An RSA is legally required before you can serve alcohol anywhere in Australia. The course takes three to five hours, costs around $90, and can usually be done online.
What does the RSA course actually cover?
Responsible Service of Alcohol training covers the legal obligations on the person pouring the drink, not just on the licensee.
- Identifying signs of intoxication
- Refusing service legally and without escalation
- The legal obligations of staff and of the venue
- Preventing alcohol related harm
- State liquor licensing rules
Without one you cannot legally serve a drink at a licensed venue, and the penalties fall on both you and the venue. No reputable employer will roster you before the certificate exists.
Who actually needs one?
Anyone whose role involves serving, selling or supplying alcohol, which is a wider group than bar staff. Waiting tables in a licensed restaurant counts, as do bottle shop, event and cellar door work.
Back of house roles such as kitchen work and cleaning do not legally require one, but many employers ask regardless, because it makes you rosterable anywhere in the venue.
Does your certificate work in every state?
No, and this is the detail that costs people money. RSA is regulated at state level, so a Victorian certificate does not automatically let you pour drinks in Sydney, and mutual recognition exists between some states and not others.
New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland each require their own state approved course and competency card. South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT accept nationally accredited units, with recognition between most of them. If your route runs from Melbourne to Sydney, budget for a second course.
How long does it last?
Validity depends on the state, and the range is wide enough to matter across a two year working holiday.
- New South Wales: five years
- Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, ACT and Northern Territory: three years
- Western Australia and South Australia: no expiry
Renewal is generally a short refresher rather than the full course. For most working holiday makers the certificate outlasts the visa, so it is a one off cost.
Can you claim the cost back?
Yes, provided the course relates to work you are already doing or about to do in hospitality. The fee is a work related self education expense and belongs in your tax return, with the receipt kept.
A course taken to get into an occupation you are not yet working in is harder to justify than one taken while working in it, so getting the RSA after the first hospitality job is cleaner than before. Our guide to tax deductions for working holiday makers sets out the general test.
Should you pay for it yourself?
Ask before you do. Many venues cover the course cost when they hire, particularly larger pub groups and hotel chains, and paying two days before an interview at a venue that would have covered it is an avoidable loss.
Where the employer pays, it is not your deduction, because you did not incur the cost. Nor is it where you pay and are later reimbursed. Only an expense you actually bore is claimable.
What decides how this plays out for you?
Three facts you know before booking a course. Which state you will work in first, which decides the syllabus and the card. Whether you are moving between the eastern states, which decides whether you need a second. And whether you already have a hospitality job offer, which decides both who pays and whether the deduction is available.
Complete the state card for where you are, keep the PDF on your phone because venues ask on the first day, and keep the receipt for the return. Our guide to bartending on a working holiday covers what the certificate opens up.