What tools NOT to buy yet

The practical breakdown

Most trades split gear into two buckets: basic hand tools you're expected to own, and bigger or specialist gear that stays with the business. Power tools, test equipment, ladders, scaffolding and diagnostic gear are usually the employer's. Personal protective equipment is always the employer's responsibility: under WHS law the business must provide the PPE you need at no cost to you, so never pay for your own respirator, harness or hard hat.

• •Hold off on: multimeters and insulation testers, cordless combo kits, laser levels, welders, big roll cabs, anything over a few hundred dollars
• •Buy early (cheap and useful): tape measure, pencils, a basic screwdriver and plier set for your trade, a decent torch, safety glasses, boots
• •Never buy: PPE your employer is legally required to supply

Different trades, different day-one lists

Don't take generic advice over your trade's reality. Carpentry apprentices are usually expected to turn up with a proper basic hand tool kit: hammer, tape, square, chisels, handsaw, nail bag. Get the exact list from your employer or TAFE before you buy, but don't show up empty handed. Mechanics are the opposite of most trades: you're expected to build a substantial personal kit progressively over the apprenticeship, and the Vehicle Award (MA000089) pays a small weekly tool allowance (only a few dollars a week for a first year) where the employer requires you to supply your own tools. Buy quality hand tools gradually and leave the big toolbox until later.

Electrical apprentices should not buy test instruments at all in the early years. You can only do electrical work under the effective supervision of a licensed electrician, testing and certifying work is the licensed worker's job, and you'll be trained on the business's gear. The Electrical Award (MA000025) pays apprentices a tool allowance of $22.31 per week (as at 1 July 2026) that's built into the published rates. Plumbing apprentices are similar: under the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award a portion of the tool allowance is built into junior and apprentice rates whether you use your own tools that week or not.

Resi vs commercial vs GTO

The answer to 'what should I bring' depends on the site as much as the trade. On big commercial jobs covered by an enterprise agreement, the employer typically supplies virtually everything, and EBA apprentice wage sheets (like the CFMEU Victorian rates) fold tool and industry allowances straight into the published weekly rate. Small residential builders are the other end: they often expect apprentices to self-supply far more, especially hand tools, and sometimes a drill and driver by second or third year. Industrial and workshop settings usually keep calibrated and specialty gear in-house.

If you're employed through a group training organisation (GTO) rather than directly, the rules change again. You'll rotate between host employers who run different brands and different tool policies, so don't lock into anything based on one host. Ask your GTO field officer what the GTO supplies or expects (many have their own tool policy or a starter kit), not just the host supervisor, and stay brand-agnostic on batteries until you're settled somewhere long term.

Tax and rebates change the buying maths

When you do buy, the ATO rules reward buying gradually. A tool costing $300 or less is immediately deductible in that year (work-related portion only). A tool over $300, or a set of items that together cost more than $300, has to be depreciated over its effective life instead. So a $900 kit bought in one hit gets deducted slowly over years, while the same tools bought individually as you need them can often be claimed straight away. Keep every receipt.

State schemes come and go, so check before you buy. In WA, the Construction Training Fund Apprentice Tool Allowance pays two reimbursements of up to $1,000 each: one at commencement (claim within 11 months of starting, for tools bought from one month before your start date) and one at completion (claim within 6 months of finishing), for construction apprenticeships commenced between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2029. Queensland's Free Tools for First Years rebate (up to $1,000) closed on 30 June 2025 when the funds ran out, which is exactly why you check your state training authority first rather than assuming.

Tool theft and insurance

Tool theft is endemic: industry surveys put it at roughly 7 in 10 tradies hit in a year, and in Victoria alone over $40 million of tools were reported stolen in the year to June 2025, mostly from vehicles. Your boss's insurance generally does not cover your personal tools, and standard home contents cover is usually limited or excluded once your gear leaves the house.

If you build up a kit worth insuring, read the exclusions before you pay. The big one is theft from unattended vehicles: many portable tools policies won't pay out if gear was left in an unlocked ute, or in any vehicle overnight. Until then, do the free stuff: engrave your name or licence number on tools, photograph them, record serial numbers, and keep receipts (you need those for tax and rebate claims anyway). A small kit is also a small target, which is one more reason not to rush the big purchases.

Common mistakes

• •Buying testers or meters before you're trained and licensed to use them
• •Locking into a battery platform before knowing what the workshop runs (worse if you're with a GTO and rotating hosts)
• •Buying a big kit in one hit and losing the ATO's under-$300 immediate deduction
• •Paying for PPE your employer is legally required to supply
• •Missing rebate deadlines or losing receipts, which kills both tax and reimbursement claims
• •Buying premium versions of tools you'll use a handful of times a year

What to ask your supervisor

Before you spend anything beyond basics, ask directly what's expected of you versus what the business provides. Most bosses would rather tell you upfront than watch you waste money. If you're with a GTO, put the same questions to your field officer.

• •What tools do I need on day one, and what will you supply? Is there a written list?
• •Is there a tool allowance in my pay, or a reimbursement process for tools I buy?
• •What brand or battery platform does the workshop run?
• •Is there a lockup or secure storage for tools on site?
• •Is there a state rebate or training fund scheme I can claim through, and what receipts do I need?

When to stop and ask for help

If you're told to buy your own PPE, to buy expensive test equipment out of your own pocket in first year, or (in electrical) to do or test work without a licensed electrician supervising, stop and check before you spend or act. Call your Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider, your union, or Fair Work about pay and allowances, and your state electrical regulator (like Energy Safe Victoria) about supervision rules. It's a quick call that can save you hundreds of dollars and keep you on the right side of the law.