Which First Aid Course Do I Need in Australia?
Most people comparing general workplace or community first aid should begin by checking whether the written requirement names HLTAID011 Provide First Aid. CPR-only, education-and-care, remote, advanced, oxygen-equipment and first-aid-management roles use different codes.
Reviewed: 9 August 2026 against the National Training Register.
Already trained? Check CPR and first-aid renewal or currency.
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Have a written requirement? Use the exact unit code it names. Otherwise, select every statement that matches your role. Before booking, confirm the required unit with the organisation that set the requirement.
Fast Code Map
Australian HLTAID Code Comparison
The code’s scope matters more than how broad its marketing name sounds. A specialised or management unit does not automatically replace the exact response unit required for a role.
| Code | Status checked 9 August 2026 | Choose it when | Formal national prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|
| HLTAID009 | Current — Release 1 | The written requirement names CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. | No prerequisite is listed on the national record. |
| HLTAID011 | Current — Release 1 | A workplace, volunteer or community role requires broad first aid response skills. | No prerequisite is listed on the national record. |
| HLTAID012 | Current — Release 2 | An education-and-care role requires approved child first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis capability. | No prerequisite is listed on the national record. |
| HLTAID013 | Current — Release 1 | Medical help or evacuation may be substantially delayed. | No prerequisite is listed on the national record. |
| HLTAID014 | Current — Release 1 | The written role requires an advanced response, coordination or more complex monitoring. | No prerequisite is listed on the national record. |
| HLTAID015 | Current — Release 2 | The role uses oxygen, a bag-valve-mask, airway adjuncts or other specialised resuscitation equipment. | HLTAID011 is a formal prerequisite. |
| HLTAID016 | Current — Release 1 | The role establishes or manages workplace first aid systems, kits, personnel, plans or records. | No prerequisite is listed on the national record. |
See the broader first aid course-code glossary, including HLTAID010 Provide basic emergency life support.
How To Read A Course Requirement
Start with the document that creates the requirement
An employer email, licence condition, placement handbook, regulator page or professional-body standard may name a precise unit. Copy the code exactly, including every digit. Descriptions such as “senior first aid”, “level 2”, “full first aid” and “advanced CPR” can be legacy or marketing language; they are not reliable substitutes for a current national code.
Separate a formal prerequisite from a provider’s entry condition
A prerequisite printed on the national unit record is part of the nationally endorsed unit relationship. An RTO can also set reasonable enrolment conditions or sell several units as one course. Those local choices can matter to the learner, but they should not be described as formal national prerequisites. In this comparison, HLTAID015 formally requires HLTAID011; the other six listed units do not show a formal prerequisite on their current records.
Check what will be issued, not just what will be taught
A course may teach overlapping skills, yet the Statement of Attainment only records units the RTO is registered to deliver and has validly assessed. Before paying, ask for the RTO’s legal name and code, the complete unit codes, the practical assessment method and the exact units that successful learners receive. Search both the provider and units on the National Training Register.
Keep qualification research separate from emergency action
HLTAID codes describe training outcomes. They are not emergency mnemonics and do not tell a bystander what to do during a collapse, stroke, anaphylaxis or serious injury. In a life-threatening Australian emergency, call Triple Zero (000), follow the call-taker’s instructions and use the action plan or first aid sequence appropriate to the person’s condition.
HLTAID009: CPR only
Best fit: The written requirement names CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The practical evidence covers an unconscious breathing casualty, adult and infant CPR and use of an automated external defibrillator. It is deliberately narrower than a broad first aid unit. If a requirement says both first aid and CPR, ask whether the RTO will issue both named codes rather than assuming one marketing package settles the question.
See the current national HLTAID009 record.
HLTAID011: General first aid
Best fit: A workplace, volunteer or community role requires broad first aid response skills.
This is the broad general-response unit most readers are looking for when a workplace asks for Provide First Aid. Its evidence covers several casualty situations as well as CPR. Having those CPR skills inside the assessment does not guarantee that a separately requested HLTAID009 code will appear on the final Statement of Attainment, so confirm the issued codes in advance.
See the current national HLTAID011 record.
HLTAID012: Education and care
Best fit: An education-and-care role requires approved child first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis capability.
This unit is designed for workers providing first aid to infants and children in education and care settings; its assessment requirements also include adult CPR and broader first aid performance. The title alone does not prove that every course or learner satisfies an ACECQA requirement. Check the current approved-training list, the service type and the relevant currency period.
See the current national HLTAID012 record.
HLTAID013: Remote or isolated site
Best fit: Medical help or evacuation may be substantially delayed.
The remote or isolated scope adds preparation for delayed medical assistance: equipment, communication, ongoing monitoring, documentation, extended casualty care and evacuation considerations. Do not import a prerequisite from a different remote first aid unit. An employer or RTO can set entry conditions, but the current national HLTAID013 record itself lists no formal prerequisite.
See the current national HLTAID013 record.
HLTAID014: Advanced first aid
Best fit: The written role requires an advanced response, coordination or more complex monitoring.
Advanced first aid adds broader response, resource deployment, continuing monitoring and coordination until medical assistance arrives. The word advanced is not a promise that every specialised device is included. If the role uses oxygen, suction, airway adjuncts or a bag-valve-mask, compare HLTAID015 separately and check the equipment actually available at the workplace.
See the current national HLTAID014 record.
HLTAID015: Advanced resuscitation and oxygen
Best fit: The role uses oxygen, a bag-valve-mask, airway adjuncts or other specialised resuscitation equipment.
This is the specialised-equipment route. Its scope includes oxygen systems, pulse oximetry, airway adjuncts, suction and bag-valve-mask use in advanced resuscitation. HLTAID011 is a formal prerequisite. The course should be chosen because the role, procedures and available equipment require it, not simply because it sounds like a more impressive version of general first aid.
See the current national HLTAID015 record.
HLTAID016: Manage first aid services
Best fit: The role establishes or manages workplace first aid systems, kits, personnel, plans or records.
This unit focuses on the system around first aid: workplace risk assessment, action plans, equipment, trained personnel, records, servicing and resource maintenance. It does not by itself establish the practical response competence needed to treat a casualty. A nominated coordinator may need HLTAID016 alongside one or more response units specified for the role.
See the current national HLTAID016 record.
When Several Units Sit Together
A role can legitimately point to more than one code. The current HLTSS00068 Occupational First Aid Skill Set contains HLTAID011, HLTAID014, HLTAID015 and HLTAID016. It connects general response, advanced response, specialised resuscitation equipment and management of workplace services.
That skill set is a useful example, not a rule that every workplace first aider must complete all four units. A workplace should determine its first aid needs from hazards, workforce, location, access to medical help and the applicable legal guidance. Use the workplace first aid acronym guide to connect course codes with WHS, PCBU, PPE, kits, records and emergency planning.
In education and care, ACECQA’s current guidance applies its own approved-training and currency rules. As checked on 9 August 2026, approved first aid, anaphylaxis-management and emergency-asthma-management training is current when completed within the previous three years, while emergency life-support and CPR training must have been completed within the previous year. These are sector-specific rules, not a blanket expiry date for every Australian workplace certificate.
Real-World Australian Course-Choice Scenarios
Office first aider
A Sydney office supplies the code HLTAID011. The worker chooses that exact unit, then asks whether the employer separately expects a current HLTAID009 result.
Early-childhood educator
An educator is responsible for child and infant first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis readiness. The likely route is HLTAID012, subject to the employer’s requirement and current ACECQA approval and currency information.
Remote field team
A geologist works where ambulance or aeromedical help may be delayed. HLTAID013 matches remote or isolated response scope; other duties may also point to HLTAID014, 015 or 016.
Event responder with oxygen
A responder is rostered to use oxygen, a bag-valve-mask and pulse oximeter. HLTAID015 matches the equipment scope and formally requires HLTAID011 first.
Warehouse coordinator
A worker assesses first aid needs, maintains kits and updates action plans. HLTAID016 fits the management role, but a separate response unit may still be required when that worker treats casualties.
Electrician
An electrician is told to renew CPR and low-voltage rescue. HLTAID009 covers the CPR requirement, while a separate rescue unit may also be required. Read the LVR guide and follow the exact licence or employer wording.
Before You Book
- Obtain the exact requirement in writing; “first aid certificate” and “senior first aid” may be too vague.
- Check the unit’s current status on training.gov.au.
- Confirm that the provider is an RTO with the exact unit on its current scope.
- Ask which codes will appear on the Statement of Attainment.
- Check practical assessment, physical, identification and enrolment requirements.
- Confirm employer, state, territory, licence, placement and professional-body rules.
- For education and care, check current ACECQA approval and currency information.
This guide is educational. It does not approve a provider, interpret a licence or guarantee that a qualification meets a particular workplace requirement.
Already Have Training?
Course choice and currency are different questions. Use the Australian CPR and first aid renewal guide to distinguish a training record from workplace recommendations, ACECQA date rules and organisation-specific acceptance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is HLTAID011 the same as a first aid certificate?
HLTAID011 is the national unit titled Provide First Aid. People often call the resulting Statement of Attainment a first aid certificate, but an employer or regulator may require a specific code or combination of codes.
Does HLTAID011 include CPR?
Its assessment requirements include CPR skills. If a written requirement separately names HLTAID009, confirm that the RTO will also issue HLTAID009 on the Statement of Attainment.
Is HLTAID012 better than HLTAID011?
No. It is more specific, not universally better. HLTAID012 is designed for education and care settings and includes child and infant contexts, asthma and anaphylaxis emergencies.
Do I need HLTAID011 before HLTAID015?
Yes. The current national HLTAID015 record lists HLTAID011 Provide First Aid as its prerequisite.
Do I need HLTAID011 before HLTAID013 or HLTAID014?
The current national records do not list HLTAID011 as a formal prerequisite for either unit. An RTO or employer may still impose entry requirements or deliver bundled units.
Is HLTAID016 an advanced first aid treatment course?
No. It focuses on establishing and managing workplace first aid services and resources. It does not by itself replace the response training required to treat a casualty.
What about HLTAID010?
HLTAID010 Provide basic emergency life support remains a current national unit and may appear in a written role requirement or course package. If a document names it, follow that exact requirement.
How often must I renew first aid or CPR?
There is no safe one-line answer for every role. Currency depends on the applicable employer, regulator and sector rules. Check the written requirement rather than assuming that every Statement of Attainment has the same expiry rule.
Can I complete the course entirely online?
The national units include practical performance and assessment conditions. Delivery models differ, but an online knowledge module alone cannot demonstrate every practical requirement. Confirm the RTO’s assessment method before paying.
How do I check whether a provider is legitimate?
Search the provider and exact unit on training.gov.au. Confirm that the organisation is a Registered Training Organisation with the required unit on its current scope of registration.
Primary Australian Sources
- National Training Register — current HLTAID units
- ACECQA — first aid qualifications and training
- Safe Work Australia — Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace
See also the site’s editorial method or report a correction.