Responsible service of alcohol (RSA) training and certification
All staff of licensed premises (regardless of age) who serve or supply alcohol must have a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificate.
The following people must complete RSA training within 30 days of starting employment:
- the licensee (if an individual), unless they're qualified in responsible management of licensed venues (RMLV)
- all staff of licensed premises (including licensed restaurants or cafes) who are involved in serving or supplying alcohol at the premises—including bartenders, floor staff and room service staff.
If you're an individual licensee or an approved manager who holds a current RMLV certificate issued by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), you don't have to have an RSA certificate. An RMLV certificate expires 3 years after the date of issue.
Which RSA certificate you will need
You need a Statement of Attainment from the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. The Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course can only be delivered by a registered training organisation (RTO).
The current course code is SITHFAB021. Older courses might have a different course code, but they'll have the same course name and will always supply a Statement of Attainment. For example, SITHFAB009A was the active course code between 2009 and 2013. If you completed that course, it's still valid.
Search for your course code to see if it's an equivalent course code.
View an example Statement of Attainment.
If you haven't received a Statement of Attainment in the Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course, you may not have completed the right course. You must ensure you complete a recognised course.
Note: In Queensland, you won't receive a card with your Statement of Attainment like you might in other states.
Expiry of your RSA certificate
You should only need to get your RSA Statement of Attainment once. As long as you completed the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course after 2002, the qualification doesn't expire, even though the course code (currently SITHFAB021) sometimes changes.
Your RSA Statement of Attainment remains valid no matter what the course code was when you completed it.
However, if you completed your RSA course before 2002, it won't be valid, so you'll need to complete it again.
How to know you're getting the right RSA certificate
These Queensland RTOs are currently delivering the nationally recognised Provide responsible service of alcohol course.
| RTO name | RTO contact details | Course delivery method |
|---|---|---|
| Asset college | Suite 39, Level 3 18 Flinders Parade Unit 4, Campus Business Park Phone: 1300 731 602 Email: study@asset.edu.au | In-person training |
| Australian Institute of Food Safety (also trading as Food Safety First and InstaCert) | Level 4, 46 Edward Street Phone: 1300 797 020 Email: support@foodsafety.com.au or support@instacert.com.au | Online training |
| Australian Training Institute | Shop 7, 51 Brighton Road Phone: (07) 3269 5005 Email: admin@atiaustralia.edu.au | Online training |
| BARS Training Australia | 2B, 677 Pine Ridge Road Phone: (07) 5529 0834 Email: amanda@barstraining.com.au | In-person training |
| Clear to Work | 21 Nundah Street Phone: 0457 686 434 Email: support@cleartowork.com.au | Online training |
| Coal Train | 6 Millroy Drive Phone: (07) 4939 1445 Email: admin@coaltrain.com.au | In-person training |
| CTA Training Specialists |
55 Holland Street NORTHGATE QLD 4013 Phone: (07) 3878 7291 Email: online@ctatraining.com.au | Online |
| Five Star Training Academy | Unit 7, 60 Nerang Street Unit 7, 5-11 Noel Street Phone: 1300 718 005 | Online theory with practical training provided online or in person. |
| Galaxy Training Australia | 73 Tasman Boulevard Phone: (07) 3062 7222 Email: info@galaxytraining.com.au | Online training |
| Industry Training Services | Paddington Tavern Club Musgrave Phone: 1300 798 948 Email: info@its.qld.edu.au | In-person training |
| North Queensland Security Training Academy | 330 Bayswater Road Phone: (07) 4775 1828 Email: admin@nqsta.com.au | In-person training |
| Prestige Service Training | 30415/27 Garden Street Phone: 1300 368 097 Email: learnmore@pst.edu.au | Online theory and online or in-person practical training |
| Queensland Hotels Association Union of Employers | QHA House Phone: (07) 3221 6999 Email: training@qha.org.au | Online and in-person training |
| Regal Security & Industry Training | Level 1, Suite 1 Phone: (07) 5679 0110 Email: admin@regalst.com.au | Self-paced completion of workbook and in-person attendance for practical demonstrations |
| Urban E-Learning | 17 Henry Street Phone: (07) 3118 6118 Email: sja@urbanelearning.com | Online training |
| Zealifi | PO Box 683 Phone: 1300 122 287 Email: hello@zealifi.com.au | Online training or in-person group training at your venue |
You can also search for other RTOs on Training.gov.au by entering the current course code: SITHFAB021.
Many online courses don't meet Queensland's RSA certification requirements even though they charge fees and claim to give you the right certificate. Critical issues may not be covered by these unaccredited courses, exposing your venue and patrons to the risk of poor or unsafe practices.
Some courses may issue a statement of attendance, but that's not the same as the Statement of Attainment competency in the nationally accredited training package.
Penalties apply if licensees fail to ensure their staff have the right RSA qualification.
If you have a formal qualification, such as a Certificate II in Hospitality, the Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course could be 1 of the units of competency in your qualification.
The course code might be an older version of SITHFAB021 (e.g. SITHFAB002, SITHFAB009A or THHBFB09B), which is still valid.
Most RTOs provide a web search function to verify a certificate online. Usually, you can enter the Certificate ID or student number to check if a certificate is valid.
If the RTO doesn't provide the option to check your certificate online, contact them. Search for the RTO's contact details.
Otherwise, you can check your vocational education and training (VET) history online using a unique student identifier (USI). Anyone who undertakes VET training is required to have a USI. Use the website to check if you have a USI (or create one) and access a list of your previously completed training, including the Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course.
Minimum age to get your RSA certificate
Some businesses—for example, hotels, restaurants and cafes—can employ under 18s to serve or supply alcohol. There are no minimum age restrictions under the Liquor Act 1992, unless the venue has an adult entertainment permit.
Regardless of age, all staff who serve or supply alcohol must have an RSA certificate. You must complete the course within 30 days of starting employment.
Lost RSA certificates
If you can't find your RSA Statement of Attainment, you'll need to have it re-issued. Contact the RTO that originally issued it.
If you can't remember which RTO certified you, you'll need to do the course again.
OLGR can't provide a replacement copy of your RSA certificate as we didn't issue it and don't hold those records.
Using an interstate RSA qualification in Queensland
You can only use your interstate RSA qualification in Queensland if it's a Statement of Attainment from the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. This is the only nationally recognised qualification.
If you don't hold this specific Statement of Attainment, you'll need to complete the nationally accredited course through an RTO.
International travellers and students also need to complete the course within 30 days of starting employment in a licensed venue.
RSA exemptions for community-based groups and events
Community-based licensees or permit holders must ensure someone with current RSA training supervises volunteers who are serving or supplying alcohol.
Supervised volunteers don't need to hold a current RSA qualification if they're serving or supplying alcohol under 1 of the following liquor licences:
- community club licence
- community other licence
- community liquor permit
- restricted liquor permit.
Examples of the types of businesses that may hold these licences include:
- sporting or ethnic clubs or RSLs
- incorporated associations (e.g. charities)
- non-proprietary organisations.
Keeping evidence of RSA certification on site
Licensees must keep copies on the premises of current statements of attainment for staff. You must make these available for inspection by OLGR compliance officers and the Queensland Police Service. You don't need to keep an RSA training register.
Past OLGR-issued RSA certificates
If you (or your staff) completed RSA training before 30 June 2013, OLGR may have issued you an RSA certificate that would have expired 3 years from the date of issue.
However, an old RSA course that was supported by OLGR included the nationally accredited Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol course. If you were issued a Statement of Attainment in that course, it would still be valid. You'll need to check your records.
Also consider…
- Read more about when minors can be on licensed premises.
- Take an online RSA refresher course.