DIA calls for design occupations to be recognised in national mutual recognition reform
The DIA lodged a submission to the National Competition Council’s Review of Australia’s Mutual Recognition Schemes for Workers, co-signed by CEO Simone LeAmon and President Ryan Russell, and prepared in consultation with the DIA’s National Interior Design Working Group.
The submission highlights a structural gap in the Council's interim findings: Australia's ~19,300 interior designers - a workforce larger than the country's architect cohort - cannot access the benefits of mutual recognition because the occupation is inconsistently licensed, partially licensed, or entirely unlicensed across states and territories.
DIA's five recommendations urge the Council to expressly recognise design occupations in its final report, apply its Finding 14 national licensing tests to interior designers, and acknowledge established credentialing programs such as DIA Accredited Designer™ as ready-made infrastructure for a graduated path to national recognition.