In most of Australia you can choose between a licensed conveyancer and a solicitor to handle your property settlement. In two places you cannot: Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. There, conveyancing must be done by a qualified solicitor.
Why the rule is different
Every other state and territory licenses conveyancers to carry out property transfers — under various names, including settlement agents in WA and conveyancing agents in the NT. Queensland and the ACT never created a separate conveyancer licence. The work a licensed conveyancer does elsewhere is, in those two jurisdictions, reserved to legal practitioners. So there is no conveyancer register to check — because there are no licensed conveyancers to list.
What it means for you
If you are buying or selling in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Canberra or anywhere in Queensland or the ACT, you engage a solicitor or a law firm for the conveyance. Many law firms there offer fixed-fee residential conveyancing that is competitive with what a conveyancer charges elsewhere — the label is different, not necessarily the price.
Be wary of the word "conveyancer" there
If a business in Queensland or the ACT markets itself as a "conveyancer", check who is actually doing the legal work. The settlement itself must be handled by a solicitor. Some non-legal firms provide administrative support around a transaction, but the regulated legal work cannot be theirs.
How to verify
Instead of a conveyancer register, use the law society's public directory — the Queensland Law Society or the ACT Law Society "find a solicitor" search — to confirm the practitioner holds a current practising certificate.
Everywhere else
In NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory you have the choice: a licensed conveyancer for a standard settlement, or a solicitor if your matter has legal complexity. Only Queensland and the ACT take that choice away.