Apply for a motor dealer wrecker licence

You must have a current licence to work as a motor dealer (wrecker). To get a licence, you will need to submit an application for an individual's licence.

Authorised activities

The motor dealer (wrecker) licence allows you to:

  • obtain used motor vehicles, in parts or whole, to sell as parts
  • sell acquired used motor vehicles as parts.

You may not:

Eligibility

To be eligible for a motor dealer licence, you must:

  • be 18 or older
  • pass the required training courses.

Suitability

You are not suitable for a licence if you:

  • are insolvent under administration
  • are currently disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
  • have been convicted of a serious offence within the past 5 years
  • are subject to a court issued control order because of involvement in serious criminal activity.

We also consider if you:

  • have a criminal history
  • have been an executive officer of a corporation, which was previously licensed, that has gone insolvent
  • were the subject of a successful claim fund action
  • have had your licence or registration certification cancelled or been suspended from holding one
  • have been previously disqualified from holding a licence or registration certificate
  • are disqualified from being a company director
  • have previously been an insolvent under administration
  • are incapable of satisfactorily doing the job of a licensee
  • are unsuitable because of your character or the character of your business associates
  • are allowed to work in Australia.

Serious offences

A serious offence is anything punishable by 3 or more years in prison. These include:

  • violent offences (including threats to use violence)
  • fraud and dishonesty
  • drug trafficking
  • extortion
  • arson
  • unlawful stalking, intimidation, harassment or abuse
  • offences of a sexual nature
  • new offences under Queensland’s Criminal Code of
    • recruiting a person to become participant in criminal organisation
    • consorting
  • an offence committed with a serious organised crime circumstance of aggravation applicable to a prescribed list of offences within the meaning of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992.

Receivership or liquidation

If you have ever been an executive officer of a corporation, which previously held a licence that went into receivership or liquidation, you must also tell us:

  • what circumstances caused it to happen
  • whether you took all reasonable to avoid these circumstances
  • what assets you had available to distribute
  • how much money (if any) you paid in dividends
  • whether you broke any laws relating to these circumstances
  • whether you are disqualified from being a company director or other officer.

You must also include a report from the receiver or liquidator that gives us:

  • a detailed list of your creditors
  • the amount of money you still owe to each creditor.

Places of business

You may have multiple places of business, but you must register all of your business addresses. The person in charge at every place of business must have a current individual licence.

An individual cannot be in charge of more than 1 place at any given time unless the places of business are on adjacent blocks of land (not separated by a public road).

Find out more about places of business

Non-citizens

If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you need to:

  • give us a certified copy of your passport
  • have a visa that allows you to work in Australia.

Lodgement

When you lodge the form, you will need to attach formal identification. These documents must be original or certified copies.

Your identification must be a certified copy of any of the following documents:

  • Birth certificate or extract
  • Driver licence
  • Passport
  • Citizenship certificate

You will need to pay the required fees when you lodge your application.

You will also need to attach your proof of qualifications.

Criminal history check

To confirm your suitability, we will submit your application for a criminal history check. This will be thorough and may be time consuming.

If you were born in New Zealand or have a New Zealand passport, you need to get a copy of your criminal history or a letter indicating you have no criminal history from New Zealand. For more information, visit the New Zealand Ministry of Justice website.

You don’t have to pay any fees to get a New Zealand criminal history check. We can only accept original documents dated within one month of the date you send them to us. Please note it takes 20 working days to process a request for a New Zealand criminal history check.

Processing time

The processing time is 4–6 weeks. This can take longer if your application is not complete. This might be because of:

  • missing information
  • unpaid fees.

We will contact you if you submitted an incomplete application. You will need to complete it before we can proceed. Otherwise, we may withdraw your application.

Refunds

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a partial refund if:

  • you withdraw your application
  • we refuse your application.

You may also get a refund on the fees for your criminal history check if it hasn't been started yet.

Training

You must pass these training subjects from a recognised provider to apply for a licence. The only exception is if you’ve held an equivalent licence within the past 2 years.

You must complete either of the lists of modules below, taken from:

  • Automotive Retail, Service and Repair Training Package—AUR modules

Anything earlier than this is obsolete (e.g. AUR99, AUR05 or AUR12 modules).

We will not recognise these packages as recent enough training to qualify for this licence.

Find a training provider in Queensland.

AUR modules

You need to pass all modules from either of the following tables.

Course code Name of course
AURSCA001 Select and supply automotive parts and products
AURSCA003 Apply sales procedures in an automotive workplace
AURVTN042 Dismantle vehicle components
AURSCA010 Appraise and purchase used motor vehicles for sale
AURAMA005 or AURACA003 Manage complex customer issues in an automotive workplace or Build customer relations in an automotive workplace
AURASA002 Follow safe working practices in an automotive workplace
AURAFA003 or AURAQA001 Communicate effectively in an automotive workplace or Contribute to quality work outcomes in an automotive workplace
AURACA001 Respond to customer needs and enquiries in an automotive workplace

Or

Course code Name of course
AURSCA101 Select and supply automotive parts and products
AURSCA103 Apply sales procedures in an automotive workplace
AURVTN042 Dismantle vehicle components
AURSCA010 Appraise and purchase used motor vehicles for sale

AURAMA005 or AURACA103

Manage complex customer issues in an automotive workplace or Build customer relations in an automotive workplace

AURASA102 Follow safe working practices in an automotive workplace

AURAFA103 or AURAQA001

Communicate effectively in an automotive workplace or Contribute to quality work outcomes in an automotive workplace

AURACA101 Respond to customer needs and enquiries in an automotive workplace

Student visa holders

It is an offence under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 for a registered training organisation to provide training to an international student on a student visa, unless the training organisation holds registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

Therefore, if you are in Australia on a student visa, you must make sure that the training organisation where you complete your training holds CRICOS registration.

Please note, training for each specified unit of competency must be completed through the CRICOS registered training provider. We will not accept a training certificate issued by a CRICOS registered training provider as a result of a credit transfer.