Since November 1999, the safety certificate has replaced the roadworthy certificate in Queensland.  A safety certificate covers basic things that could affect the safe operation of the vehicle, such as:

A vehicle with a safety certificate has undergone a safety inspection before being offered for sale and is designed to offer buyers better protection. This means there will be fewer unsafe vehicles on Queensland roads, reducing the likelihood of crashes caused by defective vehicles.

In Queensland you must obtain and display a safety certificate on any registered light vehicle from the moment you offer the vehicle for sale. Vehicles include cars, motorbikes, caravans, trailers (0.75–3.50 tonne ATM) and any other vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass).

Safety certificates can only be issued by approved inspection stations. These are service stations, garages or workshops which have been approved by Queensland Transport to conduct inspections.

A safety certificate cannot be used for more than one transfer. This means if you are selling a used vehicle and have obtained a safety certificate for this vehicle, the person who buys this vehicle cannot then use this certificate if they sell the vehicle. Also, the safety certificate cannot contain any alterations.

Source: Queensland Transport.  Last Updated: 31 January 2008