Canberra Building News 3-2012

EDITION 3-2012

SAFETY CULTURE & LEADERSHIP FORUM

NATIONAL AWARDS

THREE WINNERS FROM THE ACT

WE LOOK AT THE RESULTS

FRANKLIN CHARITY HOUSE

CHIEF MINISTER TO OPEN

CBUS NEW NAIMING RIGHTS PARTNER OF THE 2013 BUILDING AWARDS

MENTORS & APPRENTICES

CAMS BRINGS THEM TOGETHER

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MASTER BUILDERS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL President – Simon Butt Treasurer – Frank Porreca Commercial Builders Council Chair – Valdis Luks Civil Contractors Council Chair – Andy Crompton

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New ACT Government Ministries

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Annual Dinner Professor Ed Blakely speaks to 270 attending this year’s Annual Dinner.

All five Ministers will prove important to MBA.

Residential Builders Council Chair – Frank Porreca Professional Consultants Council Chair – Hans Sommer Suppliers & Subcontractors Council Chair – Graciete Ferreira MASTER BUILDERS MANAGEMENT TEAM Executive Director – John Miller Deputy Executive Director – Jerry Howard Director Industrial Relations – Mike Baldwin Senior Management Accountant – Louise MacCallum

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National Awards Winners

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Three wins at the National Awards showcases the ACT’s quality.

50

Girasole at Crace

Mag Construction’s new concept house.

MBA leads the way in mentoring apprentices The CAMS program ramps up and our aim is to increase completion rates.

32

Getting the Job done Safely See the outcomes from the recent Safety Culture and Leadership Forum.

16 ATO crackdown

A crackdown on payments to contractors starts this month.

24 The do at the Zoo

The MBA National board is treated to an excellent dinner at the National Zoo & Aquarium.

Master Builders Golf Day Date: Monday 25 February Where: Yowani Golf Club The Master Builders ACT Annual Charity Golf Day is the major social sporting event on our calendar. Tee-off with friends and colleagues from the building and construction industry and enjoy the entertainment provided by speed painter Brad Blaze, whilst helping raise funds for the Centenary Hospital for Woman and Children.

17 New levy on SMSF

SMSF levy to increase and be brought forward.

Senior Manager – Marketing & Membership Services – David Leitch MASTER BUILDERS GROUP TRAINING General Manager – Wendy Tengstrom

Master Builders Association of the ACT 1 Iron Knob St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 PO Box 1211, Fyshwick ACT 2601 Tel: (02) 6247 2099 Fax: (02) 6249 8374 Email: canberra@mba.org.au Web: www.mba.org.au Advertising enquires Senior Manager - Marketing & Membership Services – David Leitch Tel: (02) 6175 5970 Mob: 0437 379 391 Email: dleitch@mba.org.au

46 Franklin Charity House - update The Charity House is now on display.

MBA Group Training Apprentice & Cadet Awards Date: Friday 22 March Where: Ainslie Football Club The MBA Group Training Apprentice & Cadet Awards is an opportunity for industry professionals and industry bodies to come together to support and recogniseoutstanding work by the current MBA Group Training apprentices and cadets..

Master Builders & Cbus Excellence in Building Awards Date: Friday 28 June Where: National Convention Centre The Master Builders Excellence in Building Awards are largely regarded as the premier awards and networking event for the building and construction industry throughout Canberra and the surrounding region.

Main Cover Image: The Construction Apprenticeship Mentoring Scheme (CAMS) is now under way on a national level.

See p30-31 for more information.

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President's Message

President of Master Builders Association of the ACT, Simon Butt I would like to start my first article with a huge ‘Thankyou’ for the many years of service which our immediate past president, Ross Barrett, has given to the MBA ACT. I know he has been formally thanked at a number of industry forums however the achievements of the MBA ACT and the notable success of the MBA’s Group Training Organisation over the last decade are in no small part due to the effective leadership displayed by Ross and warrant further recognition.

His joke telling is legendary, not necessarily for its humour as much as its ‘bluntness’, however behind that humour is a focused and passionate

None more so than the current focus on safety as a result of the tragic deaths in recent times and on-going safety incidents. Nobody, certainly not the MBA nor our membership disputes that safety is, and has to be, a key area of continuous improvement and that one death is one too many.

The ACT Government’s safety inquiry (Briggs) report is, at the time of writing this article, shortly due to be presented to Government and will, we expect, be released to the public not long afterwards.

The MBA continues to work pro-actively and willingly with all parties to achieve

a lack of individual responsibility by many, both by companies and employees alike, and procurement systems that are abused by governments, institutions and developers which force the focus of the contracting system on other issues such as program, financial pressures, contractual matters at the expense of safety. This issue is a very complex one with many parties involved and all needing to take responsibility.

The other area of immediate concern is the lack of on-going work for our industry. The impact of tightened fiscal policies, negative sentiment over Europe and reduced local ACT Government

We are a resilient bunch, and it will be through the continued efforts of MBA ACT and the active involvement of our members that will see these tough times through. local business leader. His great reputation within the industry, the wider community and importantly both sides of the political spectrum is testament to his ability to have ably represented the interests of the membership of MBA ACT whilst still being involved in a highly successful local civil contracting business.

It is also important to acknowledge the continuing effort, and great work being done by the fantastic team at MBA ACT and MBA Group Training.

John, Jerry, Wendy and the whole team really do represent and support MBA members on a broad range of everyday issues including apprenticeships, training, education, safety, new and existing legislation, quality issues, IR matters, lobbying with government and regulators, technical matters and general support as needed.

There are, as usual, many challenges currently facing our industry.

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the vision of a safe workplace for all. It is a simplistic fallacy to state that all that builders and contractors are after is a ‘quick buck’ at the risk of those working on their sites. This myth is perpetuated by those who have little understanding of the time, effort and money that many of these local, privately - owned family businesses put in to protect their workers, other site staff and themselves.

Worse the myth is pedalled by those with a vested interest in power over sites but who have no liability for safety and are far from impartial.

We look forward to the Briggs report and working with government, the regulators, trade /sub-contractors and unions to achieve real change to the existing culture surrounding safety and addressing those problem areas that are all too apparent. An overly-burdensome, uncoordinated (federally & state/ territory) regulatory WH&S environment, confrontationist approach by unions,

infrastructure investment is creating severe stress on our membership.

The way forward must be, in part, for government to urgently invest in infrastructure and construction projects to stimulate a lack-lustre economy, whilst also addressing the on-going lack of productivity and cost increases being experienced through the current round of inflated wage claims and increased industrial disputation.

Whilst it may all appear doom and gloom, it isn’t. We are a resilient bunch, and it will be through the continued efforts of MBA ACT and the active involvement of our members that will see these tough times through. I look forward to working with the team at MBA ACT, the MBA Executive Board, ACT Government and the Directorates and all industry participants in striving to achieve a strong, sustainable and safe local construction industry.

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Executive Director's Message

Executive Director of Master Builders Association of the ACT, John Miller

It is about time in this country that we began to recalibrate our thinking around the concept of profit. Not only that, it’s already way past time that the ill-informed (of which there are plenty) stopped generalising about everyone in business, especially small to medium businesses, being motivated only by profit. This “profit” call has been prominent in the discussion locally around the recent safety debate where people who have no idea about the state of the industry look for an easy target to try and make their point.

Recent letters published in The Canberra Times contained lines such as “The brutal

difficult life can be without a bit extra in the tin. You can be as benevolent as you like to all and sundry to appease the masses but when you can’t look after your own, they can soon turn on you.

In the current environment, it is clear that a lot of margins are being squeezed. Sure, there’s a risk assessment to be made about how far you will take that to secure business, but in a battle for survival, and to get through to hopefully better times, margins are just not there for many. There is plenty more you could debate how those margins have been reduced but

it, the concept of profit is constantly portrayed as the devil to the masses.

Unfortunately many rarely take the time to inform themselves beyond a headline, and those who do are drowned by the bow wave of negativity that is fed to us on an hourly, daily, weekly basis.

And just to prove that making a surplus on activity isn’t a bad thing, I want to finish this last piece for the year in a very positive way. We have run a number of stories and features throughout the year on Franklin Charity House. This house is being auctioned in the new year and we are very

In the search for a headline and in typical fashion of knocking off those who make it, the concept of profit is constantly portrayed as the devil to the masses. building bosses are only interested in profit” and “Rush for profits has(sic) transformed the closely knit “family”…”.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of decades, in the haste of a lot of supposedly socially-minded people (many of whom wouldn’t have gone close to supporting any form of charity of their own volition) wanting to be seen and heard to be benevolent and charitable and caring, they target business as greedy and uncaring and driven by profit alone. In this country, and without question overseas, the meaning and value of profit has been allowed to be tarnished.

Looking around the world, Greece, Spain, Italy and France are beginning to understand that without money in the bank it’s hard to do anything. We don’t have to really go beyond our own shores, nor indeed our own borders, to see how

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the reality is that there are plenty of good small to medium business owners who are struggling to make ends meet. This struggle is being evidenced around the country almost on a daily basis. We are seeing businesses fall, or owners take the decision to close their doors.

The ability for business to be profitable, to use that profit not only as a reward for risk but also as an opportunity to reinvest to the benefit the community more broadly, will and must remain. What is more important is for our political leaders to play a greater role in helping the public to reacquaint themselves with the benefits that profitable business, big and small can bring. Little things like employment, family security, public facilities, helping others, and on it goes.

In the search for a headline and in typical fashion of knocking off those who make

confident that it will result in a few hundred thousand dollars being distributed to very deserving charities who have a strong connection with people in need of housing.

This partnership between MBA-ACT and the Land Development Agency with the wonderful support of Classic Constructions has been a shining light for all involved and those who will benefit. To everyone who has participated in this project, lead internally by the energetic David Leitch, I say a big thank-you and congratulations.

Finally, I also take this opportunity to wish all members and your families a very enjoyable, relaxing and safe festive season and a most positive and successful 2013.

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Industrial Relations Message

Director Industrial Relations, Master Builders Association of the ACT, Mike Baldwin

Where to next for safety regulation?

2013 has been a very difficult year for the industry in terms of the sharp downturn in work, with many firms facing the ‘fiscal cliff’. There has also been much movement in the safety space, where we have endured lots of regulatory change, a number of tragic deaths and an enquiry into safety in the construction industry. The enquiry’s report ‘Getting home safely’ has now been released and we embrace its call for change and the recommendations made to government and industry that will engender a stronger safety

Regulators and inspectors have also needed to understand changes to their powers, an example being the way the duties under the Act operate. These include duty of officers and the ‘reasonable steps’ taken by an officer for compliance. Recent cases do go some way to developing the jurisprudence including ASIC v Healey & Ors [2011] FCA 717 and Shafron v ASIC [2012] HCA 18. Let us hope that the flow of information, guidance notes, court decisions and the like will clarify these matters in the coming months.

context what is left to be done? I suggest the commonwealth’s to do list will look something like this: •

Press for the introduction of WHS Act in the remaining jurisdictions and where appropriate reassure those outsiders to the extent that their recalcitrance does not become a political eyesore;

•

Bed down the remaining codes of practice a process that may prove to be harder than expected, after all the codes have been years in the writing and there is still much to be done;

Certainly gains have been made and whilst here in the ACT cross border issues are rare for the membership, we remain supportive of harmonisation. focus and most importantly the cultural change needed.

The new regime By way of a quick review, January 1 saw the commencement of the WHS Act and regulations in five of nine jurisdictions, with Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia choosing to crawl slowly towards full harmonisation. Here in the ACT the Government’s response was tardy, with the regulations being published barely a week prior to the full implementation of the ACT legislation. As a result, the response to the harmonisation project has been less than fully embraced by industry, as numerous potholes appeared fairly quickly. One or two are worthy of mention including the unresolved approach to ROPES & FOPS and continued slow progress on the codes of practice. On this note we recommend that members regularly visit the Safe Work Australia website which is continually upgrading the codes of practice in particular, whilst explaining many of the newish terms now prevalent in the Act such as ‘reasonably practicable’’.

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What to expect in 2013 It is fare to say that regulatory change has been something of a whirlwind in recent years; hopefully 2013 offers us a little respite.

I believe there are two main reasons that draw us to this conclusion. Firstly, the constituency is frankly fed up with the change mantra in WH&S, so much so that several states have hardened their view of the utility of the entire harmonisation project. Western Australia for example continues to harden its opposition to the model and given the softening economic numbers coming out of the west and the political tensions between the state government and the commonwealth, we are unlikely to see any change to the position.

Secondly, we are about to enter an election year which ordinarily means consolidation is the name of the game.

Certainly gains have been made and whilst here in the ACT cross border issues are rare for the membership, we remain supportive of harmonisation. As a piece of public policy it is worthy, in practice, like most things it needs plenty of sunshine and fertilizer to grow and be embraced by all. So in this

•

Ensure that industry players including the regulator spend energy and time demystifying the regulatory framework via increased access to education and training.

Do this successfully and the project will reach a successful conclusion. Industry will be engaged and in learning to work with the changed environment, will ensure that change is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, all of which is of benefit to industry particularly and society more generally.

Cbus partners with the Master Builders Association of the ACT for the 2013 Excellence in Building Awards.

The Master Builders and Cbus Excellence in Building Awards are largely regarded as the premier awards and networking event for the building and construction industry throughout Canberra and the surrounding region.

The Awards are the highest accolade that the industry can bestow and showcase outstanding achievements by exceptional companies and individuals in the ACT building and construction industry.

The 2013 Awards, now in their 23rd year, will come with a considerable change as for the first time in 20 years the Master Builders ACT welcomes a change in Principal Partners.

Executive Director, John Miller, acknowledged Boral’s significant contribution and support of the Awards over the past 19 years. ‘We are extremely grateful for Boral’s outstanding partnership of the Excellence in Building Awards that had been formed for two decades and look forward to continuing the relationship into the future. In 2013 we are excited to welcome Cbus as the new Principal Partner for what is our most prestigious event of the year.’

As the industry super fund for the building and construction industry, Cbus manages over $18 billion of member’s funds, has 689,000 members and 80,000 employers.

To coincide with the Centenary of Canberra, the Master Builders Association of the ACT together with Cbus promise that the 2013 Awards will be the biggest celebration of Canberra’s building and construction industry to date.

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Government

The Master Builders ACT has a full agenda for the new ACT Government.

The building industry and Master Builders’ interests will be spread across all five ministerial portfolios following 20 October ACT election and re-allocation of portfolios.

Master Builders’ interests will focus particularly on the following minister’s portfolio responsibilities:

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher • • •

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Chief Minister and Cabinet Directorate Regional Development Health (in relation to new capital works)

Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr

Simon Corbell

• •

• •

Treasury Economic Development

Environment and Sustainable Development Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations

Shane Rattenbury

Joy Burch

• •

• •

Territory and Municipal Services Housing

Education and Training Disability (in relation to new capital works)

Master Builders has a large number of issues on which it will be seeking to engage the new Government and for which it will look to the Government for leadership. These include: •

•

Leadership in addressing construction industry safety issues in a balanced and constructive manner; ACT Government involvement in workforce planning and training, to ensure there are adequate apprenticeship and training positions in the building and construction industry so as to guard against shortages as the industry emerges from its current subdued phase;

•

Appropriately addressing planning issues including DV 306 (changes to residential and estate development codes);

•

Appropriate funding and management of ACT Government procurement to ensure that projects proceed in a timely manner;

•

Transport Infrastructure including light rail;

•

Addressing project delays; and;

•

Timely payments to contractors working on ACT Government projects.

The election resulted in the continuation of Labor minority government in the territory, with the Government supported in power by the Greens. The Greens sole representative in the new 17 member Assembly, Shane Rattenbury, will be a minister, unlike the previous Government where the Greens supported the Government without representation in the ministry.

Following the distribution of portfolios Master Builders ACT welcomed the announcement of the new ACT Cabinet and the appointment of Mr Rattenbury to the Territory and Municipal Services portfolio.

The deputy executive director of the MBA-ACT, Jerry Howard noted that Mr Rattenbury had also been appointed the Minister for Housing in the new Cabinet while the Deputy Chief Minister and Treasurer, Andrew Barr had responsibility for Economic Development.

“The MBA-ACT has enjoyed a long and mutually-beneficial relationship with the Department of Territory and Municipal Services and we look forward to that continuing with Mr Rattenbury at the helm,” he said.

Mr Howard said TAMS represented a vital interface between the Government and a range of industries, including the local building and construction industry and its importance had been reflected by the fact that it had previously been encompassed by the Chief Minister, Katy Gallagher.

“On that basis, we regard it as vital that a strong and open working relationship with TAMS and the relevant minister,” he said.

Mr Howard also said there was considerable ongoing consultation around regulatory and compliance issues impacting the building and construction industry , and that the MBA-ACT would be seeking to continue providing positive input.

“We welcome Mr Rattenbury’s appointment and the opportunity to work with him to pursue the best interests of Canberra and the ACT,” he said.

The election increased the Liberals representation from 6 to 8 members, Labor’s from 7 to 8 and reduced the Greens from 4 members to 1, giving Mr Rattenbury the balance of power.

“The MBA-ACT has enjoyed a long and mutuallybeneficial relationship with the Department of Territory and Municipal Services and we look forward to that continuing with Mr Rattenbury at the helm” - Jerry Howard

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Higher payments to employ apprentices The Federal Government has announced an overhaul of the apprenticeship system for the building trades with additional Govearnment incentives to employ up to 21,000 plumbers, electricians, carpenters and other construction tradespeople.

The “Kickstart” scheme was welcomed by Master Builders Australia.

Minister for Skills, Senator Chris Evans, said the Government will double the incentive paid to employers for an additional 21,000 construction tradespeople. “This means thousands more young Australians will have the opportunity to learn a trade and access the high-paid, highskilled jobs in our economy,” Senator Evans said.

The Government said it was offering greater incentives to critical areas of the economy that are experiencing skills shortages, with an initial focus on the construction industry. It said the reforms will better target incentives to employers and put a greater emphasis on full-time jobs in skills that the economy urgently needs. The “Kickstart” scheme will give small and medium employers, who employ an apprentice between December 2012 and February 2013, an additional $3,350 payment in two instalments. This increases the support to an apprentice in the traditional trades from $9,500 to $12,850,” Senator Evans said.

However the October mini-Budget also included $496 million in cuts to apprenticeship funding. Senator Evans said the Government would further reform the apprenticeship system to: •

•

•

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balance the incentives paid to parttime and casual trainees in non-shortage occupations as a proportion of the incentive paid for a full-time trainee. maintain support for trainees doing diplomas in the skills needs areas of aged care, child care and nursing while supporting other diploma students through access to HECSstyle loans and the industr y-driven National Workforce Development Fund. simplify and better target support for employers of adult apprentices (aged 25 years and over) by replacing weekly payments of $150 to employers in the first year of an adult apprenticeship and $100 in the second year with a one-off bonus payment of $4,000.

Where employees aged 25 years and over are paid under the National Minimum Wage, they will continue to receive $13,000 in additional direct support over two years.

“By targeting our training investment to the areas where we know there will be strong demand for workers, we will ensure the demands of industry are met and that Australians are first in line for jobs, while also making sure these incentives are sustainable for the long term,” Senator Evans said.

He said the boost to traditional trades was needed because conditions in the housing sector were set to improve into 2014 and 2015. “This will see the demand for construction skills grow again and it is important that we start training Australians in those skills now. These reforms ensure we deliver the right skills, in the right areas, at the right time.”

Chief Executive of Master Builders Australia, Wilhelm Harnisch, said the program will provide a much needed boost to the industry’s capability to take on young apprentices for 2013.

“The building and construction industry takes pride in being the largest employer of trade apprentices and is proactive in improving the apprentice completion rate, but faces challenges. The building industry has been experiencing a prolonged downturn in activity which has impeded its short term capacity to take on as many new apprentices as it would like.

“Kickstart will help the industry boost apprentice rates to train the next generation of tradies that are necessary to meet future workforce needs of the industry. Currently, this is also made difficult by a low apprentice completion rate. Close to 42 per cent of apprentices do not complete their trade in the building and construction industry.”

However Mr Harnisch also said “Master Builders is concerned by reports that the Government is planning to announce cuts to other apprenticeship programs, which may offset some of these benefits.”

Senator Evans said, “These reforms will help address the growing demand for skills more efficiently and is the next step in the Government’s long-term skills reform agenda.”

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Tax Office warns of building industry crackdown The Tax Office has warned of a new crackdown on payments to contractors in the building industry starting in November 2012.

The ATO has informed Tax and BAS Agents that in November “we will send letters to contractors in the building and construction industry to provide information about the new taxable payments reporting system. There may be instances where the letter may come to you and we ask that you forward it to your client.”

The warning appears to be a pre-emptive move by the ATO to ensure that payment details are recorded by the building and construction industry. The first Taxable payments annual report is due 21 July 2013 for payments made in the 2012-13 financial year. In this first year, if a business lodges its Business Activity Statement quarterly, it is required to lodge its first Taxable payments annual report by 28 July 2013.

The reporting implements changes announced in the 2011 Budget of the introduction of taxable payments reporting for businesses in the building and construction industry.

From 1 July 2012, businesses in the building and construction industry are required to report the total payments they make to each contractor for building and construction services each year.

The ATO said information reported about payments made to contractors will be used for data matching to detect contractors who have not: •

lodged tax returns

•

included all their income on tax returns that have been lodged.

Businesses are required to report if from 1 July 2012: •

you are a business that is primarily in the building and construction industry; and

•

you make payments to contractors for building and construction services; and

•

you have an Australian business number (ABN).

You are considered to be a business that is primarily in the building and construction industry if any of the following apply: •

in the current financial year, 50 per cent or more of your business income is derived from providing building and construction services

•

in the current financial year, 50 per cent or more of your business activity relates to building and construction services

•

in the financial year immediately before the current financial year, 50 per cent or more of your business income was derived from providing building and construction services.

The warning appears to be a pre-emptive move by the ATO to ensure that payment details are recorded by the building and construction industry.

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New rules for self managed super fund levy.

The Federal Government has announced it will reform the levy on self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), increasing the amount of the levy and changing when the levy is collected.

The payment of the SMSF levy is to be brought forward so that it is levied and collected in the same financial year.

The Government said this would mean that payment of the levy would be consistent with Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) regulated funds, which pay the superannuation supervisory levy in the same financial year it is levied. SMSFs are regulated by the Australian Tax Office (ATO) to which the SMSF levy is paid.

The change in the timing of the collection of the SMSF levy will be phased in over the two financial years (201314 and 2014-15). The annual SMSF levy will increase to $191 (in 2012-13) and to $259 from 2013-14 onwards to ensure full cost recovery, the Government said.

Housing forecast RAISED in Mid-Year Budget forecasts.

The Federal Government’s Mid-Year Budget Update maintained its flat forecast for housing construction in 2012-13, but has raised its forecast to an increase of 4 per cent in housing construction in 2013-14, compared to a forecast rise of just 2 ½ per cent contained in the May Budget.

According to the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) statement dwelling investment declined 3.3 per cent in 2011-12 on the back of continued weakness in the detached housing market.

MYEFO also said that weakness in the retail sector and the expectation of below-trend employment growth, and subdued demand for new office space, is expected to be reflected in weak growth in new non-residential building activity, with growth of just 1 per cent forecast in 2012-13 and 1½ per cent in 2013-14.

It said new engineering construction is expected to grow 19 per cent in 2012-13 and 7 per cent in 2013-14, underpinned by LNG and iron ore projects. The resources sector is also expected to drive higher levels of investment in new machinery and equipment, with growth forecast to be 9 per cent in 2012-13 and 7½ per cent in 2013-14.

The May Federal Budget stated that dwelling construction was expected to remain subdued, with households reluctant to take on more debt and some investors hesitant because of the prospect of continued subdued house price growth.

The pre-election Budget Update for the ACT published immediately before the ACT election maintained the ACT economic forecasts unchanged from the ACT Budget in June.

In the Election Update the ACT Treasury said that in 2012-13 “the residential building cycle is expected to stabilise following the strength seen in recent years. Nevertheless, activity will remain at a high level, supported by the ACT Government residential land release program, population growth and low interest rates. “

It said economic growth in the ACT was expected to be below trend in 2012-13, mainly reflecting the impact of the contraction in Commonwealth Government consumption expenditure. State Final Demand and Gross State Product in 2012-13 were estimated at ½ per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.

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Master Builders Australia Chief Executive Officer Wilhelm Harnisch said the Government’s MYEFO building forecasts confirmed the MBA’s own projections for a tough year ahead for builders, particularly in the commercial construction sector.

He said the MYEFO report “unfortunately points to a domestic economy where the building and construction will not feature large.

“Master Builders’ forecasts and member surveys have shown that conditions in the industry have been at very low levels for some time. The muted recovery in residential building predicted for the new financial year is cold comfort for builders and contractors. Commercial construction remains in the doldrums and forward activity is low, meaning more jobs are under threat in the sector. A reduction in payments to employers of apprentices over 25 years creates a substantial disincentive and is a backwards step in Government employment policy.

“Master Builders September quarter survey of more than 500 builders and contractors suggests businesses are expecting to reduce their workforce to try and stay solvent. It backs up Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing construction employment fell by 70,000 in the year to August.”

The subdued outlook “confirms the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates by more than 1.25 per cent over the past year. The RBA must be prepared to continue to cut rates and banks must pass them on in full, to help stimulate the industry,” Mr Harnisch said.

The muted recovery in residential building predicted for the new financial year is cold comfort for builders and contractors.

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Contact Us 5 McEacharn Place (PO Box 155) Mitchell ACT 2911 T: 02 6241 3533 F: 02 6241 7315 E: thirlston@grapevine.com.au

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17 OCTOBER 2012, HOTEL REALM, BARTON

With over 260 guests in attendance, this year’s annual Dinner proved to be a mix of celebration, recognition and forward thinking. MC Adam Scicluna kept the night moving with his unique brand of humour and song, whilst guest speaker Professor Ed Blakely enthralled the audience with his knowledge and experience in urban planning and energy consumption. It was a most educational presentation* from a renowned leader in the field. * The powerpoint presentation can be downloaded from the Master Builders Website under Events/Previous Events (then click on the 2012 Annual Dinner link)

During the evening, the audience were treated to a video about the Franklin Charity House project. This project, now in the final stages before going to auction has been a monumental task made that much easier by the dedication and commitment of the members who have generously donated their time and materials.

Following the Franklin Charity House presentation was the Build the Community Award. This award goes to a local business whose achievements and contributions have helped the community. This year, Classic Constructions received the

Build the Community Award for their dedication and ongoing support of the Franklin Charity House.

On the night, the Master Builders and all its members said goodbye to long standing President, Ross Barrett OAM. For eleven years Ross has dedicated his time and energy into improving the industry and guiding members through difficult times. As we say goodbye to Ross we welcome Simon Butt as the new President of the Master Builders Association of the ACT.

Photographs on this page// Main: Guests enjoy pre-dinner drinks & canapes.

Below Left: Hotel Realm at dusk.

Below Middle: John Miller & Gai Brodtmann MP. Below Various: Guests enjoy pre-dinner drinks.

Federal MP Gai Brodtmann presenting John Miller with a framed speech delivered to the House of Representatives.

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MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES

Andy Crompton from Chincivil accepting his certificate from John Haskins.

Rob Purdon from Purdon Associates accepting his certificate from John Haskins.

Spiros Brendas from Kenoss Contractors accepting his certificate from John Hailey.

Boris Planinac from Pavilion Homes accepting his certificate from John Haskins.

Craig and Wayne Richards from Erincole accepting their certificate from Bob Winnel AM.

Dominic Maiuto of Oztal Architects accepting his certificate from Bob Winnel AM.

Andrew Spinelli and Chris Spinelli from Belconnen Concrete accepting the certificate from Ross Barrett OAM

Scott Mennie from Boral Plasterboard accepting his certificate from Ross Barrett OAM.

Ross Barrett OAM accepting his parting gift from John Haskins.

Professor Ed Blakely

Event Sponsors

Mick and George Tanchevski receive the Build the Community Award for their work with the Franklin Charity House

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National Awards Photographs // First: ANU School of Research School of Earth Sciences.

Second: Compass House.

Third: Kings Avenue Overpass.

Bottom: Construction Control receive their award.

The 2012 Master Builders National Excellence in Building & Construction Awards.

The Master Builders Australia National Awards were held on Friday, 16 November at the Parliament House in Canberra. Over 350 guests from across the country gathered for a night of celebration and to acknowledge exceptional work undertaken in the building and construction industry across Australia.

Regional, State and Territory Master Builders Associations across Australia received a record 5,000 project entries into this year’s Excellence in Building and Construction Awards. From these, a pool of national finalists was drawn and judged by an independent committee.

The Master Builders Association of the ACT is proud to announce that three ACT projects were recognised as the best in building and construction in their category at the 2012 National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards.

Jaeger 8 showcases a variety of travertine, granite, marble and volcanic stones both internally and externally. These materials offer unique design features that are not only attractive to look at but are also used as a teaching tool for students studying earth sciences.

Timber was used extensively throughout to add texture, depth and warmth to all spaces and the external brickwork was cut and laid to mimic sedimentary rock patterns.

Construction Control have maximised the energy efficiency and natural ventilation through the incorporation of exceptionally high levels of insulation, double glazed windows, external sun screens on the facade, new lighting systems and active and passive design.

The innovative air handling system uses the cooling effects of rainwater stored in tanks to chill air from outside and distribute it internally via ventilation shafts.

Construction Control National Public Buildings Award $5 million - $10 million Australian National University Research School of Earth Sciences Jaeger 8 is an administrative hub with a visible and distinctive entry. The building encompasses teaching areas and accommodation for staff and students while achieving excellence in energy efficiency.

The research and teaching environments within the building have been designed to be flexible and adaptable allowing for future changes in technology, accommodation type and teaching methodologies.

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General Manager, John Pfeiffer, said that Construction Control is extremely excited and appreciative of receiving this accolade “Construction Control always strives to achieve best practice results for all our Clients and stakeholders. This accolade reinforces our approach and vindicates the efforts we consider as being normal practice”.

Construction Control is to be congratulated on what is a remarkable building with a unique design, sustainable innovations and allowances for adaptive use of teaching space.

Construction Control were awarded a 2012 Master Builders Excellence in Building Award for ACT Commercial Building $5m $10m.

converts uses from the IT server equipment to power the building’s hot water systems. An unusual find in Australia is the smart rooftop chiller system from Italy which allows Compass House to provide heating and cooling at the same time from the heat that’s produced from the cooling cycle.

The building has incorporated a lot of energy saving devices such as the integration of solar photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors into the façade. A highly cost effective and creative approach, these panels may be mistaken for windows but in fact produce power. During winter the thermal collectors heat the panels that reticulate the water used to heat the slabs on both floors. The result is essentially free heating when the sun is shining in winter.

Nikias Diamond Property Developments National Environment & Energy Efficiency Commercial Building Award Designed to become the Client’s showcase for environment sustainability, Nikias Diamond’s Compass House employs a myriad of new technologies from across the world.

A state-of-the-art thermally-broken curtain wall designed in Europe uses the best double glazing technology in Australia to maximise energy conservation. Solar photovoltaic panels applied to the roof, mounted to shade awnings and integrated as vertical spandrel panels produce an energy rating of 32kW. Inside, a unique high-performance heat-pump from Japan

Director, George Diamond, said Nikias Diamond is very excited to be acknowledged on a national level as they continue to strive for better outcomes in environmental sustainability in all projects both now and in the future. ‘We would like to particularly thank our client, Rudd Consulting Engineers, in aspiring to achieve such initiatives within their own premises.’

‘We would also like to thank our team and contractors who followed suit to create such a new revelation in building innovation’ said Mr Diamond.

Compass House raises the benchmark for environmentally sound developments and is another step towards carbon neutral, energy positive commercial buildings.

Compass House was awarded the ACT Commercial Project Exhibiting Innovation at the 2012 Master Builders and Boral Excellence in Building Awards.

Woden Contractor’s managing director, Peter Middleton, has said that the company will always be grateful to the National Capital Authority (NCA) for entrusting the construction of the Kings Avenue Overpass and associated road-works to the staff and employees of the group. ‘The project provided the Woden’s team with the chance to demonstrate excellence in construction quality and project organisation at what is one of Canberra’s busiest intersections’ said Mr Middleton.

Mr Middleton also wished to thank the NCA and the supervising architects and engineers for their genuine partnering approach during the whole construction period.

‘Some significant issues were resolved by sensible discussion and the project stands as a testament to cooperative rather than adversarial contracting.’

Woden Contractors National Civil/Infrastructure Awards under $25 million It is rare that an ACT based civil construction company gets the opportunity to build a highly visible and prestigious piece of public infrastructure such as the Kings Avenue Overpass which was designed to be one of the cornerstone features of the road network within the National Parliamentary Triangle.

Construction of the Overpass featured a poured in-situ post tensioned bridge structure spanning 31 metres and boasting a high quality smooth finish of the underside of the slab. Curved precast vertical and horizontal panels help provide a visually impressive finished product which is enhanced at night with variable coloured LED bridge balustrade light rails and fluorescent up-lighting.

In addition to winning ACT state based construction awards from the Master Builders ACT and Civil Contractors Federation (CCF), the project was recently acknowledged on a national level by winning Category 4 (projects $20 million to $75 million) of the highly coveted CCF Earth Awards as well as being awarded the Master Builders Australia National Civil/Infrastructure Award.

The Kings Avenue Overpass is a great project which will be long remembered by the Woden’s team.

Photographs // This page top: Nikias Diamond receive their award.

This page bottom: Woden Contractors receive their award.

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Photographs // Main: A White Lion keeps an eye on guests.

Below Left: David Leitch gets cosy with a python.

Below Centre: Wilhelm Harnisch, Sid Maher, Peter Kennedy.

Below Right: Guests in the ‘dining room’.

Bottom Right: Feeding time.

! o o Z e h t t a A do On Thursday 15 November the Master Builders National Board convened in Canberra ahead of the National Building Awards.

With the 2013 National Conference set to be held in Canberra, we took the opportunity to showcase what our city has to offer by hosting the National Board Industry Dinner at one of Canberra’s most unique venues – the National Zoo and Aquarium.

The 70 invited guests were treated to pre-dinner drinks with the monkeys before making their way to an exclusive dining location amongst the white lions.

The amazing team at the National Zoo and Aquarium were on hand to discuss the animals on display and provided guests with the opportunity to get up close and personal with a few of the more scaly species.

The adventure continued when the staff at the Zoo provided the opportune moment for guests to witness the lions at full charge at feeding time.

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The National Zoo and Aquarium is sure to bring the additional WOW factor to any function.

Asbestos Awareness Training with MBA Group Training Worksafe ACT have advised: Section 19 (3) (f ) of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 provides that a PCBU [a person conducting a business or undertaking, e.g. an employer] must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that they provide any information, training, instruction or supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from their work.

The guidance note deals with PCBUs of workers for whom there is a real prospect that they may come into contact with asbestos as part of their work. These workers include: •

construction industry workers, including licensed and unlicensed tradespeople, painters, window installers, cabinetmakers, fencers, labourers

•

workers who are entering ceiling cavities for any purpose, including pest spray operators, insulation installers, air-conditioning installers, maintenance and repair workers, persons making recommendations on or improving solar capacity for a property

•

workers who disturb, remove or repair internal and external walls or fibro sheeting

•

some agricultural industry workers, including some farmers and landscapers

•

workers who are involved in the removal, maintenance or repair of any products or infrastructure that is likely to contain asbestos, for example, brake pads, backyard ponds, swimming pools, sheds, letter boxes, insulation, lagging, cement, sheeting, roofing and flooring (refer to Builders and Tradespeople on the worksafe.act.gov.au website for more detailed information)

In order to meet their safety duties, PCBUs are expected to have evidence to show that relevant workers have received adequate information and training to enable them: •

to understand the dangers of asbestos

•

to be aware of its likely presence and locations

•

identify asbestos, and

•

most importantly know what to do when its presence is likely or confirmed

Mandatory asbestos awareness training (four hours) is likely to commence early in 2013. What this will essentially mean is that all construction workers will be required to undertake this training in asbestos awareness.

MBA Group Training can provide you with the required training for asbestos awareness.

Please contact Cecilee Miller on 6280 9119 or email cmiller@mba.org.au to book in to the next available training course.

THE RISK FACTOR: WHS CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS IN HIGH DEMAND Workplace Health & Safety specialists are in high demand in the ACT construction industry as employers attempt to protect themselves from risk, says recruiting experts Hays Construction.

“This is a role that has not only evolved over time but is now high on the agenda for many organisations,” says Adam Shapley, Regional Director of Hays in ACT. “Due to the recent changes in Workplace Health & Safety legislation and the harmonisation law requirements for policy and procedure amends, Workplace Health & Safety (WHS) professionals have been in high demand. But the shortage of these professionals has meant many organisations have been stretched to meet the deadlines for these new requirements.

This has certainly highlighted the serious skills shortage that exists in this space across Australia.

“The spotlight has also been placed firmly on employers’ own personal liability. As a result, they are attempting to mitigate risk, both their own and their clients, by recruiting WHS professionals.

Construction Consultancies are acting to ensure contractors have relevant WHS policies and procedures in place, while contractors are in turn recruiting more site based professionals in this area to meet their clients’ needs. The increase in joint venture projects, which requires stringent adherence to processes, is also fuelling demand for skilled WHS professionals with proven relationship management ability and astute communication skills, to support trade based staff and white collar professionals.”

According to Hays Construction, the Work Heath Safety role itself has also evolved over recent years, which shrinks the pool of candidates with the desired blend of legislative knowledge, training ability, auditing and compliance experience.

“The duties of a WHS professional are now far more management systems audit focused since companies need to ensure they have the correct processes in place. Employers also place great importance on the correct implementation of this job function’s duties, which is why they’re seeking qualified candidates with at least a Certificate or Diploma qualification and dedicated experience in the field.”

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The need for relevant industry experience is another factor in today’s skills shortage, according to Hays Construction.

“Many employers look for candidates with similar industry experience. For example, an employer in the construction industry will not consider a WHS professional from the public sector,” says Adam.

“Employers are very particular in this requirement since the risks are high and the unique nature of the construction industry is viewed as too steep a learning curve for a candidate without any industry experience.

“But while there are legislative differences, many aspects of a candidates’ experience and skills are transferable, particularly if they have experience with blue collar contract staff for example council gardeners, landscapers, facilities management or refuse collection.”

Adding to the skills shortage is the transient nature of many of these professionals.

“Given the nature of the industry, where there are always projects being won, ramping up or concluding, project WHS professionals are very transient. The mining industry, with its higher salaries, has also attracted a lot of these candidates away from the construction industry, which further adds to the skills shortage.”

Hays Construction has specialist WHS consultants in each state who recruit experienced temporary, contract and permanent WHS professionals.

To search for WHS jobs, visit www.hays.com.au

In Canberra, Hays is located at: Level 5, 54 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra or can be reached by calling 02 6257 6344.

www.hays.com.au Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

Occupational Skin Cancer a costly cancer for workplaces In a recent Cancer Council research paper titled ‘Workers’ compensation claims paid in Australia 2000-2009’ it was noted that approximately 1,360 worker compensation claims for sun related injury/disease were made in Australia between 2000 and 2009, at a cost of over $38 million. This figure is likely to increase in the future yet is ‘preventable’ by the establishment and enforcement of effective workplace sun protection policies and practices.

Each year approximately 440,000 Australians are treated for skin cancer, and over 1,850 people will lose their lives to this largely preventable disease. Skin cancer incurs greater costs to the healthcare system than any other type of cancer in Australia.

In the ACT 80% of melanoma deaths occur in people over the age of 45, with the vast majority being men. These statistics clearly spell out that men need to be more vigilant when it comes to sun protection and knowing their skin for changes.

In the ACT 80% of melanoma deaths occur in people over the age of 45, of these deaths, the vast majority occur in men.

The outdoor nature for some employment can result in increased exposure to solar UV radiation for workers. Research shows as many as 34% of Australian workers are exposed to direct sunlight during working hours, it has been estimated that around 200 melanomas and 34,000 non melanoma skin cancers per year can be directly attributed to occupational UV exposure.

Work Health and Safety legislation has a clear objective to prevent illness and injury at work and to save lives. ACT PCBU (persons conducting a business or undertaking) includes employers, sole traders, principal contractors, partnerships, franchisees and volunteer organisations etc and all must take reasonably practicable steps to protect their workers from any foreseeable harm, including over-exposure to occupational UV exposure. ACT workers also have a responsibility to take care of their own health and wellbeing and must cooperate with their employer’s efforts to improve workplace health and safety standards.

Skin cancer rates are higher in men than women, with two in three Australian men experiencing some form of skin cancer before the age of 70. And whilst effective sun protection behaviour will minimise the risk of skin cancer at any age it is applied, it is vital for younger workers, entering the workforce, to develop and maintain healthy attitudes, knowledge and behaviour around skin cancer prevention and early detection signs. Positive attitudes and behaviour must be reinforced and supported by senior workers and management.

Cancer Council ACT can provide local workplaces with SunSmart Information Sessions plus resources to help keep occupational UV exposure awareness high on their work health and safety agenda.

For more information visit Cancer Council ACT click call email

www.actcancer.org/sun-smart/outdoor-workers.aspx (02) 6257 9999 david.wild@actcancer.org

Image ➢ courtesy of QLD Health

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PANEL HOMESTM Panel Homes TM a new and innovative home design and construction concept has just arrived in Bungendore.

New to this area after its recent release by “Mates Group” the Master Franchisee for Panel Homes TM. Created by Burke Engineer Services P/L near Maitland NSW, after many years of development, Panel Homes TM is a precast concrete system for residential construction unlike any other in the building industry. The unique construction methodology puts these homes out in front of the old traditional brick veneer buildings.

which form part of the structural support of the house.

These walls are installed in about 4-5 hrs, and the truss framing can start the same day.

After the roof truss framing is complete a concrete waffle pod slab is installed (no need for form work as the walls form the slab edge).

Internal partition wall frames are then installed.

As an alternative, the roofing can be installed, thus weatherproofing the job. The concrete waffle ground slab is then be poured under cover.

I found huge cash-flow benefits as a builder with my “lockup” progress payments from the client’s bank arriving before my accounts from suppliers.

Heading down the “green” track another surprise was at lockup when I only had ONE ute load of rubbish for the tip which included some roof sheeting and roof batten off cuts, and some off cuts of slab reo. Tip fees saved!!!!!!!!

Panel HomesTM Handover for this home was on day 40

With 10 days to lockup and 8 weeks turnkey completion, the benefits are obvious for builders & owners alike.

Bungendore’s first Panel Home TM, a 250m2, 4 bedroom plus study house was “locked up” in 9 days, with hand overo on day 40.

The benefits and features of a “Panel HomeTM”: •

Energy ratings & acoustic performance up to a 20% improvement over the traditional brick veneer home.

•

High ratings for protection against bushfire (2 hour fire rating for the concrete walls) and earthquake resistance.

•

No need for any further white ant protection. With the precast concrete load bearing walls and H2 timber (or steel) frames & trusses the National Construction Code requires no further white ant barrier.

•

Factory manufactured precast concrete is very precise. Start straight, finish straight. All trades typically comment on the ease of working on these houses.

Custom design Panel Homes TM are available in single level, two storey, duplexes and multi-unit. It is endless as I have had enquiries for an ambulance station with 2 bedroom, conference and accommodation centre, even a take away shop.

The speed of construction and the modern look is definitely what has sparked all the interest.

Panel Homes TM is a franchised building system marketed by “Mates Group” (www.matesgroup.org). They are also a relationship, mental health group who are right now negotiating with national companies to tailor these homes for the affordable housing market.

The cost of a Panel Home TM is comparable to traditional brick veneer construction BUT with many more benefits.

Enquires Mick Johnson Director, M Johnson Building Services PO Box 143 Bungendore, NSW 2621 M 0412 799433

The Methodology of a “Panel HomeTM: The design eliminates traditional concrete footings that are cast on site.

The precast wall panels are erected on precast concrete footing pads

Day 1

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Panel Frames are up

Day 4

E mjohnsonbuilding@gmail.com W www.panelhomesconcept.com.au

Waffle slab & trusses

Day 40

The home is complete!

The Kids Assist Program, now in its 11th year, gives year 10 students the opportunity to discover the building and construction industry whilst encouraging new skill developments and, most importantly, showing students links between their schooling and the workforce.

Around 50 students were interviewed for the opportunity to commence training with the Master Builders as a part of the Kids Assist Program.

The selected students were trained over four weeks at the Fyshwick based regional training facility in the theoretical aspects of the trades and industry. Participants experienced what it is like to be a bricklayer, carpenter, concreter, formwork carpenter, wall and ceiling liner, painter and solid plasterer.

To wrap up the seven week program, the students undertook a two week placement in Crace and Forde to really experience what it is like to work on a construction site.

The 2012 Kids Assist Graduation Breakfast celebrated the achievements of 21 graduating students at a ceremony in Crace.

Joe Gleeson from Canberra’s 104.7 emceed the event and Rod Mitton, Chair of Master Builders Group Training Executive Committee was on hand to present the students with their Certificate of Achievement.

Guests were also delighted to hear first hand experiences from two of the graduating students Riley McGhie and Christopher Szentes (pictured).

The continued success of the program is a reflection of the passion and drive of many people. A particular mention should go to Warren Ahrens and the team from PBS Homes and the many subcontractors who have donated their time to host the students.

2012 kids assist graduation breakfast.

2012 Graduates Riley McGhie Christopher Szentez Alexander Corker Sarah Vavoulas Blake Clarke Christopher Crane Fares Daekh Ruben Hekimian Harris Kobas Jason Margules Liam Martin Matthew Murphy Lachlan Thompson Scott Humphries Max Plohberger Brock Kalachoff Blake Willding Jake Johnson Dylan O’Brien Kiowa Farrell Wood Jayden Vella

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The Construction Apprenticeship Mentoring Scheme (CAMS) is a comprehensive, nationally co-ordinated approach to supporting building and construction apprentices. It integrates an online engagement strategy with access to one-on-one mentoring. CAMS is supported by the Commonwealth Government through the Apprenticeship Mentoring Program. Malcolm Beer discusses this initiative. to apprenticeships as well as having access to a new level of pastoral care and support through CAMS. This will prove to be a benefit for many apprentices not indentured through a group training organisation.

Any individual interested in this program is encouraged to contact Master Builders ACT. We encourage anyone with experience working with apprentices and young people to get involved as well as apprentices wanting to further their opportunities in construction.

We have received a number of expressions of interest from apprentices, this proves that apprentices are starting to see the benefits in the program and are willing to better themselves for the future

How will Mentoring work?

Mentoring through the ages has traditionally happened naturally and produced protégés that have left their mark on history. The relationships formed through mentoring can leave a life long impression on an individual and inspire them to achieve great things.

Forming a scheme that attempts to harness this kind of mentor mentee relationship was always going to be a challenge initially. The hardest part is finding individuals who have been regarded as mentors for many years and even those who have the potential to be really good mentors, as well as allowing apprentices to access this resource and convincing them of the long term benifits.

The past three months has shown me that although the construction industry has its downturns and tough times there are always people willing to give something back, people who want to ensure we will still have skilled tradies in 20 or 30 years time. Some of these people work in schools teaching basic wood and metal work skills, some are tradesmen working in the industry, some tender for multi million dollar contracts and some just want to help apprentices stay in the industry.

I am very pleased to say the Master Builders Apprentice Mentoring Scheme is well under way with 11 Mentors committed to the scheme. This will allow up to 20 Apprentices access to mentoring with ambitions of expanding radically over the next 12 months.

Apprentices will have access to online resources relating

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•

Mentors are matched with apprentices based on background trade and overall suitability.

•

They then meet with a Master Builders apprentice engagement officer to put in place a mentoring plan.

•

Mentors will meet with apprentices monthly or at intervals appropriate for the set goals.

•

Mentors will make themselves contactable by the apprentice at appropriate times if there are particular issues that may need to be discussed

•

The duration of the commitment will be one year and all mentors and mentees will receive a certificate of completion.

Benefits for Apprentices: •

Opportunity to be mentored by the best in the industry

•

Access to extensive knowledge and experience of the industry

•

Excellent career advice and increasing your networking opportunities

•

Obtain independent guidance with work and life issues

•

Receive exclusive merchandise and discounts off master builders products

•

Achieve a certificate of completion on your CV

www.alinkact.com.au

Offering one-on-one guidance about work, learning, careers and potential life issues is well established as a valuable means of supporting apprentices through their training. Under the CAMS model, it is an industry system of industry practitioners with a desire to “give back” to the training system by supporting current apprentices.

Introducing Malcolm Beer, Apprentice Engagement Officer

Benefits for Mentors: •

Opportunity to mentor with a program of national significance aimed at increasing the retention rate of apprentices by sharing life skills, knowledge and experience

•

Give back to the industry by supporting apprentices and making a positive personal contribution to addressing the skills shortage

•

Recognition from Master Builders and peers for volunteers time and expertise for improving the training experience of an apprentice

•

Exclusive merchandise, discounts off Master Builders products and services, certificate of acknowledgement, mentors-only social events.

A-Link ACT is pleased to announce our Apprentice Engagement Officer, Malcolm Beer has begun work bringing our experienced mentors together with apprentices in the region. Malcolm is a qualified carpenter who has worked in the industry for six years and has experience training apprentices. Malcolm enjoys working with and guiding apprentices and ensuring they have a bright future in the industry.

For more information on this program please contact Malcolm on: Ph: 02 6175 5955 Fax: 02 6280 9118 Email: mbeer@mba.org.au

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas A Edison

The Construction Apprenticeship Mentoring Scheme is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, Science Research and Tertiary Education through the Australian Apprenticeships Mentoring Package.

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Safety Feature

GETTING THE JOB DONE SAFELY. Safety Culture & Leadership Forum

This section details the results and perceptions from the recent Safety Culture & Leadership Forum at the National Convention Centre in Canberra.

In response to recent tragic events in the ACT which have increased the focus on safety in the local building and construction industry, the Master Builders continued its proactive stance on safety with the recent Safety Culture & Leadership Forum.

On 22nd October 2012, during National Safety Week, the Master Builders ACT assembled a group of industry experts who challenged the current approach to safety.

Dr Robert Long – Human Dymensions and Greg Smith – STE Safety & Legal each delivered a plenary session before joining fellow industry experts Mark McCabe – ACT Worksafe Commissioner, Richard Calver – National Director Industrial Relation, Master Builders Australia and Paul Murphy, Project Coordination for an open forum in front of 150 construction WH&S Managers, Site Managers and company leaders.

The forum consisted of three separate sessions and was designed to challenge old paradigms explore the current system and, what needs to change for the next quantum leap.

Richard Calver from Master Builders Australia thought that the forum succeeded because “builders were able to ask questions about issues that confront them on a day to day basis and to which they got frank answers.

“By way of a particular example, the discussion highlighted the duties of employers on the happening of a workplace incident. Even where no injury or damage was caused, the matter must be reported. There was animated discussion about the administrative burden placed on all parties by this obligation and the fines that are high if non-compliance of the reporting obligation occurs”.

According to Greg Smith from STE Safety & Legal, two key themes emerged from the Safety Culture Leadership Forum –

“what we need to focus on in safety management’ and ‘paper work’” Greg urged those responsible for safety to get out from behind their safety systems to see what is happening on sites.

“The Forum identified, it is time to stop taking (and encouraging) the path of least resistance through the obsessive collection and dissemination of lost time and similar data and hiding behind walls of paper, as though that somehow drives better safety performance.

“We, all of us, need to start accepting responsibility for health and safety in the workplace by driving our organisations to pursue the more difficult option of knowing that our critical risks are being controlled.

Master Builders ACT Executive Director, John Miller says the Building and Construction Industry needs a strong, independent and well resourced safety regulator . “MBAACT was pleased that the Briggs - McCabe Inquiry report supported our calls to ensure a properly resourced and effective WorkSafe ACT. We believe that WorkSafe ACT Commissioner, Mark McCabe, has done an excellent job but is woefully under-resourced.

“It is totally appropriate that the oversighting and regulation of site safety falls to an independent body and not to either unions or employer groups because of obvious conflicts of interest”.

EVENT SPONSORS

32

Safety Culture & Leadership Forum. National Convention Centre, Canberra. 22 October 2012

Is the pursuit of a paper-based system the answer? Is safety more about eyes and ears?

Do we spend too much time dealing with pens and paper, computers and systems, reports and data?

DROWNING IN PAPERWORK

by Mark McCabe,

ACT Work Safe Commissioner Safety in the construction industry has, for many, become bogged down in what many believe are requirements for reams and reams of paperwork. Of course, paperwork alone won’t make worksites safer.

Mark McCabe, Greg Smith, Gavin Murphy and Richard Calver on the panel at the safety forum.

While paperwork has its place, and is in some cases, such as Safe Work Method Statements, a legal requirement, we must make sure that we don’t lose perspective over its rightful place. Paperwork enables us to have clear sets of instructions so that we know that supervisors are all working from the same hymn sheet. But paperwork is only the starting point.

Of far more importance is how we make sure that the workers who are going to carry out the high risk work know what is expected of them, have their chance to have their say about the preferred way of doing a task, and understand what has been decided and who will be doing which parts of the task at hand.

Safe Work Method Statements (or SWMS), however, have become a vexed issue in the construction industry in recent times. Many have come to see SWMS as epitomising what they think is a move to increasing redtape in work health and safety requirements.

Unfortunately this view is not based on what work health and safety regulators, such as WorkSafe ACT, want to see from SWMS. From WorkSafe’s perspective, it is important that SWMS are kept relatively short and in a format that is easily able to be understood by the workers involved, as required by the legislation.

Greg Smith presenting to the forum.

Further than this, as noted above, SWMS are only a step along the path towards the real goal – ensuring workers are carrying out their work in accordance with a safe method of work. With this in mind, the paperwork is only a means to an end, not the end in itself, as many would tell you.

Importantly, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 puts a responsibility on employers to ensure that workers carrying out high risk construction work [i.e. one of 18 high risk tasks identified in the Regulation] do so in accordance with the SWMS. This is the real business end of the SWMS requirements, not the development of voluminous reams of paper which then sit in the site office or the subbies glove box.

Interactive technology used to guage safety perceptions during Dr. Robert Long’s Seminar.

33

Safety Feature

MiProfile Report Dr Rob Long conducted the first session using the Human Dymensions MiProfile Diagnostic tool. This was a surveyinglearning event attended by workers in the construction industry which stimulates intense conversations about culture, implicit knowledge, risk and perception. It also serves as a cultural barometer for an organisation.

Introduction

Survey Demographics

While organisations often know intuitively about their cultural values or from vision documentation, they sometimes need a creative map to guide them. The MiProfile Diagnostic is a tool which helps organisations uncover, assess and address underlying beliefs, values and attitudes hidden in everyday practice.

The best way to learn about cultural values and beliefs is by getting to the “gut” (implicit) knowledge of people in the workplace. MiProfile does this by using Keypad technology, the surveylearning is structured in rapid fire statements with only a few seconds to answer, using the Keypad.

Employment Level 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1

2

3

4

22% 20% 22% 15%

5

6

6%

15%

Experience in building & Construction

The best way to learn about cultural values and beliefs is by getting to the ‘gut’ How does it work? Everyone holds a Keypad and responds to projected statements, results are accumulated by the computer and displayed on the screen instantly. This has a strong effect on participants and stimulates vibrant discussion about values and beliefs about culture in the organisation. Qualitative data responses are also recorded as participants respond to the projected results. This qualitative data also contributes to the diagnostic analysis.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1 7%

2

3

4

5

0 - 5 Years 6 - 10 Years 11 - 25 Years 16 - 20 Years 21 - 25 Years Over 25 Years

6

36% 22% 17% 17% 2%

Age 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Human Dymensions conducted a MiProfile Survey with a sample of 125 building and construction people on 22 October 2012 at the Safety Culture Leadership Forum. This report provides an overview of results from this survey event.

1

2

3

4

24% 20% 20% 20%

34

6.

7.

Executive / Director / Manager Project Manager / Project Engineer Supervisor / Forman / Leading Hand Techincal Support / Design Functional Support (Quality OHS, Environment, Community, Procurement) Construction Worker Other

5

6

15% 2%

17 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65 and over

Safety Culture & Leadership Forum. National Convention Centre, Canberra. 22 October 2012

Analysis

of this survey is d to the results ie pl ng, ap ry ta en Comm of Dr Robert Lo tensive research ex g e in th ild on bu d 00 se ba er 16,0 database of ov en the cumulative have undertak ho w rs ke or w n ants tio ip uc ic tr rt ts by pa and cons itative commen al qu e, e fil th ro iP ith the M alysis w comparative an The on the day and tion database. uc tr ns co d an g in ild e th MiProfile bu collected over base has been cludes in ns sio MiProfile data en ym s by Human D previous 6 year companies in over 45 tier 1-6 m fro ta da ey rv su es.

JVs and allianc building, civil,

Survey Results Slogans & Safety Mantras The first result for the survey event shows that slogans and mantras set out by some organisations neither ‘connect’ nor inspire safety consciousness. This is highlighted by results for the introductory statement shown below.

The language of ‘zero harm’ doesn’t inspire me to act safely.

STRONGLY AGREE 23% AGREE 42%

65%

UNDECIDED 17% DISAGREE 13% STRONGLY DISAGREE 5%

18%

Organisations need to give greater attention to safety culture language that engages workers and motivates safety. Absolutist, perfectionist goals in safety neither inspire nor ‘connect’ with workers, thus alienating them to fundamental messages about risk.

Continues overleaf >>

Participants provide insight with the MiProfile survey

35

Safety Feature

MiProfile Report

Survey Results Overconfidence & Hubris

Risk and Safety Naivety

One of the most common cultural characteristics in building and construction culture is hubris. Hubris is in building and construction safety culture is best known as ‘risk arrogance’. This is exemplified in the results for the below slide. The idea that building and construction people perceive that they can manage anything indicates a lack of reflection, insight and understanding of risk uncertainty. Risk arrogance limits the ability of workers to ‘entertain doubt’ and consider possibilities in the management of risk.

Half of the survey participants believed that the ‘key’ safety was about ‘being careful’. This result indicates that the industry is naïve when it comes to attention to safety fundamentals. The idea of ‘being careful’ is one of many myths in organisational safety culture that lacks definition. Most people cannot tell you the difference between ‘complacency’ and ‘being careful’. They only know the difference after an event but at the time cannot tell you what is turned on in their minds or not that increases or decreases perception and motivation in managing risk. There is much more to being safe than just being careful.

My organisation is ready to deal with anything if it goes wrong.

STRONGLY AGREE AGREE UNDECIDED DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

20% 57% 10% 13% 0%

The real key to safety is to just be careful.

77% STRONGLY AGREE 9%

13

%

AGREE 42%

51%

UNDECIDED 11% DISAGREE 32% STRONGLY DISAGREE 7%

Time Committed to Risk Assessment Survey results showed that more than half of participants believed that not enough time was given to hazard and risk assessment in the workplace. Yet in the previous statement every confidence was given to the capability to manage anything that may go wrong. How can workers be so confident in risk management when they acknowledge they do not spend enough time committed to the identification of hazards and risk?

Everyone in my organisation spends adequote time and effort identifying potential hazards and risk.

STRONGLY AGREE AGREE UNDECIDED DISAGREE STRONGLY DISAGREE

12% 37% 21% 25% 6%

52%

Another result that confirms this finding is the level of belief in ‘common sense’. The idea that perception, experience, training and expertise is shared in common is a myth. Yet, many people believe that others ‘should know’ or ‘be logical’ about risk. This is despite the fact that all risk is attributed and understood subjectively.

The language of ‘common sense’ is language that facilitates blaming and maintains the idea that hazard and risk assessment is ‘natural’. Such language devalues the importance of expertise and training.

Language is a major determinant of culture and the language of ‘common sense’ doesn’t assist the building and construction community in understanding the assessment and management of risk.

Safety processes are so complex, when all you need is common sense.

STRONGLY AGREE 41% AGREE 38%

79%

UNDECIDED 13% DISAGREE 8% STRONGLY DISAGREE 0

36

8%

Safety Culture & Leadership Forum. National Convention Centre, Canberra. 22 October 2012

Risk as defined by AS/NZS ISO 31000 Risk Management Principles and Guidelines is ‘the effect of uncertainty on objectives’.

Normalised Blaming The high percentage of people in building and construction who blame others, circumstance or themselves for events is fostered by simplistic understandings of risk. The belief that incidents tend to happen to people who are careless totally misunderstands the nature of incident causation. Such a naïve and simplistic knowledge prevents people from addressing the complexities of hazard and risk on site.

Incidents tend to happen to people who are carelesss.

STRONGLY AGREE 47%

73%

AGREE 26%

The handbook to AS/NZS ISO 31000 is HB 327 Communicating and Consulting about Risk. This concise manual ought to be compulsory reading for all safety and risk people. The manual gives a brief overview of some of the essentials of social psychology and the communication about risk. The manual starts by stating what should be obvious ‘ risk management takes place in a social context’.

In other words how we assemble and engage with others affects the way we assess and manage risk. The assessment of risk is neither objective nor a neutral process despite all the nonsense projected about the value of a risk matrix. At best a risk matrix is a tool for conversation, there is no objective evaluation of risk. The assessment of risk is neither scientific nor reliable.

HB 327 sets out a list of all the important factors that effect the communication of risk (p. 6), these include:

UNDECIDED 16% DISAGREE 5% STRONGLY DISAGREE 5%

“

to incidents tend The belief that reless ple who are ca eo p to en p ap f h ds the nature o an st er d n u is m totally aïve tion. Such a n sa u ca t en d ci in ledge

know and simplistic le from prevents peop mplexities of co addressing the on site. s sk hazards and ri

“

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Context Culture Knowledge Language Cognitive bias (there are over 200 human perception biases) 6. Heuristics 7. Rules of thumb 8. Political power 9. Motivation 10. Perceptions 11. Complexity 12. Timeframes 13. Interference Risk and safety training that doesn’t cover these fundamentals will always be inadequate and simplistic. The language of ‘safety science’ or ‘safety engineering’ should not give anyone the idea that the discourse about risk and safety is about certainty. If any communication involves human interchange and exchange (in other words all communication), then human fallibility will affect the filtering of that information.

Once we know that many social psychological factors affect the perception, assessment and communication about risk we become much more realistic about the goals we set for managing risk.

The MBA PROACT Program directly addresses the 13 factors presented in HB 327 and develops skills in participants to better understand and manage risk. The PROACT Program was not well supported by the Training Levy in 2012 despite the fact that participants gave it overwhelming support.

37

Safety Feature

MiProfile Report

Survey Results The White Card

The Problem of ‘Tick and Flick’

It is clear from the response to the MiProfile survey that the Building and Construction White Card is an ineffective measure for preparing workers to manage hazards, risks and safety on site.

Most respondents claim the training is boring, non-engaging and just a ‘tick and flick’ exercise.

The excesses of the Federal Safety Commissioner, auditors, legal experts and safety professionals have now created a paperwork jungle in the building and construction industry that provokes ‘tick and flick’ thinking. Human beings when presented with ‘cognitive overload’ simply cannot comprehend nor manage the current excesses of paperwork that supposedly ‘help’ manage risk.

The White Card is an ineffective method for preparing people for safety on site.

STRONGLY AGREE 26%

64%

AGREE 38% UNDECIDED 10% DISAGREE 21%

26%

STRONGLY DISAGREE 5%

The following result shows the extent of the problem. Everytime there is a safety problem in the industry it seems that the only solution is more bureaucracy. The idea that regulation, increased policing, bullying and legislation are the best tools to manage hazards and risk on site is further mythology projected by vested interests.

Until the issue of excessive bureaucracy in the industry is addressed there will be no improvement in the safety culture.

The common approach to safety paperwork is ‘tick and flick’.

STRONGLY AGREE 38% AGREE 40%

The White Card is not an effective safety measure.

The Need for Enhanced ‘soft skills’ in the Building and Construction One of the most important skills in managing risk is effective communication. The skills of effective listening, presentation, toolbox talks, planning, preparation, critical thinking and reflective conversation are not a high priority in the industry. Most leadings hands, supervisors and foreman are not trained in these skills.

Most often on a building and construction site things are managed in a rush with last minute changes being managed by mobile phone. Even the language of ‘soft skills’ is considered negatively.

Rather these skills, as outlined in HB 327 should be called ‘safety leadership’ or ‘human skills’.

The perception that the industry has no time for these skills simply impoverishes the industry and ‘dumbs it down’.

The building and construction industry is a hard industry with no time for ‘soft skills’.

STRONGLY AGREE 27% AGREE 38% UNDECIDED 3% DISAGREE 25% STRONGLY DISAGREE 7%

38

65%

78%

UNDECIDED 4% DISAGREE 15% STRONGLY DISAGREE 2%

Cultural Discourse The building and construction industry safety culture is driven by simplistic thinking that is reflected in the following slide. The industry never talks about ‘getting the job done safely’, it’s just ‘get the job done’. This is evidence that language is one of the core drivers of safety culture.

The bottom line is just “get the job done”.

STRONGLY AGREE 42% AGREE 52%

94%

UNDECIDED 0% DISAGREE 4% STRONGLY DISAGREE 2%

The building and construction industry has to be much more sophisticated in how it communicates about risk. Skills in framing and reframing fundamental messages in safety are totally absent in the industry

Safety Culture & Leadership Forum. National Convention Centre, Canberra. 22 October 2012

Cultural Influences

Understanding and Managing Risk

It is important that all interests in the building and construction sector make a positive contribution to safety culture. It is clear from the following slide that people in building and construction do not find the approach and strategies of the union to be helpful or constructive.

Many of the qualitative comments offered by participants suggested that the union’s main tactic of bullying the workforce into safety was non-motivational, counterproductive and further alienated the workforce from understanding hazards and risks.

It became clear by this stage of the survey that workers felt poorly prepared and skilled in understanding and managing risk at work.

The following result for slide 5.4 should ring alarm bells throughout the industry. Despite all the emphasis on safety, all the subsidized training, all the media attention and calls for greater vigilance 85% of participants believed that most workers simply don’t know how to properly assess and manage risk at work. The question has to be asked.

Why does the industry continue to invest in ineffective methods for managing risk? Why does the industry continue to emphasize training, strategies and approaches to risk and safety understanding and management that don’t work?

The Union’s approach to health & safety is unhelpful.

STRONGLY AGREE 5% AGREE 35%

40

%

STRONGLY AGREE 56%

UNDECIDED 21% DISAGREE 34% STRONGLY DISAGREE 5%

Most workers don’t know how to properly assess and manage risks.

39%

AGREE 29% UNDECIDED

85%

2%

DISAGREE 10% STRONGLY DISAGREE 4%

This was further reinforced by the following slide.

Shortcuts and Mindsets The building & construction industry is more concerned about not being caught than being safe STRONGLY AGREE 28% AGREE 31%

59%

UNDECIDED 10% DISAGREE 26% STRONGLY DISAGREE 5%

The final slide for the MiProfile survey captures the mindset of the industry. In this statement 90% asserted they would take a shortcut if they deemed it was safe. There are several levels to this response that should cause concern. The idea that an individual determines risk and safety in a task is a focus in the industry. This is despite all the legislation, regulation, standards and codes of practice that endeavour to establish standard assessments and procedures for managing risk.

I take shortcuts when I can if it’s safe.

Getting Back to Basics

STRONGLY AGREE 53% AGREE 37%

It is important that all interests in the building and construction sector make a positive contribution to safety culture. It is clear from the following slide that people in building and construction do not find the approach and strategies of the uni

We are so busy on safety paperwork, we can’t really assess and manage risks on-site.

STRONGLY AGREE 22% AGREE 67% UNDECIDED 1% DISAGREE 7% STRONGLY DISAGREE 1%

UNDECIDED

90%

2%

DISAGREE 5% STRONGLY DISAGREE

3%

The ambiguity of this statement should provoke a high uncertain result. The fact that this statement so strongly asserts taking shortcuts is further evidence that the industry is not characterized by reflective doubt but by hubris and overconfidence.

89%

Conclusion The results of the MiProfile survey conducted by Human Dymensions on 22 October 2012 at the MBA Safety Culture Leadership Forum does not paint a good picture for the sector. It is clear that the safety culture of the industry leaves many challenges. This is supported by National results as illustrated over the page >>

39

The 9 Star Energy Rated Home.

This development is Australia’s first 9 star energy rated insulated concrete thermal mass house which utilizes the thermal mass properties of concrete to absorb, store, and later release thermal energy to achieve significant energy savings whilst improving occupant comfort levels.

30 Dorothy Green Crescent Franklin ACT

Beyond Carbon Neutral

This development is Australia’s first 9 star energy rated insulated concrete thermal mass house which utilises the thermal mass properties of concrete to absorb, store, and later release thermal energy to achieve significant energy savings whilst improving occupant comfort levels.

One of the main aims of the project was to design and build a house that is beyond carbon neutral in that it not only reduces energy consumption but also produces enough clean ‘zero emission’ renewable energy to supply all its operating needs.

9 Stars Energy Rating The house is highly energy efficient and has achieved 9 stars energy rating under the ACT house energy rating scheme.

It has been assessed by ABSA to have a predicted annual energy load of only 35 MJ/m2/yr, with potential for this figure to be even lower given the inclusion of several additional innovative energy saving features.

40

If a building generates more renewable energy than it imports and is able to export that energy for others to use, it is considered to be a net energy generator, as opposed to an energy consumer.

This house is likely to have a net operational carbon footprint that is very close to or beyond carbon neutral1. This is because the house uses 100% Green Power, has expected production of 4.7 MWH of electricity annually from its solar PV installation along with 21.3 GJ of heat energy generated from its solar hydronic and hot water system, its 9 star energy

rating and predicted low levels of energy use.

1 Beyond Carbon Neutral is based on the projected annual green energy production data versus the projected annual energy consumption data. The most powerful data is the actual energy production and usage data once the house is lived in and the actual energy patterns of the house would be tracked to compare the actual data to the projections to substantiate this claim.

Passive plus active solar design and insulated concrete construction The house adopts a passive solar design in which the warmth from the sun is used as a natural source of free heating during winter.

To achieve this, the living rooms have north facing windows which transfer winter solar energy when the sun sits low in the sky and exclude summer solar energy when the sun sits directly above the house.

solar hydronic heating system. Thermal energy stored in the insulated thermal mass is then released back into the interior during the night to achieve comfortable living temperatures at a very low operating cost.

pods and 100mm thick R3.6 XPS outer slab edge insulation to ensure that the thermal energy absorbed by the slab is not lost from underneath or from its sides.

Roof

In summer the thermal mass is shaded from the higher angle summer sun and it absorbs the heat from within the house and moderates the interior temperatures to within acceptable levels for human thermal comfort.

Econ Wall system - conserve energy live in comfort The external walls of the house have been constructed using ECON WALL, which is a patent pending insulated concrete thermal mass wall system which places

the insulation on the outside of the concrete walls. In doing so, the insides of the building are free of thermal insulation.

This enables the concrete to absorb, store, and later release thermal energy to achieve significant energy savings whilst improving occupant comfort levels.

For this application ECON WALL utilizes a 135mm thick core of reinforced concrete combined with 100mm thick R 3.6 XPS outer insulation and 9mm thick inner cement lining to provide consistent energy savings during the life time of the building.

The house also features an insulated concrete thermal mass slab with 300mm thick R2.0 EPS under slab insulating waffle

The roof has been provided with over R9 of insulation consisting of R1 radiant insulation blanket, R5 insulation batts as well as R2.7 XPS board under ceiling insulation all of which together help to significantly reduce the transfer of heat across the roof.

The roof and ceiling insulation does not have any penetrations or cavities and all lights and fans are surface mounted to prevent the heat loss across the ceiling.

Thermal Breaks Thermal breaks have been incorporated around the entire building envelope to minimise the loss of energy due to thermal bridging. The alfresco slab, driveway slab and the paving around the house have all been provided with 100mm thick R3.6 XPS insulation thermal breaks.

All external building elements such as pergolas, awnings, gates, down pipes, solar inverters and light fittings have been connected to the house using thermal break fasteners from Germany.

Windows & Doors The entire house has been provided with high efficiency PVC windows with double glazed low e argon filled toughened glass units. The windows have a U value of 1.73 to minimize the heat escaping from the house in winter and a SHOGC of 0.58 to reduce the

To further harness the benefits of free solar energy the house also adopts an active solar design where in the free solar energy is absorbed by a large 60 evacuated tubes roof solar hot water collector which further circulates the warm water into the under slab hydronic heating system to provide comfortable winter solar heating.

Insulated Thermal Mass Thermal mass is the ability of a material to absorb and store thermal energy. When combined with external insulation, the insulated thermal mass absorbs thermal energy when the surroundings are higher in temperature than the mass, and gives back when the surroundings are cooler.

In winter the insulated thermal mass is warmed during the day passively by the free solar energy from the sun. It is additionally warmed passively by the free solar energy collected by a roof top 41

amount of heat gain in summer.

Uncontrolled air leakage through the windows and doors is traditionally a major cause of energy loss in houses. To address this issue, all of the PVC windows and doors have built in double compressive gaskets which ensure positive sealing with almost zero air infiltration.

electricity rates.

Lighting & Ceiling Fans

Home Network

The entire house has been fitted highly energy efficient LED panel lights and bulbs with soft illumination.

The house is digitally connected with cat6 home network cabling and a home automation system.

To further improve the overall energy efficiency even the garage has a twin layer R1.53 insulated panel door.

Every room of the house has a DC ceiling fan to provide summer comfort. DC fans use 40% less electricity than comparable AC fans and can be reversed in winters to circulate warm air and further save energy.

Window & Door Furnishings

Appliances

To further minimise the loss of energy across the windows and doors, the house has been provided with state of the art five layer insulating curtains which have built in insulation as well as reflective radiant barrier. The curtains have been hung using a covered pelmet system to prevent the energy losses due to the formation of convective currents.

In order to reduce electricity and water consumption, the house has been fitted with the latest Miele and Electrolux highly efficient energy and water rated appliances.

Solar hot water and PV systems

Rain Water

The house has been provided with a large 60 evacuated tubes roof solar hot water collector for under slab hydronic heating and hot water.

The house has an extra-large 11,700 litre concrete rain water tank installed below the driveway, and the rain water is used for flushing the toilets and irrigating the garden.

The house has been equipped with a 3.04 kW solar PV System feeding back into the grid.

Grey Water System

Water Savings This house also conserves water by using the highest WELS rated mixers and appliances.

Acknowledgements We acknowledge with thanks the following partners who made the vision of the house into a reality.

Ambe Engineering Pty Ltd - ECON WALL System – Save Energy Live in Comfort Pierre Dragh Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd – Structural Engineers Architectural Evolution Pty Ltd – Architecture & Design Sublime Constructions & Development Pty Ltd – Project Builders HEAT - Home Energy Advice Team Envirohome – Energy Rating & Energy Advice Beyond Neutral – Carbon Rating Assessment

Electric Car The house has a separate meter and power point for charging an electric car at off peak

42

Sanctum Interior Design – Interiors The house has an automatic grey water recycling system which filters the grey water from the showers, bath and washing machine and distributes it in the garden for sub soil irrigation.

Are you working safely at heights?

WorkSafe ACT will be conducting a blitz on working safely at heights in the coming months. The first phase of this campaign will target scaffolding issues.

Many people in the ACT work at heights as part of their occupations.

Working from heights generally means working where there is a risk of falling from one level to another. While many occupations require their workers to work from a height, it can pose a serious risk of injury or death if carried out incorrectly.

Before commencing work from a height, all reasonably practical steps must be taken to identify, then eliminate or minimise any risks to health and safety that working from a height could pose.

There are a number of things to consider, such as: the height at which work will be undertaken; the surface underneath the work area including its stability, fragility or brittleness; the potential for slipping and the angle of the slope of the surface; the stability of the structure that work is being carried out on, or stability of the ground that the structure is resting on; and protection from falling over open edges.

For more information on the hazards and risks associated with working from a height, visit the WorkSafe ACT website.

Safe Work Method Statements Safe Work Method Statements or SWMS have become a vexed issue in the construction industry in particular in recent times. Many have come to see SWMS as epitomising what they think is a move to increasing red-tape in work health and safety requirements.

Unfortunately this view is not based on what work health and safety regulators, such as WorkSafe ACT, want to see from SWMS. From WorkSafe’s perspective, it is important that SWMS are kept relatively short and in a format that is easily able to be understood by the workers involved, as required by the legislation.

Further than this, SWMS are only a step along the path towards the real goal – ensuring workers are carrying out their work in accordance with a safe method of work. With this in mind, the paperwork is only a means to an end, not the end in itself, as many would tell you.

Importantly, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 puts a responsibility on employers to ensure that workers carrying out high risk construction work [i.e. one of 18 high risk tasks identified in the Regulation] do so in accordance with the SWMS. This is the real business end of the SWMS requirements, not the development of voluminous reams of paper which then sit in the site office or the subbies glove box.

Visit the WorkSafe ACT website for advice and information on how to meet your health and safety obligations.

worksafe.act.gov.au

43

Exercise Boss Lift – Solomon Islands.

by John Miller, Executive Director, Master Builders Association of the ACT

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been front of mind in this country for a number of years, particularly in light of Australia’s commitments in the Middle East including Iraq and Afghanistan.

I learnt this first-hand recently when I was invited to participate in a Defence Reserve exercise Boss Lift to the Solomon Islands for a few days. The army contingent in the Solomon Islands as part of the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is these days almost exclusively made up of male and female Defence Reserve personnel. These are people who make a commitment to give back to their country through part-time military service. Australia has had committed Defence Reservists operating in a number of areas including the Middle East and East Timor as well as the Solomon Islands.

In speaking with a number of others who travelled with me to the Solomon Islands, and who had Defence Reserve personnel serving with RAMSI, they were in unison about the leadership and decision-making skills that their staff had benefited from through their Defence Reserve training and activities. Sure, they were periodically inconvenienced when a staff member was required to join a mission but they said the benefits and personal development of their people more than compensated when they resumed their normal duties.

And what are the normal duties of these reservists? There are lawyers, tradesmen, IT specialists, commercial managers and bankers to name a few. At one event I ran into a mechanic, an 44

electrician and a plant operator. Defence Reserve service might not be for everyone but it sure wasn’t any obstacle for those participating in the Solomon Islands. One of the other important aspects of Defence Reservists operating in a place like the Solomon Islands is the fast-tracking of their ability to deal with people from other cultures. I saw this close up when the Reservists were interacting with the locals who had clearly enjoyed mixing it with the Australians.

Amanda Stokes and Steve Smith who hosted this visit of employers and representatives from industry groups around Australia did a wonderful job in promoting Defence Reserve.

If you are reading this article and think you or someone you know could benefit from the experience of Defence Reserve they would very much like to hear from you. They can be contacted by visiting the website at: www.defence.gov.au/reserves or by ringing 1800 803485

Telstra recently launched the HTC Titan 4G – the first 4G Windows phone in

Australia.

Perhaps more than any other device on the market, the HTC Titan is geared towards small business. It’s the only device to come fully equipped with Microsoft Office Mobile at no extra cost, which means there’s seamless integration with all the programs many of us use on our work and home computers, like calendar, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.

We know that many Master Builders don’t actually spend a lot of time sitting in a regular office – your business is most likely being conducted on the go, on site or in unconventional places like cafes, which means increasing reliance on mobile technology. Not only is the 4G Titan ridiculously fast (you should see how quickly it streams video and uploads huge files), but it syncs with the computer and programs you’re already using and allows you to share those documents in the cloud. That’s a huge time saver.

Having a Windows-enabled smartphone is a huge deal. If you’re about to make a PowerPoint presentation to investors and need to change a slide, you can do it. If you need to update an Excel spreadsheet before meeting with your co-workers, you can do it. Until now, most smartphones allowed you to view documents like these, but not edit them. We arranged a meeting in Outlook and it knew exactly who we wanted to add, as well as all their email addresses. This extra functionality really does take small business to the next level.

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Speaking of next level, you should see the technology humming under the hood of this thing. With a 16 megapixel camera, which is very good, not to mention a 1.5 GHz processor, the Titan really does live up to its name. That’s before you get to the whopping 4.7 inch screen, which makes it a bit like those Palm Pilots we all used in the late nineties, assuming they could take HD video and you could send them to your customers directly. Ok, so it’s not like a Palm Pilot at all.

Having 4G in your pocket doesn’t just make doing business easier, it also makes it more flexible. You can access 4G speeds in all Australian capital cities, as well as airports and some regional centres, which is a godsend for those of you who do a lot of interstate travel. Having spent the day playing around with it, we can tell you that not only is the thing a dream to use, but it’s also highly functional and has some pretty great apps (like the Pizza Hut one that we may or may not have used to order lunch). Imagine, you can send a spreadsheet to your staff, mark up changes and have pizza by the time they get to the meeting! Technology is an amazing thing.

To find out about the amazingly fast HTC Titan, call Master Builders on 1300 88 13 72 (option 2).

This article first appeared in Smarter Business Ideas and was written

by Jenneth Orantia.

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Community

THE FRANKLIN CHARITY HOUSE IS NOW COMPLETE! Built for hopes and drea ms The Franklin Charity House is now complete and is set for auction on 2 March 2013.

The Franklin Charity House project is the result of a partnership between the Master Builders Association of the ACT and the Land Development Agency.

The two storey, two garage, 386 square metre, 7 star thermal rated house was designed by Guy Mahoney from Designs by Mahoney and was built by Classic Constructions.

Over 90 local companies have generously come on board to supply the labour and materials for the construction of the four bedroom house.

The high thermal rating has been achieved by its orientation on the block and its modern slab construction together with the use of double glazed windows and extensive insulation.

The house also features two 4,000 litre rainwater tanks and the ground level has been built to incorporate

46

adaptable housing features making it accessible for older people and people who may have physical disabilities.

The Franklin Charity House is located in a quiet suburban street with city views to the south and is close to public transport and schools.

The house will be auctioned on 2 March 2013 with all proceeds to benefit charities within the ACT including the YWCA of Canberra, YouthCARE Canberra, Canberra Men’s Centre, Toora Women and Inanna Inc. Each of these charities works to provide services to specific members of the Canberra community who are either homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. These people can be young people, older men and women and women with dependent children.

Franklin Charity House project 2012 - Master Builders ACT / Land Development Agency / Classic Constructions

Thank you Complete FixSet Plastering Complete FixSet Plastering are proud to be a part of the Classic Constructions Team and have gladly assisted with the successful completion of the Franklin Charity House by providing all the plasterboard and labour at a discounted rate.

They are a locally owned and operated Company operated by Ron Rawson and Kevan Watt.

Complete FixSet Plastering employ 14 full time tradesman and apprentices. Most of their tradesman have completed their trade with Complete FixSet Plastering and remain very valuable members of the team. They also use sub-contractors which have assisted with this project.

We would like to thank them all for their contributions to this very worthy cause.

Complete FixSet provide fast, efficient, reliable and quality services to all their valued clients.

Email: di@completefixset.com.au Ph: Ron 0418212897 Ph: Kevan 0412615547

“I thank the builders, apprentices, subcontractors, and trade suppliers for their generosity in contributing to this project.�

Katy Gallagher MLA Chief Minister of the ACT

The Franklin Charity House has been built

by Master Builders members to raise money for local charities that aid the homeless.

Top Left: Bathroom Top: The perfect kitchen for entertaining.

Main: The front aspect of the house.

Below: Outdoor / Alfresco area

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Community Thank you Easycare Landscapes Easycare Landscapes have designed the landscaping and have been instrumental in maintaining the Charity House throughout the past months. Easycare Landscapes is a landscape design, construction and maintenance company with a difference. Their employees are well-educated, well-presented, qualified and experienced. Easycare Landscape’s architects and designers know the rules and regulations for all the suburbs, do DAs and are registered with the Queanbeyan Council to Level 2.

They design residential, rural, body corporate and multi-unit properties. Because they have worked on-site and work closely with their construction teams, their designs are not just funky and different – they are practical and work! Easycare Landscape’s two construction crews are focussed on residential properties whereas their three maintenance crews maintain body corporates and commercial properties such as The Griffin in Kingston, High Commissions and Embassies. Their 24 staff regularly up-skill so that they are up-to-date with new products and the latest technology. They have policies and procedures in place to ensure correct WH&S is followed and SWMS are filled out for every job.

Email: info@easycare.com.au Ph.: 02 6257 8122 Fax: 02 6257 8031 www.easycare.com.au

Photograhs// Main: Living room Top: The perfect playground.

Above: Aspiring chefs will love this kitchen.

Opposite top left: Katy Gallagher MLA plants the first tree.

Opposite right: Various rooms of the Charity Hoiuse.

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Franklin Charity House project 2012 - Master Builders ACT / Land Development Agency / Classic Constructions

The Chief Minister of the ACT, Katy Gallagher MLA planted the first tree at the Charity House tree planting ceremony on 5 September 2012 with all Principal parties attending. Each of the five charities were represented and Lynne Harwood from YouthCARE Canberra spoke on behalf of each of them. Lynne spoke of how the Franklin Charity House project will help each of the charities to continue their work and support the much needed area of combatting homelessness in the ACT. This project has had some amazing support from Master Builders members, without whom none of what has been achieved would be possible. It is extremely heartening to note that in the cuurent climate of the building and construction industry there have been so many not only willing companies to participate and help out, but companies that have been so enthusastic about the project you can sense their pride in contributing to the local community. We thank you all.

The official opening of the Franklin Charity House will take place on 12 December 2012. Again, the Chief Minister of the ACT, Katy Gallagher MLA will be cutting the ribbon on this very important community project.

For more information about the Franklin Charity House and those who have supported it, please visit the website.

www.franklincharityhouse.org.au

Thank you

The Franklin Charity House Principal Partners// From left to right: Jonathan Tanchevski, George Tanchevski, John Miller, Michael Tanchevski, Katy Gallagher MLA, David Dawes, Ross Barrett, Jason Tanchevski.

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The Rotating House - Girasole at Crace The objective of this project was to design a rotating home in a suburban setting, which fully maximises the sun and harnesses that power all year round. Girasole will encourage a change in thinking away from needing to find a perfectly oriented block and will be a demonstration that even the most ambitious undertakings can be seen as a prototype for future environmentally friendly homes. The name Girasole originates from Italy with gira(re) meaning ‘to turn’ and sole is the ‘sun’.

John Andriolo, owner of the home and local building company MAG Constructions (ACT) P/L says “the idea for this house came about over 50 years ago when I was just a 10 year old boy studying history in Italy. I found Galileo Galile’s idea of “eppure si muove” meaning the earth is moving, completely fascinating and since then I have always dreamt that one day I would build a house that follows the sun. Seeing this idea now become a reality is a little surreal but I hope it will demonstrate how our natural resources, like the sun and rain can be put to good use in future home designs”.

Planning and Design: by DNA Architects & Industrious Design The home has been designefd by DNA Architects and Industrious Design and includes living rooms to the north, bedrooms to the south, wet areas central to the service core. Like other homes at Crace with north orientation, the sloping roof is designed to allow for maximum solar penetration. The advantage of Girasole is that it tracks the sun throughout the course of the day, capturing full sunlight in winter and moving away from it in summer.

Location: Crace, ACT Right from the outset, the vision of Crace was that the suburb should draw its inspiration from the traditional, much admired Canberra suburbs, where high quality streets are the backbone of an attractive public domain.

Girasole has been designed to compliment these guiding principles and is located in The Ridge precinct of the suburb.

Here rural views won’t turn into suburban rooftops.

Girasole will look out along the protected Gungaderra Grasslands Reserve, to Mount Majura and the nearby hills on a 704m2 block of land. The four bedroom house has a single storey street frontage, in character with other homes on the street, and the modern floor plan provides open and spacious living areas throughout.

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Photographs this page

Top and main: The base of the house Below left: Rylock has provided the glazing for the home Below right: Rural views at The Ridge at Crace

Girasole is: • Supported by 28 wheels - 22 x 2.5-tonne capacity on the outer frame plus 6 x 5-tonne wheels for centre support • Driven by two motors on opposites sides of the house able to: - Continuously rotate and limited only by service connections - rotate from one side to the opposite direction in less than 10 minutes - rotate with the sun, in the opposite direction to the sun, remain stationary in a particular position and more (Industrious Design have been instrumental in working with John to determine the logistics of the rotation and the mechanics behind it) Energy rating: EER 6 star*

• The residents will be able to choose how they then use this feature. E.g. service the whole house and garden shutting off the local water supplier completely or use it for specific areas only such as the toilet, laundry or garden.

For more information on this project, please contact: Potent Marketing M 0409 918 392 E niva@potentmarketing.com.au

• 10.5 KW solar panels to generate sufficient electricity and hot water, to power the house all year round.

• Materials: To maximise passive heating and cooling, Girasole is exceptionally well insulated and has very high insulation levels but does not rely on thermal mass.

MAGconstructions

(ACT) PTY. LTD.

A HISTORY OF QUALITY WORKMANSHIP

• Polystyrene external cladding is being used, to gain the highest insulation rating possible with proposed design and Weathertex cladding around the curved area of house, with increased bulk insulation within the stud frames to create an insulated box like structure.

* Girasole cannot be rated accurately when in the rotating position as standard energy rating programs can only determine a rating when a house is in a fixed position for the whole year. A new challenge for the industry!

• Operable doors or windows in all rooms for excellent cross ventilation. Top windows in the living area will be electronically controlled to allow for the heat in summer to escape.

Sustainable features include:

• LED lighting throughout

• 120,000 ltr underground water tank which will capture rainwater from the whole roof area of the house and garage.

• Clothes drying line

Photographs this page

Below left : 120,000ltr water tank Below middle & right: The house under construction

MAG Constructions (ACT) Pty. Limited ABN 103 489 319 PO Box 5230 Lyneham ACT 2602 T: 02) 6257 3469 F: 02) 6257 5801 E: gr.andriolo@bigpond.com.au M: 0419 442 844 MEMBER

www.magconstructions.com.au

Rylock Energy Efficient Windows and Doors - supplied the glazing for Girasole The glazing system used in this home is Rylock Thermally Improved Aluminium G3 Suite manufactured by Albury Glass, a leading supplier of high quality energy efficient architectural glazing in Canberra since the 1990’s.

When the large living area is turned from the sun the opposing glazing, bearing the brunt of the harsh sun, is shielded with super green glazing reducing the effects of strong light and heat gain.

This enables the resident to enjoy a more comfortable, affordable, efficient and greener lifestyle.

This home required particular attention to gain differing thermal attributes in opposing areas due the homes ability to change orientation Rylock Windows & Doors

The main living areas in cooler months can orientate for maximum solar gain and light potential with clear glazing, while still gaining the benefit of energy saving high performance double glazing. Yet during the height of the warm months the structure can be rotated away from the glare of direct sun whilst still benefiting from light with the large bank of windows.

A division of Albury Glass

1 Iron Knob St. Fyshwick ACT 2609 P (02) 6257 9846 F (02) 6257 9847 M 0418 699 142 E rylock.canberra@bigpond.com

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Events

The Master Builders ACT was amongst the 340 exhibitors at The Canberra Times Home, Leisure, Caravan, 4WD and Camping Show from 26 – 28 October at Exhibition Park in Canberra.

An estimated 20,000 visitors attended the event where members of the Master Builders ACT were on hand to discuss building and design ideas and answer questions from the public.

2012 Home Show 52

The Master Builders ACT stand came to life with the production of a ‘mini-home’ by members where visitors could discover new techniques in green living, energy efficiency, design and construction.

The stand also actively profiled the Master Builders ACT and members products, services and ideas for the home.

Thank you to the members who participated in the ‘mini-home’ display: FAW Building Supplies, James Hardie, Bluescope Lysaght, Trend Windows, Capital Insulation, Thirlston Floor coverings, Absolute Outdoor, Archertec Interiors and Truss Me.

Master Builders Australia

National Conference to be held in CANBERRA in 2013 Celebrating the Centenary of our Nation’s Capital Save the dates 14 – 16 November 2013

®

The Master Builders National Conference, Building Australia is the premier leading industry event that attracts Master Builders and their partners from around Australia delivering a comprehensive program of keynote speakers on topics relevant to today’s building and construction industry, a building exhibition and an exciting social and partners program. The conference will be held at the newly refurbished Rydges Lakeside Hotel Canberra and take in iconic venues such the Australian War Memorial, for an offsite evening dinner and Parliament House, Great Hall for the National Awards Dinner. www.masterbuilders.com.au Images: Australian Capital Tourism, Master Builders Australia 2011 National Conference.

PLATINUM SPONSOR

2011 Winner Supplier of the Year

Master Builders & Boral Excellence in Building Awards

11

2011

Specialists in • BESSER BLOCKS • SMALL & LARGE FORMAT PAVERS • STEP TREADS • CONCRETE CURBS • FENCE POSTS • DRy STACK wALL • COMMERCIAL PROJECTS • RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS • SMALL & LARGE JOBS

Bink Cement Products believe in sustainable business practices which is why our raw materials are sourced locally and we manufacture locally. Bink Cement has the ability to supply all scale of projects from large commercial to smaller residential. We supply the building market, sand and soil yards as well as South-East NSW with our superiour products.

40 Dacre Street, MITCHELL, ACT, 2911 Phone: (02) 6242-7033 Fax: (02) 6242-7040 Email: info @binkcement.com.au www.binkcement.com.au

• NExT DAy DELIVERy AVAILABLE

Architects requests are welcome

I

Quality Service

I

Commercial & Residential

53

THE

BOTTOM LINE Professor Patrick Zou is Head of Building & Construction Management in the Faculty of Business, Government and Law Department at the University of Canberra.

DEVELOPING BUILDING PROFESSIONAL FOR THE INDUSTRY; AN ALLIANCE WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA The Master Builders Association’s alliance with the University of Canberra, will deliver tangible benefits for the Master Builders Association (MBA) and its members and the ACT regional building and construction industry; one of the clear objectives being to deliver quality building and construction professionals.

HOW LONG HAS THE DEGREE COURSE BEEN OPERATING? The Bachelor of Building & Construction Management course has now been operating for over five years and provides a range of entry pathways including direct entry for students completing year 12, various support programs for mature aged students re-entering education, and entry and advanced standing pathways for students who have completed the nationally recognised Certificate IV and Diploma programs with the Master Builders Association.

HOW DO YOU MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF THE COURSE TO DATE? I principally measure success by the quality of the students who are undertaking the course and the attitude, skill and knowledge (ASK) that they have gained through the professional education provided at the university which complements their onsite training. Since its reestablishment at UC the interest in the course from both students and industry has been strong and there has been a continuous increase in enrolments over the last five years. Currently we have over 200 students participating in the degree program.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE INDUSTRY ALLIANCES IN SECURING THE FUTURE OF THIS COURSE? The industry has shown incredible commitment by, firstly, providing initial funding to establish the course and, secondly, by proactive involvements of industry leaders (particularly, in the form of an Industry Advisory Committee) and, thirdly, by its commitment to promoting the course to its broader membership. Our alliance with the Master Builders Association (MBA) has delivered a great partnership and we currently have students completing industrybased learning units at the Master Builders Association training facility at Fyshwick. Industry partnerships not only provide enhanced opportunities for real world student learning but also play a key role in promoting the value of formal qualifications within the broader construction sector.

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One of the most obvious benefits of this alliance is providing integrated pathways for students who have completed the Master Builders Diploma of Building & Construction (Building), granting 1 year of advanced standing in the Bachelor of Building & Construction Management degree.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE A BALANCE OF PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL SKILLS WHILE UNDERTAKING THE DEGREE COURSE? The industry leader’s involvement, such as the BCM’s Industry Advisory Committee, and Industry alliances, such as we have with the Master Builders, are crucial in ensuring the curriculum remains relevant to professional practice, and students gain on-site parallel, practical experience. We are currently achieving this in our alliance with Master Builders and through the compulsory work placements included in the degree with a range of construction sector companies. The Bachelor of Building & Construction Management is accredited by the Australian Institute of Building which has established requirements for both practical and theoretical training in university construction management courses. Our objective is to continuously enhance our industry-based learning programs and develop industry-focused research projects in future years so that students can enhance their onsite training to complement their theoretical training and develop their critical enquiry and thinking at UC. Industry leader’s involvement, such as the BCM’s Industry Advisory Committee, and Industry alliances, such as we have with the Master Builders, are crucial in ensuring the curriculum remains relevant to professional and practice, and students gain onsite parallel, practical experience. We are currently achieving this in our alliance with Master Builders and through the work placement with many companies, and our objective will be to enhance the industry-based learning programs and develop industry-focused research projects in future years so that students can enhance their onsite training to compliment their theoretical training and develop their critical enquiry and thinking at UC.

SHOULD WE INCORPORATE MORE RESEARCH-TYPE PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY CONSTRUCTION RELATED AND INTEGRATE THIS RESEARCH INTO THE LEARNING/ TRAINING? The University of Canberra has always had a strong focus on research led teaching with a real world focus. It is essential that we undertake cutting-edge applied research that is relevant to the construction industry today and helps to meet its future needs.

The 4-point research philosophy that I developed for guiding BCM research is: (1) value-adding to construction business, (2) contribute to knowledge development, (3) evidence-based, and (4) provide opportunity for students to develop critical, analytical and logical thinking and problem solving capabilities. One of my key objectives

Canberra building news edition 3 - 2011

is to engage the students in research, in order to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills. We have recently introduced the option of an Honours year research program in Building & Construction Management at UC giving students the opportunity to begin a research career within construction related areas.

We are already discussing some potential research projects with the Master Builders Association as well as other parties. One of my objectives is to get students involved in doing research as a complement to their studies at UC. I am particularly keen to focus research projects that will be beneficial and value-add to the construction industry. I have, in the past, completed a number of major research projects funded by government and industry, especially relating to risk management and safety management, as well as sustainable building design and construction, and my objective is to enhance the university’s international standing as a research facility. I will apply my past knowledge and experience in this field to benefit the local construction industry.

Multi-purpose training & Meeting facilities, tailored for you… and near you!

PROFESSOR PATRICK ZOU Professor Patrick X.W. Zou is Head of Building and Construction Management at the Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra (UC). Prior to joining UC, Patrick was Associate Professor and Program Director of Construction Management and Property at The University of New South Wales, where he obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering in 1999. Patrick’s current research focuses on risk management in projects and enterprises, safety management in construction, sustainable building design, construction and in-use. Patrick has published 150+ papers in international journals and conferences, and two books with the most recent one being “Construction Management New Direction 3rd Edition”, by WileyBlackwell this year. Patrick has received 7 major international and national awards for the achievement and performance of his research and teaching.

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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In the picture!

Who’s making news this issue ///

Caroline Whitelum from CIC Australia walks the Kokoda Track.

battles along the track, and of the suffering of the Japanese as well as Australian soldiers, and of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels. It was an immense honour to walk Kokoda in this, its 70th anniversary year.

The four pillars of Kokoda are Courage, Endurance, Mateship, and Sacrifice. This is the legacy and these are the foundations of the journey, still”.

Dimitri’s real estate journey commenced in a boutique Canberra agency in Kingston.

Dimitri worked hard and used his enterprise to create market share in the area which attracted the attention of some of Canberra’s largest apartment builders. Dimitri’s hard work, knowledge and expertise could be described as the main driver for the company’s sales success.

This success allowed the company to grow in Canberra and establish a second franchise in Gungahlin. Dimitri’s hard work and achievements meant he was the standout choice to own and manage the new franchise, located in the Gungahlin Town Centre.

Dimitri quickly engaged and mentored a young and enthusiastic sales team which quickly became one of the strongest new home and project marketing teams in the Gungahlin region.

“In September I had the enormous privilege to walk Kokoda with my 13 year old daughter, Samantha. It is impossible to describe the enormity of the trip. Yes there was mud and more mud, and the climbs were unrelenting, the days were long and arduous emotionally and physically, but that’s what I had expected and what we had trained hard over 14 months to cope with.

But the journey was so much more.

Dimitri Georgalis from Ray White Civic.

With Dimitri and his team at your side every step of the way, nothing stands in the way of a great result! Dimitri thrives on helping people achieve their real estate goals and adapting to every situation with compassion and his signature ‘can do’ attitude. He recognises that listening to his clients, following through and giving honest advice is the best recipe for lasting trust and successful outcomes.

We were all overwhelmed by the generosity of our personal porters and the way they offered their hand to help us at any difficulty, pulling us up the steepest parts of the climb or helping us across the countless river crossings. They put their lives before ours, quite literally.

Dimitri believes Ray White’s unmatched reputation for excellence, from its founder’s passion and drive to shine, reflects his own personal goals and values. His commitment to step up to the mark and get the job done, with the backing of Ray White’s marketleading innovation and support services is a powerful combination that produces exceptional results.

The people in the villages, especially the children, were a delight. We played games, sang songs, read books to them and shared snacks from our packs. And they loved to see themselves in your digital camera.

The landscape was so dramatic, so remote, so harsh, so green, and so so beautiful. Villages pop up out of the jungle at the highest points overlooking the most stunning valleys.

It takes your breath away at every turn.

The history of the track was also overwhelming. Our guides told us of the 56

At this point in time, Dimitri realised the potential of his business and his resultsdriven team and decided to execute his vision for real estate in Canberra with a national real estate brand, Ray White. This is how Ray White Civic was born.

Joining the real estate profession in 1999, Dimitri Georgalis has built and enjoyed a high profile career and gained invaluable experience along the way. He has a successful record in residential sales transactions across Canberra and a reputation of achieving outstanding results.

Do You Have Super? Is Your Super Enough to Secure Your Financial Future?

Are you making $65,000+ p/a in your current super fund?

The scary reality is that 86.6% of Australians will retire on $16,000 p/a or less. Is that going to be enough to maintain your current lifestyle? I don’t think so.

Many people just like you are also buying property in Super, by setting up a Self Managed Super Fund. The Government has relaxed the laws and people can now have total control of their Super fund.

They too realise that with Australia’s aging population there isn’t going to be enough money to pay you a pension. That is why there are so many great tax benefits to setting up a SMSF, for example once you retire and sell your property it will be TAX FREE. YES! TAX FREE!!!

It is estimated that you will need approx $800,000 Super to allow you to survive for the average life expectancy of 22 years after retiring at 65. How is your super account looking?

STOP watching your super decrease. ACT NOW! It is not too late to make your super work for you.

What if you could make up to $60,000 p/a, that is sustainable, Interested now?

Tony Barber and Peter Ingram started Prosperity Property Advisors, a Property Investment Company, to help people just like you secure their future with safe and affordable properties. This is achieved by teaching tried, tested and proven systems of success.

We educate our clients on what makes a successful investment and why. We also facilitate the entire process to avoid the mistakes others make and save our clients time, money, and stress.

So you too can have a Personal Prosperity Plan. A set and forget strategy so you can truly say “she’ll be right mate” with the peace of mind you and your family deserve.

We are at an incredible time in history where in specific locations, people like you, can invest in high returning positive cash flow property. Which means you can purchase a property with no cash deposit, that returns you approx. $100 per week for holding this property, in locations where economist believe property will experience $60,000 growth per annum. It really is a no brainer getting paid to build wealth.

In a nutshell, you could make $5000+ p/a additional income for purchasing a property. Plus, capital growth of approx $60,000 p/a, whilst someone else pays off your house.

Peter and Tony’s local Canberra Company is called Prosperity Property Advisors. With a national presence, they have consultants and properties Australia wide. But one of the most important elements to the properties they recommend to their clients is QUALITY. They only select the premium builders in each location to assure the property is built to the highest standard, at wholesale prices, 100% full turn key and on a fixed contract (No more to pay).

So, there is no hidden costs, no maintenance issues, the highest rental return and maximum tax benefits but importantly Capital Growth!!

If you would like Blatantly Honest advice, no B.S. and No hard sell the boys would like to offer all the readers of the Master Builders ACT Magazine a “7 Steps to Wealth with Certainty” program valued at $997.00, complimentary and with no obligation.

If you want to capitalise on this unique time in Australian history and learn how you can have a better life today and secure your financial future, call the boys for a chat. You’ll love their plain English approach, their tradie to tradie talk, and the fact you are not dealing with shiny butt sales guys. Everything to gain… You can book for the workshop now or a personal 1 on 1 strategy session designed for your personal outcomes today.

Call 61621506 or visit prosperitygroup.com.au/tradies

57

Tuesday 30 August Sponsored by Village Building

Bob Winnel AM Managing Director, Village Building Meredith Hunter MLA Parliamentary Leader of the ACT Greens Simon Butt Acting President, Master Builders Association of the ACT

Tuesday 4 September Sponsored by Colliers International

Ross Barrett OAM David Dawes Paul Powderly

Tuesday 27 September Sponsored by Village Building

Bob Winnel AM Cr Tim Overall John Miller

Managing Director, Village Building Mayor of Queanbeyan Executive Director, Master Builders Association of the ACT

Tuesday 4 October Sponsored by Meyer Vandenberg

Ross Barrett OAM

Hon Steve Bracks David Atkins Ross Barrett OAM

Executive Director, Master Builders Association of the ACT Chairman, Cbus Chief Executive, Cbus President, Master Builders Association of the ACT

Archie Tsirimokos

President, Master Builders Association of the ACT Chair, National Capital Authority Director, Molonglo Property Group

Partner, Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers

Tuesday 8 November Sponsored by Village Building

Bob Winnel AM

Managing Director, Village Building

Dr Andrew Leigh MP Federal Member for Fraser Simon Butt President, Master Builders Association of the ACT

Tuesday 13 November Sponsored by Molonglo Property Group

Simon Butt Shelley Penn Tim Efkarpidis

President, Master Builders Association of the ACT

Gai Brodtmann MP Federal Member for Canberra

Tuesday 9 October Sponsored by Master Builders Fidelity Fund

John Miller

President, Master Builders Association of the ACT Director-General, Economic Development Directorate State Chief Executive, Colliers International

Thursday 29 November Sponsored by Raine & Horne Commercial

Andrew Cappie-Wood Director-General, Chief Minister and

Cabinet Directorate Frank Morella Simon Butt

Managing Director, Raine & Horne Commercial President, Master Builders Association of the ACT

00347c

Offering

peace of mind

for building industry

professionals Austbrokers Canberra offer exceptional products and services in all areas of insurance, particularly specialising in: Construction and building industry insurance Trade package insurance Public and Products Liability Professional Indemnity Workers Compensation Business Package Insurance Income Protection Life Insurance and superannuation: these products are provided by the related entity Austbrokers Financial Solutions (SYD) Pty Ltd a Corporate Authorised Representative of Millennium3 Financial Services Pty Ltd ABN 61 094 529 987 AFS Licence 244252 Direct +61 2 6280 5477 | Fax +61 2 6280 7561 Cnr Lyell & Newcastle Streets Fyshwick ACT 2609 PO Box 727, FYSHWICK ACT 2609 Email christine.miliano@abcbr.com.au | paul.lawton@abcbr.com.au | www.abcbr.com.au Austbrokers Canberra Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Austbrokers Sydney Pty Ltd AFS Licence 244244

Peace of mind.

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

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