Every CPD activity a NSW builder claims must relate to at least one of eight approved topic areas. The list is short, the regulator gives examples for each, and there is no requirement to cover more than one. This guide sets out the eight with NSW’s own examples, and what each looks like on a residential site.
The short version
Technical issues, Sustainability, Compliance, Communication, Dispute resolution, Contracts, Safety, Business management. Any mix adds up to the 12 points. The topic should be printed on the record of attendance the provider gives you.
The eight topics and NSW’s examples
| Topic | NSW’s examples | On site, this is |
|---|---|---|
| Technical issues | Waterproofing, tiling, timber flooring, multi-storey construction, masonry code | The NCC and Standards detail that most defects trace to: wet-area membranes, balcony falls, framing tie-down, footings on reactive soil |
| Sustainability | BASIX, waste, green building, water management, accessible buildings | Delivering the BASIX certificate on site, the NCC energy pathway, the council waste plan, livable housing |
| Compliance | BCA/NCC application, Home Building Act, compensation fund obligations | Reading and applying the Code, what the Act requires of the licensee, defect management |
| Communication | Customer service, mediation, negotiation | The variation conversation, the delay conversation, the complaint handled before it escalates |
| Dispute resolution | Avoiding and identifying misrepresentation | Complaint to resolution: what the owner is entitled to, what you must do, documenting it |
| Contracts | Contract terms | Variations, extensions of time, payment claims, tender and quote evaluation |
| Safety | Asbestos, hazardous materials, roof work | Working at heights, silica, asbestos in pre-1990 housing, the WHS duties of the business |
| Business management | Project management, time management, computer skills | Program and supervision, bookkeeping, the software your certifier and clients expect |
There is no per-topic minimum
The rule is that each activity relates to at least one approved topic. It is not that you must cover several. Twelve points of Technical issues is compliant. So is twelve points of Business management. Some CPD sites describe category quotas; those belong to other professions’ schemes or to nobody’s. For NSW builders the count is simply 12, on any of the eight.
Choosing topics that are worth the hours
Since the scheme does not force a spread, the useful question is where the hours pay back. Three ways to decide:
- Where the last expensive problem was. A waterproofing callback points at Technical issues. A payment argument points at Contracts. A SafeWork visit points at Safety.
- What changed this year. NCC amendments, livable housing, the engineered stone ban, and BASIX updates each land in a specific topic.
- What you have never done. Most builders’ CPD history is technical and safety. Communication and Dispute resolution are where the NCAT matters come from, and they are the topics almost nobody chooses.
Recording the topic
The provider’s record of attendance should state the CPD topic area; it is one of the fields the NSW page lists. Write the same topic in your diary. If a course plausibly covers two topics, record the primary one the provider names. At audit the question is whether each activity related to an approved topic, and a stated topic on the certificate answers it without argument.
Where PointCPD courses sit
Every course is filed under exactly one of the eight, shown on its page and printed on the certificate, and the catalogue is organised by topic so you can fill a gap deliberately. The complete NSW CPD guide covers how the points themselves are counted.
Questions builders ask
Do I need points in every CPD topic?
No. Each activity must relate to at least one of the eight topics, but the 12 points can all sit in one topic or be spread across several. There is no per-topic minimum.
Are the topics the same as the old Category 1 and Category 2?
No. Category 1 and 2 were terms from the superseded version of the scheme and described types of activity, not subject areas. The current scheme has eight subject topics and two rates (1 or 2 points per hour) that depend on how the learning is delivered and assessed.
What if a course covers two topics?
It only needs to relate to one. The provider should state a primary topic on the record of attendance; record that one in your diary.
Sources: NSW Government, Continuing professional development for builders and swimming pool builders.