you’ll need to complete a refresher course and renew your card to continue working in alcohol service roles.
Can I get an RSA on the same day?
Yes, is the short answer.
The longer one is that an RSA takes about 6 hours to complete and if you upload your assessments by 4 pm Queensland time on a business day (Monday to Friday) and they are marked as competent by one of our trainers and assessors, and if you have provid4ed your USI number then we will issue you a Statement of Attainment via email on the same day.
Can International Students and Visa Holders get an RSA?
This course is suitable for international students and other VISA holders. International/Overseas Students on a subclass 500 study visa are now able to undertake several Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses.
These include Nationally Accredited units such as SITHFAB021 Provide responsible service of alcohol, SITXFSA005 Use hygienic practices for food safety, SITXFSA006 Participate in safe food handling practices and our First Aid units of competency. You can find out more information on the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website.
Please note that from January 1, 2023, International students studying in Australia with an Australian education or training provider will need to get a USI before being issued with their nationally accredited certificates.
I’ve done an RSA in another state, what happens?
If you have completed your RSA in another state, you may be wondering if you need to complete another RSA course.
In Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, as long as you completed an RSA with a nationally accredited RTO (like CTA Training Specialists) your RSA will be recognised, and you will not need to do any additional courses.
In New South Wales, you will only need to complete a bridging course if you move to the state permanently. If you are usually based in Queensland but want to work at a festival for a short time in New South Wales, then your Queensland RSA (from a nationally accredited RTO) is fine.
If you hold an RSA from another state or territory, it may be recognised in Victoria. You will need to complete a bridging course. Through this course, you will receive a Victorian RSA certificate allowing you to work in Victorian venues.
You should now know everything you need to about the RSA course. If you have any more questions or if we didn’t explain something enough, drop us a line.
Otherwise, head to our RSA page and book your online RSA course.
