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Shaping the Future: Public Consultation Opens for OSCA 2027

Thursday 12, Mar 2026
National Policy & Advocacy Update

Shaping the Future: OSCA 2027 Public Consultation

Your feedback is vital to ensuring surveying and spatial occupations are accurately identified in Australia's national statistical framework.

As we continue to navigate a significant skills shortage, the way our roles are classified at a federal level determines how the government understands our workforce needs. If a role isn’t accurately described or uniquely coded, it remains "invisible" in critical policy discussions.

Why Your Feedback Matters

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is specifically seeking to identify:

  • Accuracy: Occupations currently in the OSCA that are not accurately described.
  • Separation: Emerging or specialized occupations that should be identified with a unique code.

For our members, this is an opportunity to ensure that modern surveying specialisations—ranging from digital twin experts to high-precision engineering surveyors—are recognised with the distinct codes they deserve.

How to Participate

The consultation is hosted on the ABS Consultation Hub. To assist you in providing the most effective feedback, a comprehensive Feedback Guide is available on the hub, outlining the steps to participate.

  1. Access the Questionnaire: Provide direct feedback regarding occupation-level changes via the ABS Consultation Hub.
  2. Review the Guide: Use the official feedback guide to ensure your contributions align with the ABS's requirements.

Important Timelines

  • 24 April 2026: Deadline for initial feedback (The ABS encourages submissions even if they are incomplete).
  • August 2026: Draft classification published for further feedback.
  • March 2027: Official release of the OSCA 2027 Update.

Take Action Today

We encourage all member firms and individual professionals to review the current classifications. For more information, visit the About OSCA and OSCA 2027 pages.

Policy Note: If you would like to discuss specific industry-wide classification challenges that Surveyors Australia should include in our peak-body submission, please contact Jasmine Bulman, Head of Advocacy, at jasmine@surveyorsaus.org.au.