The single most useful table on this page. Note the two structural outliers: Queensland and WA issue lifetime licences, while NSW charges more for a jet ski licence than most states charge for a decade of boating.
| JURISDICTION | LICENCE | TRIGGERED BY | MIN AGE | HOW YOU GET IT | VALIDITY | GOVT FEE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | General boat licence; separate PWC licence | 10 knots or more. PWC at any speed. | 12 | Knowledge test at Service NSW or an approved provider, plus practical evidence — either 3 logged supervised trips or an approved practical course | 1 / 3 / 5 / 10 yr | Boat $82–$720 PWC $260–$2,077 |
| VIC | Marine licence; PWC endorsement; restricted licence 12–16 | Any powered vessel | 12 restricted 16 full | Eyesight check plus knowledge test (30 questions, 26 to pass; PWC 15 questions, 13 to pass), or a provider's Certificate of Competency | 1 or 5 yr | $43.20 / $216 +PWC $48.30 / $241.50 |
| QLD | Recreational Marine Driver Licence; separate PWC licence | Engine over 4.5 kW | 16 | BoatSafe course only. Theory assessment of 50 questions requiring 100%, plus an assessed practical component with an accredited provider | Lifetime | $132.40 each + provider fee |
| SA | Boat Operator's Licence; Special Permit 12–15 | Any engine | 16 full 12 permit | Written theory test. Special Permit holders who also pass a practical may run a vessel under 4 m at 10 knots in daylight, unsupervised | Standing | $53 test $56 |
| WA | Recreational Skipper's Ticket — covers boats and PWC | Motor over 4.5 kW / 6 hp | 14 | Private provider assessment. Theory 40 questions, 34 to pass; then a one-hour on-water practical as skipper, meeting 56 of 62 criteria across 11 tasks | Lifetime | $36.90 recording + provider fee |
| TAS | Motor boat licence; PWC endorsement; provisional 12–16 | Motor of 4 hp or more | 17 full 12 provisional | MAST-accredited BoatSafe practical course for all new applicants | 3 yr, common expiry (currently 30 Jun 2027) | Pro-rata to common expiry |
| NT | None issued | — | — | No licence exists. Vessel registration is also not required. | — | $0 |
| ACT | No ACT licence — you must hold another jurisdiction's | 10 knots triggers extra ACT authorisation | Per home state | Hold any valid state or territory licence. Googong Reservoir needs a free ACT permit; Lake Burley Griffin is federal (National Capital Authority) with its own boat permit. | Per home state | — |
Every jurisdiction recognises a valid interstate licence for visitors, but only for a window. Queensland gives new residents three months to convert. South Australia recognises a visitor's interstate licence for 90 days. Western Australia allows stays under three months on an interstate or overseas ticket. Victoria will convert a current interstate licence — or one expired within five years — without retesting. Queensland accepts current overseas licences, with a NAATI-accredited translation where they are not in English.
What the differences actually mean for you
Queensland & Western Australia
Both issue a licence that never expires, and both demand more up front to get it. Queensland's BoatSafe theory assessment requires a perfect score, and WA's practical is a full hour of assessed boat handling against 62 criteria. If you are going to be on the water for decades, these are the best-value tickets in the country — and both are widely recognised elsewhere.
NSW personal watercraft
A ten-year NSW PWC licence costs $2,077 — roughly three times the ten-year general boat licence, and more than any other jurisdiction charges for anything. The structure is deliberate, following a rise of more than 40% in PWC uptake since 2018. Under-16 riders face further limits: 20 knots maximum, no night operation, no towing, and a licensed rider aged 16 or over aboard.
Northern Territory
No licence, no registration, for any recreational vessel. This is not an oversight — it is the settled position, and the NT is also the only jurisdiction with no blood-alcohol limit and no random breath testing on the water (Chapter 20). Everything else still applies: equipment rules, speed zones, and full liability if it goes wrong. Given Darwin's seven-to-eight-metre spring tides and resident saltwater crocodiles, the absence of a licensing test is the least of the local challenges.
WA, QLD, TAS — and NSW in part
These four will not hand you a licence on a written test alone. WA and Queensland assess you driving a boat; Tasmania requires a BoatSafe practical course; NSW requires either three logged supervised trips or an approved practical course before it will issue a general licence. Victoria and South Australia will license you on theory alone — which is legal, and is not the same as being ready.
What is actually on the test
The state knowledge tests are drawn from each authority's own boating handbook, and the syllabus is remarkably consistent across jurisdictions. Expect questions on: the collision regulations as they apply to small craft (Chapter 4); buoyage and channel markers (Chapter 5); required safety equipment for the waters you are in (Chapter 19); lifejacket types and wear rules; speed limits, distance-off rules and no-wake obligations (Chapter 20); alcohol limits; what to do in an emergency, including distress signals and the duty to assist; basic weather and how to read a forecast; loading, stability and weight distribution; refuelling safety; and local zoning.
The practical assessments — where they exist — test departure and return to a ramp or pontoon, low-speed manoeuvring, stopping, turning in a confined space, holding station, anchoring, a person-overboard recovery, and lookout and situational awareness under way. Western Australia's is the most structured: eleven tasks, 62 assessable criteria, 56 of which you must meet.
Registration is a separate matter
Licensing the operator and registering the vessel are two different transactions with two different fee schedules. Thresholds vary: Queensland registers from 3 kW, Tasmania from 4 hp, WA registers anything capable of mechanical propulsion, and NSW, Victoria and SA effectively capture any engine. Fees scale with length — roughly $94 for a boat under 3 m in NSW up to four figures past 20 m, with PWCs charged a flat premium ($512 in NSW, $484 in SA). South Australia is running a 50% registration discount through to 1 December 2026.
Unpowered sailing vessels, paddlecraft and genuine tenders are exempt almost everywhere, though the tender definitions are strict: Queensland allows up to 6 m within 2 nm of the parent vessel, WA up to 3.1 m and 5 hp, Tasmania up to 4.5 m within half a mile.
The craft
What a course actually teaches, set out properly. The collision regulations, the buoyage system, lights and sound signals, chartwork, tides, weather and seamanship. This is the material a Yachtmaster examiner tests — and the material that keeps you alive whether or not you ever sit an exam.