Edition 4-2014
trend windows & doors
when you want the best when it comes to your build
WARNINGS FOR IMPORTED products CONTAINING ASBESTOS
DEMOLITION & DISPOSAL OF MR FLUFFY HOUSES A BIG CHALLENGE
MBA Apprentice’s pacific adventure
brad fleming helps VANUATU ISLANDERS BUILD A COMPUTER ROOM
NAtional Awards
Master Builders ACT members win three awards
charity golf day
Master Builders raise funds for apprentice house
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Master Builders Executive Council President Valdis Luks Treasurer Frank Porreca Commercial Builders Council Chair Peter Naylor Civil Contractors Council Chair Andy Crompton
contents special feature Trend Windows & Doors
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Trend Windows & Doors is an Australian Owned Company established in 1968 with over 40 years experience in aluminium, timber and energy efficient windows & doors manufacturing
features Dealing with asbestos
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Residential Builders Council Chair (Acting) Marc Roland
Asset Construction Hire
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Professional Consultants Council Chair Bryan Leeming
Craftsmanship is thriving
Paul Barnett looks at Canberra’s talented pool of resources
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Estimating Software
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Demolition and disposal of Mr Fluffy houses a big challenge Keeping it real by keeping it local
Suppliers & Subcontractors Council Chair Graciete Ferreira
Effective management of labour costs is a continuing challenge for builders, project managers, estimators, foremen, and subcontractors
Master Builders Management team Executive Director John Miller Deputy Executive Director Jerry Howard Director Industrial Relations & In-house Legal Counsel John Nikolic
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news&events Master Builders Annual Dinner
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Work Health & Safety Advisor Philip Edwards
Hosted at the National Museum of Australia, guests were treated to another fantastic night
Senior Management Accountant Louise MacCallum
Another successful day of raising funds for another worthy charity - The Apprentice House
Director Commercial Operations David Leitch Master Builders Group Training General Manager Wendy Tengstrom
Annual Charity Golf Day
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Kids Assist Graduation
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National Update
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Graduation ceremony for the class of 2014 An overview of the construction industry from the National office
forewords President’s Report
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Executive Director’s Report
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Valdis Luks thanks Executive Director John Miller
Looking for local involvement with procurement
IR Director’s Report
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WHS Advisor’s Report
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Other industries don’t close so why should the construction industry?
Changes to the Australian Government Building and Construction Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme announced
editor’s note
Hans Sommer - Life Member Master Builders Association of the ACT 1 Iron Knob St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 PO Box 1211, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Tel: (02) 6247 2099 Fax: (02) 6249 8374 Email: canberra@mba.org.au Web: www.mba.org.au Advertising enquires Director Commercial Operations David Leitch Tel: (02) 6175 5970 Mob: 0437 379 391 Email: dleitch@mba.org.au
© This publication is copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical photocopy, recording or otherwise without the permission of the Master Builders Association of the ACT. Disclaimer: readers are advised that the Master Builders Association of the ACT cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of statements made in advertising and editorial, nor the quality of the goods or services advertised. Opinions expressed throughout the publication are the contributors own and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the Master Builders Association of the ACT.
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of interest WorldSkills 2014 held in Perth
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MBA Apprentice lends a hand
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Chinese delegation visit Nishi
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Apprentices shine at national competition Brad Fleming help build equipment for school in Vanuatu
Chinese government officials responsible for government office building energy savings, visit Canberra
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Our newest life member Hans Sommer becomes only the tenth person to be awarded this honour in the nearly 90 year history of the Master Builders in Canberra. Certainly a well-deserved recognition for Hans who has provided over 20 years of long and distinguished service to the Association in many capacities. This has included being a long serving member of the Executive Committee, a member of the Peak Council, Chair, Deputy Chair and member of the Professional Sector Council, and representative for members on numerous other working groups with government agencies and other bodies. He has represented the Professional Sector on our Work Health and Safety Advisory Group in addition to contributing substantially on many submissions provided by the Association to Government and others. This award was presented to Hans at the recent Annual Dinner. 5
foreword set standards within the industry and assess the risks in providing insurance cover to companies in this region.
president VALDIS LUKS
President’s Message As we prepare for the end of another busy year, look forward to the Christmas break, and take on board the news of the recent resignation of our Executive Director, John Miller, we have the opportunity to reassess where we are heading as an organisation. John will finish in his role with the Association in March after leading us for the last eight years. He can be very satisfied with the sound structural and financial position of the MBA and its associated entities. The Association is currently one of the most respected industry bodies in the region with the ACT Government and other industry associations, organisations and government department representatives regularly seeking advice and input from John and the MBA. During his time he has been instrumental in strengthening and/or initiating a number of the services we provide to our members. Some of these include: • • • • • • • •
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Industrial relations guidance and advice Marketing analysis and trends Contract services Industry training Housing and construction technology Technical and regulatory advice Corporate services and Information, media and government / industry liaison
We have composed five policy papers to be used to highlight areas of concern in regard to particular issues that are affecting our members. The papers inform government and stakeholders of our formal position in relation to industry issues and provide our recommendations as to how we can best work with government and others in addressing them. Two of the papers, “Procurement” together with “Land and Planning” have been finialised and presented with the final three papers, “Building Quality”, “Safety” and “Training” on the agenda to be completed prior to John’s departure. MBA ACT is in the unique position of providing support and services to five distinct sector councils. • • • • •
Commercial Residential Subcontractor & supplier Civil contractors and Professional
The ACT is the only MBA in Australia that represents such a broad base of industry, which in turn gives us a greater position of respect and representation when dealing with Government and industry. With some 1200 members to represent, it’s important we utilise this position for the most effective benefit of our members. Another area where the Association and its members work very hard but are not always duly recognised is in the area of support for the local community. Over the past ten years over $1m has been raised in support of local charities and other organisations. Some of these include: • • •
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Boundless – a recently opened all abilities playground project Apprentice House – supported accommodation for young apprentices Charity Houses – proceeds from the sale of these houses has gone to provide support for numerous local charities and organisations Various local charities and organisations supported via our annual Golf Days Kids Assist Program – an initiative supported by MBA Group Training together with PBS in assisting young adults in their later school years
MBA Group Training provides a very important service to our members and also importantly to our industry, where we help determine the quality of training provided in this region. The training includes building licence courses, apprenticeships and the new On Site Construction Management course. Many tailored industry based short courses are also offered.
What I’ve outlined above gives a brief summary of some of the services the Association is providing to its members and in turn this community.
The Association and its members have a well-earned reputation for quality and commitment to training. As a result we have been able to build a very close working relationship with the University of Canberra, including support of the building and architecture programs through various financial and resource commitments of a number of member companies.
John Miller’s leadership over the past 8 years has ensured we have focused on servicing and representing our members and we are in a sound position as we look to position ourselves for the future. We need to continue to build upon this foundation and make sure servicing the needs of our members and providing leadership for the industry continue to be two of our main priorities.
The home warranty insurance service has been very important to our members and in turn very important to the industry as a whole. This service has given the Association the opportunity to help
On behalf of the Executive and Association I’d like to thank John for the dedicated leadership and service he’s provided over the past eight years and wish him and his family all the best for his future endeavours.
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The industry is watching with great anticipation at the roll out of the upcoming round of major projects. There is the new ACT Law Courts project, the University of Canberra Public Hospital, Light Rail and possibly the Australia Forum or Convention Centre. Just how much local participation will result from any of these projects? On the positive side, there has been a greater awareness of local participation and content in procurement, on the downside the opportunity for local contractors to lead has been ruled out too often and manifestations of change are so far largely invisible. So many excellent pieces of significant Canberra and region infrastructure have been delivered by local head contractors but how do we possibly prevent this from being a thing of the past under current arrangements? executive director John Miller For many of us consumed by the more simple joys of the box in the 60s and 70s and even into the 80s, you might remember one of the great catch-cries on television. The ultimate nutty Professor, Julius Sumner-Miller used to finish off his television science experiments asking in his inimitable American accent – “Why is it so?” That was indeed the name of his syndicated and very popular television program that had started in the US much earlier. Be it out of frustration, sheer desperation or even anger, a lot of local building and construction industry practitioners are now asking the same question when they can’t seem to get a look in on significant capital works projects – “Why is it so?” The emotions are heightened when so often the rhetoric is of support but the action is a million miles apart. Too often the propensity is to look big for the solution when all that does is weaken the local economy. Recently, the South Australian Treasurer, Tom Koutsantonis announced a series of reforms including that the creation of jobs in South Australia will be a key future criterion in evaluating tenders for State Government-funded projects. The announcement included the statement that “While price is one factor in ensuring Government receives value for money from its procurement, successful contracts should also support local employment and investment. In addition, when evaluating tenders for larger contracts, a greater weighting is now given for local jobs, investment and supply-chain opportunities.” It will be interesting to watch that situation unfold in South Australia. These announcements don’t just come out of the blue, something or someone is pushing for change. For the recently re-elected government in South Australia, their ‘aha moment’ came in the form of a deteriorating economy, job losses and the escape of money from the State. Since the release of the Master Builders ACT Procurement Policy paper in the middle of the year, a significant amount of discussion that has been occurring with both Government and the opposition has been about local content in procurement. I know it’s not only impacting on the building and construction industry as it has been a long-term frustration for instance in the information technology world. The local economy needs commitment and it is evident that South Australia believes that economic restitution means heading down the path of clearly demonstrating local commitment. What we are beginning to see is somewhat disturbing for local industry. The lack of access to government work is impacting on pre-qualification levels for local contractors under new arrangements. How can this promote local industry development? Surely the procurement process should be the lever that state and territory governments can use to ensure local prosperity. It’s not in anyone’s interests to use competition policy to ignore opportunity for local businesses seeking to not only maintain a stable employment base but to grow their businesses if that is indeed their desire. 8
There is no apology for the recent relentless pursuit by Master Builders ACT for a greater commitment to local industry. It’s not about a walk up start, it’s about an opportunity and sadly we are seeing too much opportunity escape. Our Procurement Policy Sub-Group has been working tirelessly toward much better access for local businesses with regards to capital works projects. This process has been met with goodwill although industry needs signs of change to emerge sooner rather than later. In closing my last column for the year, and possibly my last one before my departure at the end of March, I would firstly like to wish every member and your families a very safe, enjoyable and restful Christmas and New Year break. There is no question for many that it has been a tough year and no doubt a break will be welcomed as you prepared for the challenges of 2015. Clearly there are still bumps on the road ahead however, history tells of better times ahead and with so much still to be done to build this city and region. This will translate into much success for those in the industry who maintain the appetite and thirst for the challenge of which I know is the vast majority of our membership. I can’t finish without thanking everyone I have been involved with during my time at MBA which come the end of March will verge on eight years. Building and construction is an incredible industry and Master Builders ACT is a great organisation. It has been a privilege to be Executive Director, a responsibility that I have taken enormously seriously and one of which I am proud. It is difficult to name individuals among the many hundreds, probably thousands of fantastic people I have met and been involved with over the years - having said that, I must single out a few. Ross Barrett as President for much of my time has been a wonderful source of inspiration and positive energy. Ross has also been a great mentor stemming back to my Canberra Business Council days. Simon Butt, John Haskins and Valdis Luks have also played a big part in my MBA life along with the incredibly dedicated President of MBA Group Training, Rod Mitton. I also appreciate the great support and input from John Hailey, Col Alexander, Peter Middleton, Bob Winnel and MBA national CEO, Wilhelm Harnisch. I certainly note all those executive and board members, past and present, who have given so much to the industry and the organisation. I thank all of the staff who have been on the journey with me. There have been ups and downs but we have usually arrived at our destination. I would like to think that this change will present new challenges and inspiration for all of you. Finally, I acknowledge one last person – Jerry Howard. Every organisation, every industry needs a Jerry Howard. He is without doubt the mastermind behind much of Master Builders ACT’s success and someone the industry can ill-afford to lose. His knowledge, insights and commitment are those of legends. Hopefully more people who are making critical decisions can listen even more closely to Jerry’s wisdom to ease some of the frustration that resides across industry. Thanks, Jerry.
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foreword
director industrial relations john nikolic
2015 RDO calendar – Other industries don’t close so why does the construction industry? This year Master Builders will be publishing two RDO calendars, to reflect the different obligations that apply to employers covered by the Building and Construction General On-Site Award (On-Site Award) and those covered by the pattern CFMEU enterprise agreement (CFMEU EBA).
All employees in an enterprise covered by a CFMEU EBA are generally required to take RDOs adjacent to the six long weekend periods listed above, which means that the commercial construction industry largely grinds to a halt at those times.
On-Site Award calendar
Master Builders is currently attempting to negotiate an RDO calendar with the CFMEU, to determine when the RDOs for the lock-down weekends listed above will be scheduled. Unfortunately, Master Builders has not received any response from the CFMEU to its last two offers. Master Builders anticipates that, if the CFMEU fails to negotiate an RDO calendar, the CFMEU will probably publish its own calendar. Master Builders will also publish any such calendar by way of Member Alert.
The 2015 On-Site Award RDO calendar can be accessed by visiting the Master Builders ACT website at www.mba.org.au The above RDO calendar only applies to members covered by the On-Site Award. The On-Site Award provides for a default calendar of 13 RDOs per year, to be taken on the fourth Monday in each four week cycle, or the Tuesday if the Monday is a public holiday. Please note that, under the On-Site Award, the default RDO calendar can be changed to allow for a company-specific roster, where agreed between the employer and the majority of its employees. For example, this can allow for employees to take RDOs on different days, rather than on the same day, so that that construction can continue. This is the norm in other industries, to ensure that services do not stall, e.g. hospitals do not close.
Lock-down weekends
It should also be noted that the ANZAC Day and the Easter long weekends are three weeks apart in 2015, and that, contrary to the advice of the CFMEU, the Family and Community Day long weekend (28 September 2015) is not a lock-down weekend, as it is not listed as such in the CFMEU EBA (see clause 21.7). That means that construction should be more fluid during April and late September / early October in 2015.
The CFMEU EBA provides for a different RDO calendar to the default calendar under the On-Site Award. Most importantly, the CFMEU EBA lists six so-called ‘lock-down weekends’, where six RDOs are scheduled next to the following public holidays:
Also note that, for the remaining RDOs (i.e. those not used during lock-down weekends) employers covered by the CFMEU EBA can negotiate a flexible RDO schedule with employees, and that employees are also eligible to ‘bank’ up to at least six RDOs.
• • • • • • •
Advance release Commonwealth procurement Code
CFMEU EBA calendar
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In any interim, to allow for project scheduling for members who are covered by the CFMEU EBA, they should plan for their employees to take leave for at least four days around the six public holiday long weekends listed above (or five days for the Easter long weekend).
Australia Day (26 January 2015); Canberra Day (9 March 2015); Good Friday (3 April 2015); Easter Monday (6 April 2015); Anzac Day (25 April 2015); Queen’s Birthday (8 June 2015); and Labour Day (5 October 2015).
Master Builders has received advice from the Commonwealth Department of Employment that lock-down weekend clauses in enterprise agreements will be prohibited under the advance release Building and Construction Industry (Fair and Lawful Building Sites) Code 2014 (Code). The Code will apply to all enterprise agreements made on or after 24 April 2014, once it
Canberra building news edition 3 - 2011
comes into force. Employers found not to be compliant with the Code face exclusion from federally-funded construction work. Although the Code has passed through the federal House of Representatives, it has not yet been presented to the Senate, which is expected to occur sometime in early 2015. It is not yet clear whether the Code will be passed by the Senate, but Master Builders strongly supports the introduction of the Code. The Code can be found at:
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http://docs.employment.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/fair_and_ lawful_building_sites_code_2014.pdf The Code does not appear to indicate that RDOs should be abolished (after all, they are a legitimate entitlement for employees who work long hours in a physically taxing industry). Instead, the Code appears to be suggesting that RDOs should be staggered (rather than taken by all employees on the same day) so that projects are not unnecessarily interrupted, and so that taxpayers in turn get value for money on federally-funded construction projects. Master Builders agrees with any such policy and encourages members to utilise the flexibility provisions under the On-Site Award and the CFMEU EBA, to ensure that the needs of employees are balanced against members’ needs to meet very real construction deadlines. This would not mean that employees would not be able to take RDOs, even for extended periods, but simply that employees would flexibly negotiate such leave-taking with their employer, rather than being dictated to about when leave is to be taken. That is a freedom which would benefit both parties – especially if deadlines were met. After all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If members have any questions please contact Master Builders’ Industrial Relations Department on 6247 2099.
When you need room for a business meeting or a training program, there is always a professional solution in the Master Builders ACT training facility located next to the DFO in Fyshwick. We offer rooms of various sizes, from comfortable one-on-one interview rooms, training and meeting rooms accommodating up to 60 people, or for that very special meeting the Master Builders ACT Boardroom is also available for hire. Your guests will not have to find or pay for parking as our site has 120 free car parking spaces. With flexible room lay-outs and seating arrangements, choose classroom, theatre or boardroom style. The dedicated Master Builders staff are trained to ensure your event is a success.
For further information contact, Master Builders Group Training - (02) 6280 9119
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foreword
Work Health & Safety advisor Philip Edwards
Changes to the Australian Government Building and Construction Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme announced On Wednesday 22 October 2014, Senator The Hon Eric Abetz and The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP published a joint media release, Better safety and less red tape under streamlined building scheme. The media release announced changes to the Australian Government Building and Construction Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme (Scheme) in response to the review conducted by the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner, A review to modernise the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner and the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme. The media release announced changes that “will cut red tape, boost competition and ensure safety standards are enhanced from 1 January next year”.
accreditation. Other residential developments, such as multiunit projects, will continue to be covered.
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Removing the prerequisite for AS/NZS 4801:2001 Companies seeking accreditation under the Scheme will no longer be required to obtain Australian Standard AS4801 (or equivalent) as a prerequisite for accreditation. This should save companies seeking Scheme accreditation time and resources.
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Extending maximum period of accreditation The maximum accreditation period will be increased from three years to up to six years for consistent ‘high performers’, with the introduction of a revised reaccreditation process that should minimise paperwork and compliance costs. The Scheme’s compliance arrangements will move to a targeted, risk based model instead of the current onesize-fits-all approach. All companies will be subject to more regular site audits, but more audit resources and support will be directed to companies requiring further improvement. High-performing companies will have the opportunity to be accredited for up to six years. The concern to our industry is what constitutes ‘high performers’ has not been defined.
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A targeted, risk-based compliance model A risk-based compliance model will be introduced to better target audit resources at companies requiring additional support or with poor safety performance. While all companies will continue to be subject to regular audits, the compliance burden should be reduced for companies with a ‘demonstrated good safety performance’ over time. No information has been published on the risk-based compliance model.
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Extending joint venture arrangements to domestic firms Domestic unaccredited builders will have the opportunity to undertake Commonwealth-funded building work where they are in a joint venture with an accredited company, and operate under the partner’s Scheme-accredited system. This should mean smaller regional builders, for example, which
The key improvements announced, and should come into force should next year include:
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Increasing financial thresholds The Scheme’s financial thresholds will be increased to reflect price movements since they were last set in 2007 (direct funding from $3million to $4million, indirect funding from $5million to $6million). The Government also announced the thresholds will be reviewed every three years. This should make sure increasingly ‘lower-value’ projects are not being captured. Domestic housing
The Scheme will no longer apply to Commonwealth-funded projects involving the construction of ‘individual-dwelling’ houses. The Government believes it has limited involvement in the residential sector and the basis of using Commonwealth funding to influence broader improvements in health and safety is believed to be less relevant than other sectors. This should increase competition in the sector, particularly for Defence Housing Australia (DHA) construction, by allowing smaller builders to compete alongside larger builders who can afford the cost of
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might have only an occasional opportunity to tender for Government work, can operate as a head contractor in a joint venture with a Scheme-accredited partner.
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Streamlined application processes and improved guidance material A range of administrative improvements are planned to be introduced by the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner. These include new guidance material to assist companies to understand the requirements when applying for accreditation, and to better prepare for onsite audits. The guidance material will need to be written to guarantee common understanding between the auditor and accredited company. Online application and guidance material is planned to be introduced in early 2015. The revised processes should reduce time taken to become accredited.
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International companies The Federal Safety Commissioner will undertake consultations to identify further opportunities to improve access for international firms to increase competition and utilisation of international expertise, while ensuring competitive neutrality for domestic firms.
Master Builders ACT, through our National Office is continuing to engage with Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner to ensure the Scheme is workable and adds value to the health and safety of accredited companies, and clearly define such items as ‘high performers’, risk-based compliance model and the new guidance material. Further information, including the review report, can be found at www.fsc.gov.au
Expanding recognition of Scheme accreditation During 2015, it is anticipated that Scheme accreditation will be recognised as meeting the initial work health and safety application requirements for all State and Territory prequalification Schemes (for civil and commercial construction projects).
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Demolition and disposal big challenge with ‘Mr Fluffy’ plans Jerry Howard, Deputy Executive Director, Master Builders ACT
Demolition and disposal of asbestos-contaminated building waste is emerging as a key challenge in the ‘Mr Fluffy’ asbestos response. The ACT government has estimated the buy-back program will cost in excess of $500M but this figure is yet to be confirmed and will depend on valuation, take-up and participation. The commonwealth government has provided a $1B concessional loan to assist with the financing of buy-back, demolition and remediation of these properties. Hopefully the $1B loan will be enough and the ACT government will be able to recover some of the expended funds through re-sale and possible re-zoning of the remediated land.
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asbestos and privately demolished waste had been disposed of there in previous years. From early 2015 Mr Fluffy homes purchased and demolished by the Government will be disposed of at the West Belconnen Resource Management Centre. This facility is located approximately 1.2km from the surrounding residential suburbs and is in reasonably close proximity to the proposed new Riverview Estate.
There is considerable ongoing discussion regarding the capacity of existing ACT tip facilities to handle the waste and there are still numerous issues to be resolved regarding the safe demolition and transport of this waste.
Mark McCabe, ACT Work Safety Commissioner, said “the ability of the Belconnen facility to process and dispose of this waste material could be a determining factor in how quickly the government’s demolition and buy-back program can be completed.
It is estimated that at least 150,000 tonnes of waste will be generated from the more than 1,000 Mr Fluffy asbestosaffected homes which will need to be disposed of within the next five years.
“This really is a complicated project when you consider all the factors. Getting the materials in the gate is one aspect and storing them safely is another key aspect in the process.”
An Asbestos Response Taskforce spokeswoman told The Canberra Times that the West Belconnen Resource Management Centre was the only location in the ACT capable of disposing of friable
A spokesperson from the ACT Asbestos Taskforce maintained that there was sufficient capacity at the tip to safely dispose of all waste generated from Mr Fluffy homes in the ACT, if required.
Demolition and transport Master Builders ACT has representation on the Asbestos Response Taskforce and is actively involved in discussions with all the key parties regarding the demolition process. It is estimated that, on average, each demolished house will generate an average of 70 cubic metres of waste, excluding the soil which will also have to be removed, depending on test results and levels of contamination. Waste disposal will need a careful and detailed management plan with cooperation and detailed liaison with the key players. The affected houses are scattered throughout existing suburbs and the Asbestos Response Taskforce must agree on transport arrangements, including routes and safeguards such as required covering and speed limits, as these materials will be transported through existing suburbs. At this stage it is estimated that about four houses per week will be demolished over a five year period. In addition to the demolition waste, there will also be a need to strip, potentially, up to 300mm of soil from each site. This potentially
contaminated soil will have to be replaced and re-graded in the final site remediation process. This process in itself will generate an enormous amount of activity in removing the potentially contaminated soil and then replacing at the original grade.
The Bill further removes provisions related to the licensing of asbestos assessors and removalists from the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act 2004. This is because asbestos assessor and removalist licensing is now regulated by the WHS regulation.
The demolition and remediation process will require careful project management and the involvement of local companies with proven project management skills. The key priority must be to identify and involve local
Arthur Watson said that it was mandatory for those working in the construction industry to undertake Asbestos Awareness training, however, he still has some grave concerns regarding home owners potentially undertaking remedial work on their properties without being aware of the risks and the possibility that some of the materials they are confronted with could contain asbestos. He is convinced that the regulator needs to do more in promoting the hazards associated with work on all the houses. Arthur said that some of the rules regarding
“In the industry, asbestos sheets should be removed as a whole wherever possible. Nobody should be allowed to remove and dispose of asbestos unless qualified and licensed to do so” arthur watson, AAC Environmental
companies with the appropriate skills and involve them in this work to the maximum extent possible.
Master Builders Group Training providing a key role in Asbestos Awareness training
Specific legislation will need to be implemented to manage this unique process. This will mean the ACT Legislative Assembly will need to pass a significant amount of legislation covering the asbestos buy-back in time for it to be in place by January 2015.
Master Builders and Master Builders Group Training have been actively engaging with industry and the regulator for the past year to ensure that industry participants are provided with the best possible advice in the management and control of materials containing asbestos. Since 1 July this year, Master Builders Group Training have delivered Asbestos Awareness training to over 5000 people. It is estimated that another 2000 will be trained before the end of January 2015 and this should account for around half of the total ACT construction industry workforce. As well as those working in construction roles, others associated with the industry, such as those who are required to enter building sites, are also being trained. Since 1 September it has been mandatory for construction industry workers to undertake Asbestos Awareness training and they must provide evidence, if requested, of having undertaken such training.
The Dangerous Substances (Asbestos Safety Reform) Legislation Amendment Bill was presented to the Legislative Assembly on 30 October and was due to be passed by the Legislative Assembly on 4 December. Together with the Work Health and Safety (Asbestos) Amendment Regulation 2014, the Bill seeks to harmonise the ACT’s asbestos management framework with that of other jurisdictions and to improve safety outcomes and reduce compliance costs for business. The current bill being introduced is only a step to harmonise the laws across jurisdictions with regard to dangerous substances including asbestos. The Bill removes asbestos-related workplace obligations from the [Dangerous Substances] Act, as these are now contained in the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011. The Bill still retains certain obligations that relate to the noncommercial handling of asbestos. The Bill also harmonises terminology across Territory legislation with the preferred national model terminology, and removes now unnecessary definitions, as asbestos-related definitions are now consolidated in the WHS regulation.
Arthur Watson from AAC Environmental has delivered the majority of this training on behalf of Master Builders Group Training and he has commented that the training has been very well received by the participants. He is in no doubt that the training that is being delivered will raise awareness and prepare those in the industry with a greater understanding of the risks and hazards associated with materials containing asbestos.
the disposal of asbestos by homeowners is very confusing and is certainly of the view that homeowners should not be encouraged to dispose of asbestos as this is, potentially, encouraging homeowners to remove asbestos themselves. In the industry, asbestos sheets should be removed as a whole wherever possible. Nobody should be allowed to remove and dispose of asbestos unless qualified and licensed to do so. At present the arrangements are exposing homeowners, who do their own removal, to unnecessary risks. Other than in relation to individual homeowners and the specific rules applying to them, asbestos can only be removed by a licenced asbestos removalist. Where there is uncertainty as to whether material contains asbestos, it should be tested by an accredited testing laboratory. Materials for testing should be double-bagged (using a sandwich bag), labelled with as much information as possible, including where removed from and dropped off at the AAC office, within the Master Builders Information Centre at Iron Knob Street Fyshwick. (see correct handling procedure over the page).
Re-zoning and development Paul Powderly, Australian Property Institute President and head of Colliers International in Canberra, said the valuation process for affected properties has been established but warned, “This is a long-term project and people just can’t expect answers immediately. Everyone needs to be patient
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and measured as this proceeds.” The valuation process determined by the Asbestos Removal Taskforce applies only to those who have accepted the Government’s voluntary buy-back. Those who don’t want to sell to the government should obtain their own independent valuation. The Australian Property Institute is able to advise these people, he said. While homeowners will be paid as if their homes did not contain asbestos, the process concerning sub-division, amalgamation of sites and re-zoning will
depend on how many owners accept the buy-back offers and where properties are located. “Isolated properties will not be re-zoned but if you get a large number of homes – say 20 – in one area wanting to, that area could then be rezoned,” he said. “There will then be some issues to be resolved about whether homeowners get together and sell to developers and get some benefit from the re-zoning.”
He said that possible sales to developers are unlikely to be sorted out for at least a year. “At this stage it is impossible to know which properties will become available for rezoning.” Under the Buyback Program the ACT Government has offered to purchase all affected Canberra houses to enable government-facilitated demolition and site remediation. Remediated blocks will be offered for sale in due course to assist in defraying overall Scheme costs. The Buyback Program is open until 30 June 2015.
Materials containing asbestos in exposed feature panels is still being imported With the ACT community – including the building industry – and Government grappling with huge problems from asbestos fibres introduced by ‘Mr Fluffy’ to properties more than 40 years ago, a new problem has recently come to light with asbestos products being used in new construction in the ACT in 2014. The recent use of a pre-finished board containing asbestos in ACT building projects highlights the continued failure of federal, state and territory governments to agree on a workable program to prevent
regarding the Infinity Cable fiasco, highlights our concerns, especially now that the importer is no longer in business.
for the performance standards of products used in building and construction work across Australia. However, many in the industry believe the only practical solution is for these products, which are primarily
“There is a lack of proper responsibility between state and federal governments on this matter. We need a proper system of responsibility to prevent constant buckpassing. We need a system to determine who is responsible for introducing these products into the construction process and who will be responsible for their removal”
- Jerry Howard
the import and use in construction of nonconforming building products, including the most recent case of an imported material containing asbestos.
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The Master Builders Association has been raising concerns about non-conforming and non-complying materials finding their way into the marketplace for at least the last two years. However, state and federal authorities continue to refuse to accept responsibility for banning and policing of such products and seek to shift responsibility to other levels of government. The unfortunate scenario for builders who construct buildings in good faith, assuming that these materials are compliant, continue to bear the brunt of this inaction. The most recent example,
There is a lack of proper responsibility between state and federal governments on this matter. We need a proper system of responsibility to prevent constant buckpassing. We need a system to determine who is responsible for introducing these products into the construction process and who will be responsible for their removal.
imported, to be inspected and stopped at the point of importation, which is a federal government matter.
We don’t know how much of this illegal material has gone into buildings, but this practice is totally unacceptable, given that we have a National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards that must be complied with.
However, the action was only taken because a Canberra builder working with the material became suspicious and had it tested. This matter is now being investigated by regulatory agencies throughout Australia in an effort to track down the source.
The federal government says that the states and territories have responsibility
The problem was highlighted in a recent announcement by Mark McCabe that he had issued a Prohibition Notice after the presence of chrysotile asbestos in feature panels was discovered.
Asbestos testing handling procedure
Breathe a little easier knowing you have completed the best Asbestos training. COMPULSORY AS OF 1 JULY 2014 ASBESTOS AWARENESS
AAC Laboratory Services’ NATA accredited asbestos testing laboratory shares office space with a number of tenants within the Master Building Information Centre in Fyshwick. To ensure the safety of all personnel within the facility, the following conditions MUST be met before a sample can be received by AAC Laboratory Services for asbestos analysis. •
All samples MUST be double wrapped in zip-lock bags prior to delivery;
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All samples must be delivered directly to the AAC Laboratory Services laboratory. They are NOT to be delivered to MBA reception personnel. If the laboratory is unattended, samples can be submitted via the locked letterbox at the front of the laboratory;
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All samples must be clearly identified with a unique sample number and sample location details;
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An AAC Laboratory Services “Asbestos Sample Analysis Request” form must be completed in full for each batch of samples. The form is available at the laboratory sample submission area;
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Samples must be representative of the material to be analysed;
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Bulk samples should be greater than 4cm2 where possible and soil samples should be less than 100g;
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Payments must be received before the results of the analysis can be released, EFTPOS facilities are available at the laboratory;
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Analysis certificate will be emailed in PDF form to the listed email address.
Where AAC Laboratory Services has not collected the sample, AAC Laboratory Services accepts no responsibility for the sampling procedures and sampling locations. Due to the nature of vinyl tiles, mastic and sealants, AAC Laboratory Services recommends that secondary independent analysis is conducted on the abovementioned materials where no asbestos has been detected within the sample.
The aim of this one day course is to provide participants with an awareness of the hazards and health effects of asbestos and its possible location in ACT homes and the community. Under the current Work Health and Safety Act an employer must provide information and training to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from their work. This course provides participants with an ability to identify and understand the dangers of asbestos, an awareness of its possible locations and the procedures followed if presence is detected.
For more information contact MBA Group Training on: T 02 6280 9119 F 02 6280 9118 E canberra@mba.org.au W www.mba.org.au/training
prepare today for your adjudication Security of Payment adjudication has resolved $millions in disputes. The success following its introduction has been remarkable. Some claimants have been entirely successful in recovering all of the amounts claimed. Others have been less successful. What factors may contribute to a successful adjudication outcome? John Murray, Chief Adjudicator, Adjudicate Today
At the outset it is worth emphasising that the purpose or object of the Act is to ensure that a person is entitled to receive and is able to recover progress payments if the person: •
Undertakes to carry out construction work under certain construction contracts; or
•
Undertakes to supply related goods and services under certain construction contracts.
This entitlement to a progress payment exists, whether or not a construction contract provides for progress payment. The party who has carried out construction work (or supplied related goods and services) is given a statutory right to a progress payment. The definition of a construction contract is very broad: “A contract or other arrangement under which one party undertakes to carry out construction work, or to supply related goods and services, for another party”. This definition includes not only formal contracts, but also “other arrangements”.
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The Act also applies to a construction contract whether written or oral, or partly written or partly oral. However, the Act does not apply to “a construction contract for carrying out residential building work if a resident owner is a party to the contract, to the extent that the contract relates to a building or part of a building where the resident owner intends to live”. Definition of “construction work” and “related goods and services” is also very broad. More information is available at www.adjudicate.com.au and click on the relevant State. If you intend to make a payment claim it is important that you identify, not only the work to which the payment claim relates, but also the amount claimed. Importantly, if you are making a claim under the Act then the payment claim should state that “This is a payment claim made under the {insert name of Act of State where the work was performed}”. Prior to making the claim, give careful consideration as to how you can establish your entitlement, not only to a progress payment, but also to the specific amount claimed. Remember that if the other party rejects your claim (or schedules an amount less than you have claimed) and you decide to refer your claim to adjudication, then you must satisfy the
adjudicator as to your entitlement of the claim and how the amount claimed is calculated. As the adjudicator will make his/her decision based only on the documents and written submissions. There won’t be a hearing or oral testimony. Therefore, the success of your claim will very much depend on the quality of your written submissions and the documentation you provide the adjudicator. Remember that the onus is upon the party making a particular assertion to satisfy the adjudicator regarding the correctness of a particular assertion or matter. Simply making an assertion, such as stating that you have carried out certain work, or that the work comprised of having spent 100 hours on site, does not prove an entitlement – you need to provide some form of written material substantiating such a claim (by, for example, providing copies of site diaries, work sheets etc.). Similarly, if your claim comprises of a variation to the original contract then you will need to provide material and / or written submissions demonstrating that the work you had carried out was additional to your original scope and that the value of the additional work claimed has been assessed in accordance with the terms of the contract. Ideally, it would
Canberra Building News 4-2014
enhance your case if you can provide a copy of any written variation order together with copies of time sheets, invoices of suppliers etc. If, however, the direction to carry out the variation was given verbally then you should set out the circumstances in which such direction was made, viz: who gave the direction, on what day etc. If the other party has responded to your payment claim by way of a payment schedule and if the payment schedule states that the amount that the other party proposes to pay is less than the amount that you have claimed, then the Act requires that the other party sets out all the reasons for scheduling a lower amount. For example, it may be that the reason that the other party had given for rejecting the payment claim is that the claimed work was defective, or that the value of the amount claimed has not been properly assessed. Whatever
the reason you should, when submitting your adjudication application, specifically respond to those reasons. If the other party alleges that your work is defective then you may wish to address this by providing photographs that clearly show that the works had been carried out in a workmanlike manner, or alternatively, you may wish to engage an independent industry expert to provide a written report endorsing the quality of your workmanship. Remember, if you do not address the reasons that the other party has given for rejecting your claim then the adjudicator may determine that you don’t disagree with the reasons and therefore your claim can’t succeed.
especially where the other party is contesting such entitlement. Spending time and money in ensuring that your case is presented in the best possible manner is money well spent. Finally, remember if you have any enquiries on the adjudication process then you can always contact Adjudicate Today on 1300 760297 or visit their website – www.adjudicate.com.au. Their staff provides free advice on how to comply with the security of payment legislation and there is no obligation
So our message is that you should give careful consideration on how you can substantiate the progress payment claim you are making and whether you can provide the necessary documentation to support the entitlement of your claim,
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Master Builders ACT Executive Director announces resignation.
John Miller: After eight years with the organisation, John Miller will resign in March 2015.
John Miller, Executive Director of Master Builders ACT has announced that he will leave the territory’s peak building and construction body after nearly eight years, effective from 31 March 2015. “I am exceptionally proud of what Master Builders has achieved for Canberra builders in my time as Executive Director. After nearly eight years as the organisation’s CEO, the organisation is financially strong and poised for the next phase of its future,” John Miller, Executive Director of Master Builders ACT said. “Now is the perfect time for both Master Builders and myself to embrace new pastures,” John Miller said. Valdis Luks, President of Master Builders ACT, said “John has been a tireless and successful advocate for Canberra’s builders. His leadership will be sorely missed by Master Builders’ members and the territory’s building and construction industry.” “His departure will close the curtain on nearly eight years of achievement and open them on an organisation in great shape, to welcome a new era,” he said. “He has successfully championed policies that helped the industry through the Global Financial Crisis and has worked closely with the ACT Government to achieve reforms for a stronger building industry and a stronger ACT economy,” he said. 20
“Under John’s watch the industry’s commitment to safety has been reinforced and Master Builders has taken a leading role in responding to the challenges set out in the Getting Home Safely Report and the Mr Fluffy asbestos issue,” Valdis said.
“John’s belief that a strong construction industry is essential for a strong ACT economy and enhanced community amenity has seen Master Builders take an increasing leadership role calling for policies to cut red and green tape in home building regulations to boost the housing
“Since taking the helm at Master Builders in 2007, John has built an enviable record of achievement that will leave the organisation and the industry in Canberra in very good shape,” - Valdis Luks “John’s tenure has also seen Master Builders build on its 40 year commitment to providing pathways to rewarding careers for Canberra’s young people and a sustainable skilled workforce for the industry’s future,” he said. “Master Builders’ Group Training’s highly successful model for providing high level building trade training to apprentices remains crucial for the industry and under John’s leadership the development of our new offices and training facility puts us up there with the best. The forging of a relationship with the University of Canberra to create career pathways for those seeking to advance in the industry has also been a significant achievement,” Valdis said.
supply and tackle housing affordability issues,” he said. “John has earned the right to depart at a time of his own choosing and leaves with our thanks and best wishes. His legacy is a stronger Master Builders Association that is well positioned to continue as the building and construction industry’s principal advocate,” Valdis said. “The Board of Master Builders ACT will conduct an appropriately thorough and rigorous process to recruit John’s successor,” Mr Luks said.
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Master Builders ACT Annual Dinner
Build the Community Award: This year’s recipients of the Build the Community Award recognised for their ongoing support of Boundless Canberra.
The 2014 Master Builders Association of the ACT Annual Dinner was held at the National Museum of Australia. Comedian Cal Wison kept the guests entertained with her comedy throughout the night, whilst John MacKay AM shared his experiences in the building industry to an enthralled audience.
Member Milestones, Life Membership, the Build the Community Award and a very educational speech by John MacKay AM were all part of another fantastic Master Builders ACT Annual Dinner in October. Comedian Cal Wilson was in fine form keeping the audience entertained throughout the evening. The Annual Dinner is the Master Builder’s premier networking event, where industry comes together for a social and networking evening. This function provides an annual forum for the industry to take stock of its performance over the past 12 months and to consider the outlook for the coming year. The Build the Community Award was also presented during the evening. This award is given to a business or person whose achievements have contributed
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to the community. This year’s award went to a number of organisations and individuals (pictured above) who have helped build the Boundless Canberra The All Abiilities Playground. Stage 1 is now complete, with construction of the remaining stages of the project underway. John MacKay AM was the evening’s guest speaker and wowed the audience with tales from his life in the building and construction industry. John has been a prominent member of the Canberra business community for nearly 20 years. During this time he has had a major impact on several businesses, charities and community organisations. He had an unusual childhood (which he touched on during the evening) and a very interesting career in the federal government prior to joining ACTEW as CEO in 1998. He has lived in Canberra for 45 years and has
occupied some of the highest profile jobs in the City over the past 20 years. He is a currently Director on the boards of the Canberra Investment Corporation Pty Ltd, Little Company of Mary Healthcare, Speedcast International, DataPod Pty Ltd and the Canberra Raiders. John Mackay’s story is told in a book titled “Living on the Edge” written by Graham Downie, a former Canberra Times journalist. The book is for sale at www. johnmackay.com.au
Events such as these are not possible without the generous and continued support of our sponsors.
Life Membership: At this year’s dinner Hans Sommer was presented with a Life Membership to the Master Builders Association of the ACT, pictured here with fellow Life Members.
An institution of Canberra’s building and construction industry was awarded Life Membership of Master Builders ACT at this year’s Annual Dinner.
“These forums included the Associations Executive Committee, Peak Council, Chair and Professional Sector Council of which he was also Deputy Chair,” he said.
“Hans Somer has provided over 20 years of long and distinguished service to the industry and Master Builders,” John Miller Executive Director of Master Builders said.
‘Hans has also represented Master Builders on numerous industry and government working groups where his contributions are widely respected by all parties’ - John Miller
Cal Wilson: Comedian Cal Wilson entertained the audience with her hilarious comedy.
“Hans’ leadership of the Master Builders Work Health and Safety Advisory Group is an outstanding service to both Master Builders and the industry. His advocacy and promotion of improved safety on construction sites demands recognition,” he said.
“Hans has been a Director on 14 different ACT Government joint-venture land development boards prior to joining Village Building Company in 1998. In managing their Wollongong office he had considerable involvement with both the Edgewood and Bulli projects,” he said “Hans’ contribution and commitment to industry and the Association has been invaluable and we at the Master Builders Association of the ACT are proud to welcome him as a Life Member,” John Miller said.
“Master Builders has benefited enormously from his long period of service on the Association’s peak councils where the depth of his knowledge and expertise were invaluable and his wise counsel often sought,” John Miller said.
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Celebrating 20 years membership included Stramit Industries (not in attendance), Trend Windows & Doors and Capital Landscapes Supplies.
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There were a number of members in attendance on the evening who had reached their silver anniversary (25 years), including Manteena, Robinson Building Group and Wilde and Woolard (pictured below).
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Celebrating 35 years as Master Builders Association of the ACT members was Cercol Construction Services, one of the MBA ACT’s longest continuing members.
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35 year members: This year Cercol Construction Services celebrated 35 years with the Master Builders Association of the ACT.
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25 Years: Wilde and Woolard Pty Ltd
20 Years: Capital Landscape Supplies
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20 Years: Schiavello (ACT) Pty Ltd
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ACT Master Builders receive top honours at National Awards At the recent Master Builders National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards, three Master Builders ACT members received top honours for their work over the past 12 months. Toyota National Display Home over $500,000 MAYFAIR HOMES The Curzon In conjunction with the carefully considered design, Mayfair Homes has completed the construction with exceptional attention to the more delicate elements of a home including the use of superior building materials and inclusions. Aesthetically pleasing in all aspects, from the innovative design to the impressive furnishings, this home showcases incomparable levels of luxury.
National Commercial/Industrial Construction Award $20 million to $50 million MANTEENA Garangula Gallery, Harden This project is a perfect example of how a close collaboration between client and architects can deliver a unique building with minimal impact on the environment, taking to new heights the ideas of an individual who dares to dream. The result is a gallery which is most striking when first viewed against its natural landscape and continues to impress, even after detailed study.
Toyota National Civil/Infrastructure Award over $25 million BULK WATER ALLIANCE Cotter Dam Expansion The Cotter Dam project represents one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Canberra’s history. The project has increased Canberra’s water storage capacity by 35%. The new dam was constructed downstream of the original Cotter Dam and at 87m is the tallest roller-compacted concrete dam in Australia.
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Annual Charity Golf Day supporting Apprentice House The 2014 Master Builders ACT Charity Golf Day was again held at Federal Golf Club, this year helping to raise funds for the Apprentice House.
To our other major sponsors, One Steel, Seears Workwear and Commonwealth Bank, thank you.
Monday 17 November saw the Master Builders Association of the ACT hold its annual charity golf day at Federal Golf Club in Red Hill. Treated to beautiful weather, around 170 players took to the course to help raise funds for the Apprentice House. Several individual prizes were on offer such as nearest the pin and longest drive, as well as team trophies for best score. Following the golf there was a three course dinner followed an hilarious speech from guest speaker , former Australian Test cricketer Rodney Hogg (41 wickets at 12.85!). Rodney had the crowd in stitches with his recollection of past tours, teammates and of course his (almost) unbeatable record of 41 wickets at 12.85 during the 78/79 summer. The auction on the night was well supported by the members, and by digging deep, the Apprentice House is in a fantastic position to assist four young apprentices in their housing needs whilst working for their qualification. We very much appreciate the help with the auction from Andrew Mills of Bellevue Building and Rowan Glanville of Peter Blackshaw, Woden. 28
A big thank you: Thanks must be made to the team from Asset Construction Hire. Their support of this event was incredible, and helped raise over $11,500 for the Apprentice House. Pictured above from L-R are Graham Wilson, Rodeny Hoog, and Hunter Cocks.
To all of our other sponsors, these days are not possible without your support. Again, we thank you for your generosity and effort in helping make these days the success they are. At the end of the evening the BIG raffle prize was drawn – the winner of the Amarok Ute! Rodney Hogg had the honour of drawing the winning ticket which went to Andrew Kerec of Renaissance Homes. Andrew has been a long supporter of the MBA and a deserving winner of the raffle. Thank you to all those who supported this raffle, helping raise funds for the the Master Builders Skills Centre Building Fund. Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Asset Construction Hire, whose generosity in supporting this event has been incredible. The effort that Hunter and his team put into the day is amazing.
Finally to our members. By supporting this day, you are helping some next generation builders achieve their dreams that may otherwise not be possible. Thank you.
Golf Day Sponsors
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And when it comes to practicalities you will find everything you expect from aluminium and more. Everything from energy efficiency to security is enhanced by the latest thing in frames, glazing and hardware.
Trend Windows & Doors were integral in helping with the build of the Franklin Charity House project (pictured here and main photo).
Trend thermAL Energy Efficient Windows & Doors Australia is progressing rapidly towards a more energy efficient future. To improve energy efficiency in construction, significant changes have been made to the Building Code of Australia, including the introduction of mandatory 6 star ratings for new housing. Trend® Windows & Doors has undertaken extensive research and development to produce a more advanced and energy efficient product that enables these new building requirements to be achieved cost efficiently. Trend thermAL® is a revolutionary hybrid window product combining the strength and security of aluminium with ERP, a new patented insulating skin. ERP is an advanced Extruded Rigid Polymer, which incorporates a number of innovative properties. These properties include pre-stressing to eliminate expansion and contraction, UV stabilisation to protect from sun exposure and impact modification to protect against accidental damage. Trend thermAL® has been designed to accommodate double glazed units up to 24mm for maximum energy efficiency. With over 60 glazing options available, there is one to suit any situation or climate zone in Australia. For design and aesthetic purposes, Trend thermAL® enables selection of a two colour option. One colour for
Xtreme® Bushfire Protection is available for Trend thermAL® awning, casement and fixed windows as well as hinged and bifold doors. All of which have been tested to BAL-40 to withstand extreme temperatures of up to 40kw/m2 in bushfire prone areas. Aluminium Windows & Doors Aluminium has always offered the advantage of durability and affordability. Now Trend’s latest range of aluminium windows and doors sees this versatile material come of age - setting new benchmarks for style and performance. Trend has a range of different styles of aluminium windows & doors to suit any project you undertake. Their range is endless, choose windows & doors from Synergy Residential Series, Quantum Architectural Series, Crestlite Commercial Series or Trend thermAL Energy Efficiency Series.
You will find the crisp, clean lines of Trend’s contemporary aluminum look equates to timber when it comes to capturing just the right aspect or feeling.
CONTACT DETAILS
Hume - Sales Showroom (sales, deliveries, service etc) 74 Sheppard Street, Hume ACT 2620 Tel: 61 (02) 6260 1266 Fax: 61 (02) 6260 1381 Showroom hours - Hume Mon-Fri: 8:00am-4:30pm Saturday: 9:00am-12noon (not open Public Holiday weekends).
www.trendwindows.com.au
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Strong business foundations are built on quality insurance advice As the preferred broker of the Master Builders Association, let Austbrokers Canberra provide your business with specialist advice and local knowledge for all your insurance needs.
As a leading national insurance brokerage, with a base in the heart of Canberra, your business can benefit from the expert knowledge of our local team, as well as the national bargaining power Austbrokers Canberra offers. Having helped MBA members for over 15 years, our brokers understand the needs of your industry. We also understand the importance of maintaining the right cover for the right price.
We can help you with: Construction Insurance
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Talk to us today to ensure your needs are adequately covered. P (02) 6280 5477 | www.austbrokerscanberra.com.au |
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“We have an enormous pool of talent in Canberra that is created by the Canberra School of Art, our Universities and Training Facilities and the ability to exercise these skills on many high profile public buildings and monuments that are part of Canberra’s heritage” - Paul Barnett
Craftsmanship is Thriving in Canberra Paul Barnett, Paul Barnett Design Group
On Wedesday 19th November, I presented a body of work spanning 22 years in the field of Architecture and Building Design at the Orana School Overture Hall. The Hall itself was a project I created during the Building The Education Revolution (BER). The presentation covered a diverse range of projects, with particular insight into the Hall, and demonstrated just how talented many of Canberra’s artists, artisans and trasdespeople really are. We have an enormous pool of talent in Canberra that is created by the Canberra School of Art, our Universities and Training Facilities and the ability to exercise these skills on many high profile public buildings and monuments that are part of Canberra’s heritage. When I started my firm we primarily focused on Education and Government work. My background was as a furniture maker and with a family of builders, it was in my blood. 36
We have worked on the RAAF Memorial, Sliver 6, Australian of the Year Walk and Indigenous Aboriginal display at the National Museum, all of which were wonderful projects to be involved in. Most of our work however, has been in education and we are finding an increased enthusiasm from trade’s people in this field. One of our most recent projects was a new Trade Training Facility which was completed this year. Daramalan College required a new facility to replace their aging metalwork and automotive facilities. The new building has been designed to fit against the existing Gymnasium building and graduate in scale down from the relatively high mass of the Gymnasium to the smaller scale adjacent buildings as well as allowing light into the courtyards to the south of the building. The entry has been aligned to the natural pedestrian flow across the diagonal of the courtyard and creates a sheltered low level space at the entry foyer that opens up to the higher workshop spaces.
The building houses a metal workshop and automotive workshop complete with welding bays, fume cupboards and soldering bays. The mechanical systems have been designed in stainless steel and created with a high level of precision and craftsmanship to demonstrate the skill and artisanship that is part of the metalwork and automotive trades. Adjacent to the automotive workshop is the vehicle hoist, maintenance areas and parts stores to assist demonstrations during class. The building incorporates solar passive design with state of the art environmental controls and ceilings spaces that are raked to allow natural light to the work surfaces. The detailing introduces recognition of the Design and Technology curriculum taught in these spaces. Fine craftsmanship is evident from the moment you see the building and approach its entry.
The entry awning is connected to the ground with a V shaped set of posts and a heart shaped slab of Redgum held between these posts.
It sits as a credit to the collaboration between Client, Architect and Construction Manager and highly skilled Trades.
The entry floor is comprised of blasted granite, recycled ironbark and 6mm thick mill finish aluminum checker plate.
Daramalan College Business Manager Mr. Barry Smith, TPC Construction Manager Phil Carey, Site Foreman Pat Bourke and my team have joined up together again this year to build a new food facility and recreation area on a ground floor podium inserted between 3 existing buildings and a new open learning area auditorium on the first floor.
The steel trusses in the main workshops are shaped in a bow reminiscent of 19th century steel bridges and workshop ceilings when steelwork was at its peak decoratively.
We have introduced brick patterning to the interiors, bamboo paneling and custom made up lights as well as finally detailed carpentry, joinery, partitions and ceilings.
The building envelope is completely wrapped in insulation with sub-floor, connected to thermal insulation brick at slab level and high level insulation in the walls. Furthermore, the roof has R7.5 insulation. The windows are made with high performance glazing with thermally broken frames and the orientation is north for solar passive gain. External brickwork patterns to the east face refer to the cam chain and timing belt on a car motor. At the Gymnasium junction reference is made to a motors cam cover in brickwork and an exhaust manifold made up from 4 hot dipped galvanised steel downpipes and rainwater heads.
The symbolism refers to what is taught in the building, while the level of skill refers to the artisanship and craftsmanship required in a trade. Overall the building was finely crafted and functional in design. It is a low maintenance building with mainly face brick walls, a finish preferred by school building owners.
This current project is due for completion in January 2105 and will be showcased at the next MBA Awards. I have really appreciated the input of all the trades people on these projects and it has become an extremely enjoyable process to create beautiful buildings with talented, dedicated and highly skilled professionals. Love your work everyone!
The team work was inspiring on this project.
New facility: The new trade training facility at Daramlan College,Dickson.
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Apprentices show their class at WorldSkills 2014
Well placed: MBA Group Training Apprentice of the Year, Bradley Monkhouse during competition at the 2014 WorldSkills in Perth.
WorldSkills Australia (WSA) aims to develop and nurture the skills of young Australians. Its purpose is to promote and build a skills culture by inspiring young people, celebrating skills excellence and providing them with an opportunity to showcase their trade and skill talent. We achieve this goal through competitions held on a regional, national and international level. The 2014 WorldSkills Australia National Competition was held in Perth recently. The major event saw almost 500 of Australia’s most talented trade and skill technicians representing 49 specialised skill categories at what is known as Australia’s largest trade and skill competition.
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MBA Group Training Apprentice of the Year, Bradley Monkhouse, competed in the Carpentry category and after 18 hours of constructing a complex and challenging project he finished in a very respectable 11th place. The carpentry project required the competitors to build a triangular shaped gazebo, comprising a deck, three posts and a 20° roof which included a dormer section. The tolerances were extremely tight, with all lengths having to be within 1mm of the calculated length and all joints to have no greater than a 1 mm gap. Brad put in a massive effort and should be congratulated for his achievements. He was interviewed during the competition and stated:
‘I’d like to thank MBA Group Training’s Brendan Lampard and my father Steve Monkhouse for all their help and support’ - Bradley Monkhouse
WorldSkills is the only event on the national events calendar which showcases the skills of Australia’s best young Vocational Education and Training (VET) students and apprentices and unites a diverse range of professions under the one roof including automotive, building and construction, computing and business, client services and hospitality services industries. Throughout the competition, the competitors battled it out for the prestigious title of ‘Nation’s Best’, as well as the chance to become a 2015 Team Australia Skillaroo. The 2015 Skillaroos will be heading to Brazil to represent
Australia and their industry at the 43rd WorldSkills International Competition in São Paolo in August 2015. MBA Group Training would like to congratulate Bradley and all the apprentices and trainees who competed at the National Competition. Their achievements are a reflection of the commitment and passion they have demonstrated towards their chosen vocation.
APPENDIX F - HAZARD PICTOGRAMS
The nine hazard pictograms that are representative of the physical, health and/or environmental hazards are shown below: Pictogram
Hazard
Exploding bomb
Pictogram
Hazard
Gas cylinder
- Explosive
Flame
- Gases under pressure
Corrosion
- Flammability
Flame over circle
- Corrosive
Skull and crossbones
- Oxidising
- Acute toxicity
Exclamation mark
Health hazard
- Chronic Health hazards
- Certain health Hazards (e.g. sensitisers)
Environment
- Environmental hazard
Chronic health hazards include carcinogens, reproductive toxins, mutagens, specific target organ toxicants, and aspiration toxicants.
Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) 86
CODE OF PRACTICE | LABELLING OF WORKPLACE HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
A new standard for classification and labelling of chemicals Hazardous chemicals Workplace hazardous chemicals are substances, mixtures and articles used in the workplace that can be classified according to their health and physicochemical hazards. Health hazards are hazards like skin irritants, carcinogens or respiratory sensitisers that have an adverse effect on a worker’s health as a result of direct contact with or exposure to the chemical, usually through inhalation, skin contact or ingestion. Physicochemical hazards generally result from the physical or chemical properties, like flammable, corrosive, oxidising or explosive substances. Classification of workplace hazardous chemicals Since the introduction of the NOHSC model Regulations for the control of workplace hazardous substances (1994) and the Dangerous Goods Standard (2001), and their adoption by jurisdictions, hazardous chemicals have
been classified by the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances and the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (ADG Code). With the adoption of the National model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations in 2012, a new system of chemical classification and hazard communication on labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS), based on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) will come into effect. Transitional Arrangements There will be a 5 year transitional period for moving to the new GHS-based system, which will allow for the two systems to be used concurrently by industry.
for classification, labelling and SDS, or the previous hazardous substances and dangerous goods classification systems. After 31 December 2016, at the end of the 5 year period, all workplace chemicals must be classified according to the GHS and labels and SDS must be updated. This is illustrated in the above diagram, including the relevant documents to use for classification, labelling and SDS. Further information on the transitional arrangements and how they apply to classification, labelling and SDS is provided on the SafeWork Australia website. If you would like to discuss these classification changes, please contact Phil Edwards, Work Health and Safety Advisor on (02) 6175-5905.
Workplace chemicals will not need to be re-classified or re-labelled immediately. During the 5 year transition period, manufacturers may use either the GHS 39
Brad Fleming: Brad pictured here building some units and bench seating for the computer classroom.
Rotary Club of Hall asks MBA Group Training apprentice to help in Vanuatu. From Weetangera to remote Port Resolution for community service project made an interesting two weeks for MBA Group Training apprentice, Brad Fleming. Seven years ago, Rotarian Susan Alexander was visiting the village of Port Resolution, on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. While having a picnic lunch with the Principal of the local Village School they talked about what could be done to support his remote school. Both agreed that a new school hall, kitchen and library would benefit this isolated community – and the initial plans were drawn with a stick in the dirt.
project. John Kenworthy of the Rotary Club of Hall, approached the MBA to make available a third year apprentice for the two week project. The MBA selected Brad Fleming to take responsibility for this part of the project. The Rotary Club of Hall paid for the airfares and accommodation and MBA Group Training covered Brad’s wages whilst he was on the project.
The most recent enhancement to the project was to install solar power, lighting and 15 computers and to provide IT training for the teachers at the school on how to best teach these skills to the children. In integral part of the project was also to build a computer bench and seats in the library. The Rotary Club of Hall was looking for a skilled carpenter to take on the team to undertake this side of the
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Job well done: Students try out the newly fitted computer classroom on Tanna Island.
After arriving in Vanuatu, Brad’s trip to Tanna Island included a 30 min flight from Port Vila, then a lift on the back of a truck for 2.5 hours to Port Resolution, on a road that is similar to a fire trial in Australia. This road disappears into rivers, swamps, over mountains, travels across a volcanic ash plain, past an active volcano that erupts every 10mins. An amazing adventure for the first time overseas traveller. Once at the school Brad supervised the building of the computer bench and seats. The aim of projects Rotary undertakes in developing countries is to provide training to the local people. Therefore, Brad worked with a couple of local carpenters to provide on the job training and to develop their skills. He showed them how to use power tools, “they had good hand skills developed from their traditional ways, initially we had some language difficulties, but it all worked out well” Brad said.
Meeting lovely people, passing on skills and seeing another country was extremely worthwhile for Brad “They don’t have what we have, but love life and are the happiest people I have met”. When not working Brad got to see the island, had some long lunches, swam in the ocean and hot springs, visited the active volcano and did some fishing. As a parting gift Brad left some of his tools with the locals so they could further improve their skills.
Being responsible for purchasing the hardware and having the appropriate tools for the job was an important part of Brad’s role as Port Resolution is one of the more remote islands and the nearest hardware store is all the way back to Port Vila. The timber they worked with was quite wet and not easy to use “The milling was not
‘they don’t have what we have, but love life and are the happiest people I have met’ - Brad Fleming
consistent and the thickness ranged 10mm at least, so I had to do a lot of planning” he said. No electricity, just generators for power made life interesting especially when the locals wanted to charge their mobile phones. Brad said “It was funny they didn’t have much but everyone seemed to have a mobile and nowhere really to charge it”. His accommodation was no tourist resort, Brad stayed at the Port Resolution Yacht club, just six bungalows each with a bed and no TV, “The views were great and the food was all fresh but got repetitive, so it was good to get home for a steak”.
When the computer furniture project was finished Brad undertook a number of jobs at the school. He negotiated with a group of architect students from South Australia, also working in Port Resolution on a construction project, to assist with their equipment and expertise to determine the best solution to fix the guttering which was draining in the wrong direction. He built a lectern for the school and a storage frame for the gas bottles so they could be relocated outside the kitchen. He also designed and built a prototype seat for the kindergarten classroom.
Home again in Canberra, Brad is hosted by Brett Lentfer working on the John Paul College site. He says more travel is on the cards and thinks helping on another overseas project is something he’d like.
Clockwise from left: Brad with the finished computer desks. Brad working on the project with the locals. The location of Tanna Island in the Pacific.
vanuatu
Tanna
canberra
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Concap-Base Nett Hourly Rate Estimating Software for the Australian Construction Industry Effective management of labour costs is a continuing challenge for builders, project managers, estimators, foremen, and sub-contractors. Widely accepted workflows in the construction industry are often a bad match with modern computer software. Many available software packages are difficult to learn and require yearly maintenance or license fees. Few are available over the Internet or directly from a website. Even fewer are modularized to the extent that single functions, such as wage estimation, are immediately available. When combined with the requirements for regular backups, the continual updating of anti-virus protection, and the remote use of software from a tablet, the maintenance and use of IT infrastructure can quickly become time consuming and expensive. These hidden costs will significantly complicate the expense and management of construction projects and budgets. Concap is a new Internet based service that addresses this problem. As an 42
online service it is available everywhere to provide accurate estimation of trade and labour base nett hourly rates for the Australian Construction Industry. The Concap website helps you to create spreadsheet based reports tailored to your specific requirements. These are immediately available for download through any popular web browser, e.g. Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari. In doing this Concap provides much needed assistance for project monitoring.
Concap is the easy way to create accurate Base Nett Hourly Rate Estimates. Here, “Base” means that not every worker award entitlement has been costed into the Nett Hourly Rate. This is because over 40 years of experience has been distilled to provide the most significant, practical, and important entitlements. They are included as user-modifiable defaults at the website and are itemized in every generated spreadsheet report. “Nett” means cost only, so overheads and / or profit margins are not included. In a digital age the Concap website is designed by a construction professional for construction professionals and talks your language: The answers to five simple questions define the contents of each report. 1. Which Trade or Labour type? Here, all classifications recognized by the Australian Construction Industry, such as Civil and Civic job classifications, are available. 2. Which Agreement? Enterprise Bargain (the default is based
on the CFMEU agreement) or Federal Award? 3. Which Application? Broad Estimate‒a materials and labour estimate in broad sheet format, Charge Out‒when an employer hires out one or more employees on hourly rate, or Individual Wage‒ employee remuneration as a base nett hourly rate. 4. What Hourly Rate? Ordinary time, overtime hours time and a half, or overtime hours double time. 5. Include or exclude a detailed and unique Productivity Factor? The Productivity Factor is defined as the fraction of a working day for which an employee is actually productive.
A major advantage of the Concap website is that, even for a novice user, a report can be completed within a few minutes: Importantly, there is no registration or installation of expensive software required on your computer. You only pay for exactly what you want, a PDF printable report which gives a permanent record itemizing all relevant details of each nett hourly rate estimate. These reports are not only highly useful for builders, project managers, estimators, foremen, and sub-contractors, but also for Individual Wage Applications, as remuneration, in the format of an “allin hourly rate”. They are invaluable for management, budget tracking, and communication within a large project.
Together the choices they have made about the Concap website and the parametrization of its functions and algorithms reflect more than 80 man years of experience. The collaboration has resulted in Concap Industries releasing a web based, “Australian Construction Industry Base Nett Hourly Rate Estimating Program”. It can be found at www.concapindustries.com. au and is the first module of an estimating software platform which now provides accurate and current estimates of base nett hourly rates for trades and labour in the Australian Construction Industry. As an introductory offer, all reports are free to download until the end of January 2015. Afterwards, the cost of reports will be $9.95 each, paid online by credit or debit card.
Concap is the brainchild of Nicholas Diakonoff who has almost 40 years of experience in the construction industry. During his career he has worked as a tradesman, leading hand tradesman, selfemployed sub-contractor, construction supervisor, site manager, estimator, contract administrator, construction manager, and fitout and property development project manager. The Concap spreadsheet parametrizes the answer to each of these questions, and where they are useful, supplied default values can immediately be used. You can alter these default values to create reports adjusted to the precise requirements of an estimate. For example, the number of paid days off per annum can be checked and adjusted as required, e.g. public holidays, rostered days, annual leave, personal leave, and inclement weather. Other modifiable data and parameters used to create the report include: award rates, travel allowance, redundancy entitlement, superannuation entitlement, payroll tax percentage, worker’s compensation insurance premium percentage and associated stamp duty, and cost of summer and winter issue work clothing and safety boots. Non-productive time is taken into account when calculating the costs associated with the Productivity Factor, for example, time taken at the start and end the work day, crib time (smoko), lunch time, toilet periods, and even details such as the time taken for the weekly toolbox safety talk, foreman’s instructions, and workface relocations. Finally, to facilitate management of the hard copy you obtain, reports can be individually named and titled.
Nick currently holds Queensland Building Services Authority Builder Open (Nil Restrictions), Nominee Supervisor (Nil Restrictions), Plasterer Dry Wall and Ceilings Contractor (Nil Restrictions), and Passive Fire Construction Building Certification Licences. He also holds an Australian Capital Territory Builder Class A (Nil Restrictions) Licence. Throughout his career, Nick’s ultimate goal has been to formalize his knowledge, experience, and resources to develop more objective and quantified construction estimating procedures and outcomes. He is experienced in all aspects of the Australian Construction Industry and knows the job inside out. He brings the necessary expertise into the 21st century and with his software and website development partners makes it available on the Internet from a user-friendly interface. To bring this dream to fruition Nick has recently partnered in a collaboration with Hugo Cornelis and Allan Coop. Hugo is a highly experienced scientific software architect and developer with an international reputation while Allan has recently returned to Canberra bringing more than a decade of international experience with concept design, interaction design, user interface and information architecture, prototyping, and workflow specification development. 43
Iconic build: An iconic country residence being constructed by Jim Sell (Quality Country Homes).
Master Entrepreneur program leads young builder to amazing opportunity. A recent chance to be mentored by two incredible businessmen has led to one young builder grabbing the opportunity with both hands and it’s already paying dividends.
My name is Nathan Spencer and I am a proud second generation builder in the ACT. I successfully applied for a scholarship placement with the Master Entrepreneur program and with the intention of meeting new people, learning new skills and building relationships with the MBA and its mentors, I found the program exceeded all my expectations. I attended the day mentoring session and met a lot of builders and industry leaders who generously gave their time to tell us their stories and answer our questions. I was then given the opportunity to select a mentor for ongoing coaching. Two mentors stood out in my mind - Mark McConnell and Jim Sell. Although Jim Sell’s reputation as a builder is unique I felt that having two high quality traditional builders as directors and mentors here at Cercol, I would benefit from choosing Mark to get a different perspective on so many issues. A year on and I couldn’t be happier, having achieved many of the goals I set myself. Mark has provided 44
Opportunity: Nathan Spencer (pictured centre) from Cercol Construction Services says working on projects like this with a builder such as Jim Sell (pictured third from left) is an opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business.
general business advice which got me focussed on thinking of the future for myself and Cercol. He is a great bloke and always takes the time to chat, hang out and have a beer. I look forward to many years bouncing ideas off Mark. As it turned out Mark had Jim building his
new family home and I have several site visits spending time on site with Jim. His attention to detail and the respect he has from his clients, staff and subcontractors is inspiring. Meeting and spending time with Jim has reassured me that reputation and fortune doesn’t
come overnight and that the goals I have set are attainable. I believe the MBA Master Entrepreneur program has fast tracked me 5 years and has matured me as to the way I will approach business in the future. I thank the MBA for seeing a need for such a program and I hope it has been as useful for other builders as it has for me.
“A year on and I couldn’t be happier, having achieved many of the goals I set myself.” - NAthan Spencer, Cercol
Future Leaders – 30 of Canberra’s brightest young business people attend a Master Entrepreneurs function. Photo Courtesy of Hilary Wardhaugh photography.
About the Master Entrepreneur program An elite group of over 30 of Canberra’s brightest young business people have been mentored by five of the best in the building business recently, in a high-octane workshop that past participants have reported to have been career changing.
Why mentoring is important
Most of the award-winning builders in the Master Entrepreneur Program (MEP) are under 30 years of age. The Master Mentors, who command billion-dollar budgets, are pioneers in their fields. The MEP was conducted on 31 October at the Canberra Business Promotion Centre, Regatta Point.
by Jerry Howard
The five Master Entrepreneur were:
Master Builders has been around for over 100 years and in this period we, as an association, have developed an incredible knowledge base. This knowledge has been gained through generations of builders passing on their knowledge and skills to second and third generation builders. When we, at Master Builders, in partnership with the Master Builders Fidelity Fund, conceived the concept of establishing a mentoring program to mentor and assist our younger builders, our first thoughts were why not use the incredible resources of our local business people to mentor these young and aspiring individuals.
Mark McConnell, who has made the BRW Young Rich List nine times. He operates private equity funds, owns a cattle farm near Hall and is developing export channels for beef products into China.
The concept of the program, which is managed by Mary-Anne Waldren, MAW Action Pty Ltd, received strong support from the Master Builders Fidelity Fund. One of the primary objectives of the Fidelity Fund is to assist young builders in particular with their business development to ensure financial viability and prosperity. In excess of 30 scholarships were offered to emerging, young business people and those lucky enough to be selected gained an excellent insight and additional one-on-one mentoring from some of Canberra and the region’s most successful business entrepreneurs. The feature story is just about one such individual – Nathan Spencer – and the incredible knowledge that he has gained, firstly from his primary master mentor, David Maxwell and secondly, through his association with Jim Sell, Master Builder. Nathan will tell his own story to many of his close business associates. So, in a sense, Nathan will pass on his acquired knowledge to other young and aspiring business entities. What a great business story.
Director of the Riverview Group, David Maxwell, oversees large development projects in the ACT, NSW and Victoria. He spent more than a decade as Woolworth Limited’s National Development Manager (Property Development). Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia, Romily Madew, was listed as one of the 100 Women of Influence last year. Romily is on the World Green Building Council Board and chairs the World GBC International Rating Tolls Task Group. Managing Director and CEO of CIC Australia, Col Alexander OAM, turned CIC Australia into one of the region’s largest and most successful land subdivision and development companies. Multi-award-winning builder, Jim Sell, is renowned as the builder who constructs the multi-million-dollar homes of the rich and famous in the Southern Highlands of NSW. The designer of the MEP, Mary-Anne Waldren, is the ultimate business matchmaker. She delivers the mentors, the knowhow and personal advice for participants. Run this dynamic program for the leaders in your organisation or business field. Mary-Anne can facilitate the program or train you to run it yourself and make a profit doing so. Contact Mary-Anne Waldren Web: www.maryannewaldren.com.au Email maw@maryannewaldren.com.au Mobile: 041 234 0622
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Kids Assist program another success The 2014 MBA Group Training Kids Assist program has once again been an outstanding success. With the dedicated MBA Group Training staff, working with PBS Building, another class of students has graduated from the program.
Another highly successful Kids Assist Program has seen twenty four enthusiastic students graduate on Friday, 21 November at the PBS Building Site in Harrison. A graduation ceremony and breakfast was held on the construction site students have been working on throughout the program. The event also coincided with National Carpenters Day. The MBA Group Training hosted a joint event complementary to attendees in celebration of the graduation and National Carpenters Day. “The continued support this program receives from our industry is encouraging for the development for future generations of tradespersons” John Miller, Executive Director of Master Builders ACT said.
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‘The Kids Assist Program has an emphasis on providing young school students, who are at risk of not completing school, the support and mentoring they need to strive in their future personal and professional endeavours’ - John Miller
“The program enables students to complete their Year 10 certificate whilst developing fundamental life skills” Mr Miller said. “On behalf of Master Builders ACT, particularly our Group Training staff, it gives me great pleasure for to have executed such a successful apprentice program. The dedication, commitment and passion these students display is encouraging for the longevity and high quality standard of the industry in the
near future. I wish all students well on their future ventures and am excited to see their careers flourish” A special thank you to Warren Ahrens of PBS Building who has continually supported this program for the past 10 years. Warren was again pleased to be able to offer an apprenticeship to one of the young adults that had completed the Kids Assist program. A big thanks also to Jono at Total Tools, who came out to showcase some of the products they have in store, and to OzHelp for providing the barbecue and food and drinks for the breakfast. These events are not possible without this type of support, and it is much appreciated.
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Master Builders Association of the ACT 1 Iron Knob St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 PO Box 1211, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Tel: (02) 6247 2099 Fax: (02) 6249 8374 Email: canberra@mba.org.au Web: www.mba.org.au
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To whoever can help? Geza needs it. The inspiration for this calendar is Gerald “Geza” McClinton; Geza is a dynamic young man in his midtwenties employed as a Site Foreman at Monarch Building Solutions. In March 2013 Geza took a taxi home after a dinner and drinks with friends in Dickson, on the taxi ride to his home he and the taxi driver argued about the fare, but upon arriving home, Geza paid what was owed and started to walk to his home. The taxi driver drove up the street and did a u turn then drove back to where Geza was walking and ran over him. Geza was caught under the car and dragged approximately 50 metres along the street causing life threatening injuries. Geza’s life was saved by a neighbour who heard a noise and came to investigate and upon finding Geza on the road called for an ambulance. The taxi driver is currently serving a prison sentence as a result of his actions. Geza received extensive and life threatening injuries to this arms, torso and legs, and since the accident has endured 12 major operations and a multitude of skin grafts. Unfortunately he still has further surgeries ahead of him to get him back to close to “original condition”. He has recently started back at work on a return to work program that involves restricted hours and duties. As a testament to the character of this young man he has tried to return to work “to do anything to help”, since returning to work he has been physically working as hard as his body will allow. He is obviously frustrated by the restrictions that he has to encounter but he is very determined to succeed and get back to a normal working life. 50
The accident has had a huge financial impact on Geza, so the Monarch Building Solutions Directors have been supporting him as much as possible during the period he has been recovering. Geza has not received any insurance payments to date, therefore the staff of Monarch Building Solutions have decided to produce a calendar with tastefully nude photographs of a number of staff members that will hopefully raise some seriously needed funds for Geza. We have been well supported by a number of suppliers and contractors who have sponsored the production of the calendar. These very generous donations will allow us to direct all money that is raised from the sales of the calendars to Geza. We would strongly suggest that if you are looking for a supplier or contractor please see those who are listed on the calendar as they are good honest people who are prepared to help others. If you could help us promote with the sales of our calendars, it would be immensely appreciated. Let’s not forget that Geza endured horrific injuries mentally and physically that no one in their right mind deserves. GM Assistance www.facebook.com/GMAssistance Marisa Maganto GM Assistance gmacanberra@gmail.com 24 Lithgow Street Fyshwick ACT 2609 Tel: (02) 6162 0232
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New Master Builders ACT website coming online soon In keeping up with changes in technology, and the way users access information on the web, the Master Builders Association of the ACT has been developing a new website for its members.
www.mba.org.au The MBA web site is our principal medium for supply of information and advertising the Association. Training opportunities, member benefits including Industrial Relations and Work, Health and Safety advice, news items, events, publications and our products can all be viewed online. We post NEWS items on a daily basis and are looking to increase our online presence through social media.
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Mobile device access The new website will allow for changes in both technology, and the way people access their information online. Included in the redesign is a cross-platform friendly capability. This means you will be able to view the site on your mobile phone or tablet, and the site will reconfigure to the device’s dimensions to make it a more enjoyable user experience (i.e. no more zooming in).
Social media We are also developing a social media presence online, including Twitter (@ MBA_Canberra), a YouTube Channel, Facebook and a Blog called iBuilder.tips. As this is an opinion platform, we will be looking for contributions from members to provide material for this blog. We hope to launch the new website in January 2015.
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NATIONAL SURVEY OF BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMERCIAL BUILDING RECOVERS TO HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE G.F.C.
®
and sectors before the building industry can play a sustainable role in underpinning GDP and jobs growth after the resources boom.
It appears the ‘pulse’ of building and construction at the national level is being affected by different conditions at state and sector levels.
70 Index
Business conditions edged higher in the September quarter although the rate of recovery slowed (see chart). The result ers’ own business activity.
Business conditions*
80 60 50 40 30 Sep-99
Sep-02
Sep-05
Sep-08
Sep-11
Sep-14
“For over a decade builders across the nation have been contributing to Master Builders’ national survey of building and construction.”
Chinese delegation visit Canberra for Building Energy Savings Forum A group of 25 Chinese government officials, who are responsible for government office building energy savings, visited Canberra to learn about Australia’s relevant policies, regulations, technologies, techniques and tools as well as practice. Professor Patrick Zou, Chair of building and construction management at University of Canberra presented a series of lectures entitled “Building energy savings: an Australia Perspectives”. These lectures were coupled with a visit to the Nishi development site in which the federal government Department of Industry is located within. The Nishi visit was arranged by Master Builders Association of the ACT. During 54
the Nishi visit, two professionals from Colliers International provided an overview of the building’s green technologies to the delegates, who also asked many questions. Ms Jane Montgomery-Hribar, Director Strategic Projects in APCC also provided a session on “Australia National Green Leasing Policy” to the delegates. Overall, the Chinese Delegates, that were drawn from national and provincial offices, were very satisfied with the visit and lectures, and indicated their strong willingness to develop mutual and on-going collaborations for research and practice in the field of government building energy saving.
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National update
A Snapshot of industry news from around the country
Housing Market Cools As New Supply Begins To Come On Stream The slight fall in the latest ABS housing finance data is further evidence that claims of an unsustainable housing boom are exaggerated. “The fall of 0.7 per cent seasonally adjusted in the total number of owner occupied housing finance commitments for September shows such fears to be misguided,” Peter Jones Chief Economist of Master Builders Australia said.
“Builders will be looking for a lift in approvals for detached houses to keep momentum in the housing upswing,” Peter Jones said. “In the three months to September the number of approvals topped 50,000 for an annualised 200,000 following on from the 194,000 recorded in financial year 2013/14,” he said.
“Builders welcome the slight cooling as excessive speculative activity can lead to undue price pressures and difficulties sourcing materials and labour inputs,” he said.
“In good news for two of the nation’s smaller housing sectors, Tasmania and South Australia respectively recorded rises of 7.1 per cent and 2.8 per cent seasonally adjusted,” Peter Jones said.
“For new building, what is needed is a solid and sustained flow of finance over a number of years to redress the previous period of underbuilding which resulted in the current housing undersupply and affordability pressures,” Peter Jones said.
Reforms Reinforce Primacy Of Safety On Building Sites
“This is why the good news story in the latest data is the 2.1 per cent increase in owner occupier new housing construction and purchase of new building in September that confirms a sustainable annual increase of 10.0 per cent,” he said. “Investor commitments for new building continues to trend higher, up by more than 20 per cent through the year increasing their share of new borrowing, builders remain concerned at the continuing absence of first home buyers from the market,” Peter Jones said. “Finance for construction and purchase of new building grew steadily in Queensland and Tasmania in the three months to September compared to the same period in 2013,” he added.
Unit Volatility Signals Housing Market Shift Builders remain confident despite a fall back in the September quarter as the housing upturn consolidates and responds to changing market conditions. “The residential building upturn looks set to hold at strong levels as apartment approvals ‘take a breather’ after the previous red hot growth phase,” Peter Jones, Chief Economist Master Builders Australia said.
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“The 11 per cent seasonally adjusted decline in September was driven by a fall of 22 per cent seasonally in units and apartments due mainly to the longer lead times in gaining approvals for apartment developments and is expected to bounce back,” he said.
Reforms announced by the Government to rebalance and finetune safety regulations in the building and construction industry will lead to better safety outcomes. “The reforms will reinforce the primacy of safety on building sites,” Wilhelm Harnisch CEO of Master Builders Australia said. “Eliminating counter-productive paper based compliance and regulatory duplication will allow builders and contractors to focus on what is important which is improving safety not sitting in site sheds completing unnecessary compliance paper work,” he said. “The changes to the Government’s Building and Construction Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme will streamline regulatory requirements for builders with good safety records, freeing them up to implement practical measures to enhance safety,” Wilhelm Harnisch said. “The reforms will improve the ability of the Federal Safety Commissioner to work with builders and contractors to improve compliance with safety laws while lightening the regulatory load for those who do the right thing,” he said. “In addition to making the industry safer, the measures will provide further community benefits such as reducing unnecessary increases in building costs which only exacerbate housing affordability pressures,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.
Commercial Building Recovers From GFC
“The Survey index recording builders’ employment intentions for the next six months increased in the previous quarter while the apprentice index also crept higher with nearly 23% of builders indicating they are likely to put on more apprentices,” he said. “With forecast growth ahead for both residential and commercial building the economy, ‘tradies’ and the community are poised to reap the benefits,” Peter Jones said.
Commercial construction has recovered to the highest level since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) according to the latest national survey of the building and construction industry.
Master Builders Welcomes Action On Secondary Boycotts
“Master Builders fully supports the Government’s steps to improve safety by responsibly cutting red tape for building and construction contractors, particularly small firms that comprise 98% of the industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.
“Master Builders Australia’s National Survey of Building and Construction shows commercial building has ticked into positive territory for the first time in five years since the GFC,” Peter Jones Master Builders Chief Economist said. “For the second consecutive quarter the Survey shows improvement in the current business conditions of commercial builders while the index measuring expectations of future activity also rose sharply,” he said. “Driving the recovery is increased confidence in the prospects for commercial construction as the upturn in residential building strengthens and evolves”. “The Survey shows the transition to non-mining related investment in the economy is gaining traction but that the recovery in building activity needs to broaden across states and territories for the industry to sustainably underpin increased GDP and jobs growth,” Peter Jones said.
Jobs Growth The Winner From Rebounding Building Activity Job opportunities are set to improve on the back of rebounding building activity according to the latest national survey of the building and construction industry.
Master Builders Australia welcomes the legal action launched by the ACCC against the CFMEU and its officials for secondary boycotts against Boral. “Master Builders strongly supports the ACCC in seeking to make the CFMEU comply with the law, particularly in the light of the evidence heard by the Royal Commission and Counsel Assisting’s submissions to Commissioner Dyson Heydon on this matter,” Wilhelm Harnisch CEO of Master Builders Australia said. “Secondary boycotts are brutal industrial tactics that inflict financial damage on employers to cow them into submitting to unreasonable union demands. Master Builders has consistently called for action by regulators to suppress this conduct,” he said. “Building unions must understand that there is not one set of laws for them and another for the rest of the community. It is taxpayers who suffer because secondary boycotts force them to pay more for less community infrastructure,” Wilhelm Harnisch said. “The ACCC has indicated that it has experienced difficulties in gathering sufficient evidence to mount this legal action. That is why Master Builders is calling for a building industry watchdog with the stronger powers of the Australian Building and Construction Commission to be given responsibility for secondary boycotts in the building and construction industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch said.
“Master Builders National Survey of Building and Construction for the September quarter shows that the recovery in commercial building to the highest level since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the continuing positive outlook for residential building should prove a fillip for job prospects in the industry,” Peter Jones Chief Economist, Master Builders Australia said.
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Tuesday 21 October Sponsored by Village Building Co.
Thursday 21 August Sponsored by Colliers International
Valdis Luks Katy Gallagher MLA Paul Powderly
Master Builders ACT Chief Minister of the ACT Colliers International
Andrew Stewart David Dawes Valdis Luks
Friday 28 October Sponsored by Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers
Tuesday 2 September Sponsored by Indesco
Valdis Luks Simon Corbell MLA John Randall
Master Builders ACT Minister for Light Rail, Environment Indesco
Senator Eric Abetz
Thursday 4 September Sponsored by Balmain
Valdis Luks Mick Gentleman MLA David Kimmorley
Master Builders ACT Minister for Planning Balmain
Tuesday 14 October Sponsored by Village Building
Valdis Luks Jeremy Hanson MLA Bob Winnel AM
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Master Builders ACT Leader of the Opposition Village Building
CBRE Economic Development Directorate Master Builders ACT
Federal Minister for Employment
Friday 21 November Sponsored by Master Builders
Valdis Luks David Atken Steve Bracks AC Stephen Tunley
Master Builders ACT Cbus Cbus Balmain Investments
The Master Builders Fidelity Fund was established in 2002 to protect the interests of both consumers and builders in the ACT. For Builders, the Master Builders Fidelity Fund provides financial certainty as money held by the Fund remains in the ACT. It is securely invested and used for the betterment of the ACT builders and consumers and is therefore not subjected to the vagaries of international markets and events. The Fidelity Fund issues Fidelity Certificates which provide consumer protection for owners of new homes and those making significant changes to homes. The Certificates protect the owner during construction and for up to six years from the date of practical completion. Master Builders members receive reduced premium rates and we also offer special discounts for volume users of the Fidelity Fund. For more information contact the Master Builders Fidelity Fund.
Go online and find the cover that is right for you. www.mba.org.au/fidelity_fund
Master Builders Fidelity Fund 1 Iron Knob St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 | PO Box 1211, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Tel: (02) 6175 5995 Fax: (02) 6257 8349 Email: mbff@mba.org.au Web: www.mba.org.au
Images: courtesy Gold Coast Tourism
BUILDING AUSTRALIA Master Builders Australia National Conference & Awards
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Save the date — Gold Coast,12-14 November 2015
You’re invited to join Master Builders from around Australia to be part of the most exciting and rewarding building Industry Event in 2015! The Master Builders biennial National Conference will be held 12-14 November 2015 at Jupiters Hotel Convention Centre Broadbeach Gold Coast, a fully appointed one stop conference venue with over 540 superbly appointed accommodation rooms with easy access to beaches, restaurants, shopping centres, Theme Parks and attractions. The National Conference ‘Building Australia’ will deliver a comprehensive program of high profile speakers that will examine the building industry outlook and topics relevant to today’s building and construction industry. The conference includes a fully incorporated partners program, an exhibition and an exciting social program.
Register your interest online at www.masterbuilders.com.au
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