Non-conforming products widespread across building and construction sector EDITION 1-2014 http://www.mba.org.au/ files/view/?id=594 MASTER BUILDERS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL President – John Haskins AM Treasurer – Frank Porreca Chair, Commercial Builders’ Sector Council – Valdis Luks Chair, Suppliers and Subcontractors’ Sector Council – Grace Ferreira Chair, Residential Builders’ Sector Council – Frank Porreca Chair, Civil Contractors’ Sector Council – Andy Crompton Chair, Professional Consultants’ Sector Council – Hans Sommer MASTER BUILDERS MANAGEMENT TEAM Executive Director – John Miller Deputy Executive Director – Jerry Howard Director Industrial Relations – John Nikolic Senior Management Accountant – Louise MacCallum Senior Manager - Marketing & Membership Services – David Leitch Work Health and Safety Advisor – Philip Edwards MASTER BUILDERS GROUP TRAINING General Manager – Wendy Tengstrom
"New Ai Group research reveals the widespread use of nonconforming products across the building and construction sector. An extremely large proportion (92%) of companies responding to a recent survey reported non-conforming products in their supply chains. This raises important questions about quality and safety and it poses serious commercial challenges for the businesses that do play by the rules." Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox said recently.
The report - The quest for a level playing field: The non-conforming building products dilemma – is based on a survey of more than 220 individuals and organisations across manufacturing, fabrication, supply and building industries and face to face meetings with over 240 industry participants. Almost half of businesses surveyed (45%) reported lost revenue, reduced margins or lower employment numbers due to nonconforming products in the steel, electrical, glass and aluminium, and engineered wood sectors. The majority of the nonconforming products do not meet regulatory, Australian or industry standards. Others are not fit for their intended purpose, are not of acceptable quality, contain false or misleading claims or are counterfeit product. In addition to evidence of non-conforming products, the report also reveals significant confusion among companies about how to identify non-conforming products and who to report them to. Gaps and weaknesses in the building and construction conformance framework are also highlighted. Non-conforming products are allowed onto the market due to inadequate surveillance, audit checks, testing, verification and enforcement. The report suggests that building certifiers bear a disproportionate share of the burden for product conformance and raises the question of whether more responsibility should be taken by product suppliers and builders.
Master Builders Association of the ACT 1 Iron Knob St, Fyshwick ACT 2609 PO Box 1211, Fyshwick ACT 2609 Tel: (02) 6247 2099 Fax: (02) 6249 8374 Email: canberra@mba.org.au Web: www.mba.org.au
The impact of non-conforming products is a major concern for industry and this report clearly suggests the need
to reform the current system to ensure quality and safety and to ensure Australian importers, manufacturers and fabricators have a level playing field. Ai Group's proposals to address these issues are for: · Industry, in consultation with all tiers of government, to promote awareness of the role of regulatory bodies in the building and construction sector and in particular awareness of how nonconforming products can be reported; · State and Territory governments to review their building certification arrangements with a specific focus on clarifying the role of building certifiers and assessing the adequacy of existing arrangements in preventing the installation of non-conforming products; and · Stakeholders, in consultation with all tiers of Government, examine how to best address the gaps and weaknesses in the building and construction sector conformance framework. "We also recommend that further research be undertaken on the extent of non-conforming products in other sectors and how the problems presented by non-conforming products can best be addressed while keeping compliance and administrative costs to a minimum,” Mr Willox said. Full report: http://www.aigroup.com.au/link/gK
THE
HAMMER hits the nail on the head
DRUG AND ALCOLHOL TESTING Everyone – well almost everyone – in the building and construction industry aims to create a safe workplace. Builders and employers are grimly aware of the many factors which can pose a threat to employees health and safety. They actively and – for most conscientiously attempt to minimise the risks to employees’ health and safety. Building unions display zeal for a variety of reasons in identifying risks, real and/or imagined, and seeking rectification and harm minimisation – with one notable exception. It is widely acknowledged that drug and alcohol consumption is a major risk factor in workplace accidents. Yet employers’ attempts to ensure that construction employees using drugs and alcohol do not pose a serious threat to themselves and other employees has been vigorously resisted by the main building union – the CFMEU. The union must demonstrate consistency on this issue and responsibility to employees who do seek a safe work environment. The CFMEU apparently sees no inconsistency in complaining about alleged poor work practices posing a threat to workplace health and safety, while at the same time railing against drug and alcohol testing of employees working in potentially risky situations.
The Canberra Times recently reported an incident on the Majura Parkway project in which a pile driver was knocked off alignment when it struck solid rock. The paper reported that ACT Work Safe investigators had visited the site and decided that the incident did not pose a danger to workers whilst the CFMEU ACT said that it had the potential to endanger the lives of those working around it. They claimed a range of safety problems from the start of the project and accused one contractor of trying to hide incidents and dangerous near misses. In what most reasonable readers of the newspaper report would see as breathtaking inconsistency, in the article the union accused another contractor on the project of conducting a drug and alcohol test on workers in breach – they claimed - of the contractor’s agreement with the union. The Canberra Times reported the company confirmed that compulsory drug and alcohol testing had been carried out at the Majura Parkway site, but the company denied it was in breach of an agreement with the CFMEU. It was noted that the company’s staff were made aware when they signed their employment contracts that they could be subject to random drug and alcohol testing and the company was very confident that
the Majura Parkway site was safe. Master Builders-ACT has called on the CFMEU to support drug and alcohol testing as a mechanism to ensure safety on building and construction sites in the Territory. The comments in The Canberra Times attributed to the CFMEU, which effectively oppose drug and alcohol testing on site at Majura Parkway, were in stark contrast to all of its other utterances over safety concerns on building and construction projects. The whole industry wants building and construction sites to be as risk-free as possible to ensure all workers get home safely to their families at the end of every shift. There has been considerable research and data collected over the years to suggest that drugs and alcohol are a significant problem in the workplace and particularly in a high risk industry such as building and construction every effort has to be made to ensure safe workplaces.
To deny that there is a problem is dangerous and preventing companies from taking all steps to protect workers from accidents where drugs and/or alcohol could be present shows a total
lack of commitment by the CFMEU to using every means possible to eradicate on-site safety risks. In a response to the Getting Home Safely report last year, Master Builders ACT called for consideration for random drug and alcohol testing on building and construction sites to improve safety. They felt this was vital given the presence of data acknowledging the contribution these substances play in reducing site safety. It is clear the mining industry and other parts of industry recognise this as an issue, yet in the ACT for some reason the main building union just doesn’t want to acknowledge this as a potential risk factor that needs to be managed.
on safety then it is time to acknowledge that drugs and alcohol are an issue in our society and their use does impact on the workplace and that represents a real risk. The MBA has called on the CFMEU to commit to on-site drug and alcohol testing with appropriate procedural fairness for workers to demonstrate to the community and the industry that it is serious about its commitment to safety on building and construction sites.
''The risks to employee safety posed by drug and alcohol use have long been recognised by this tribunal,'' it ruled. ''And compulsory drug and alcohol testing is, of itself, not so extraordinary that it could not be argued to be a reasonable employer instruction.'' This failure by a major industry stakeholder to commit to and “allow” employers to exercise a right to protect workers and the interests of companies themselves will only result in appropriate and sensible management of a real workplace safety issue being hammered.
It is worth noting that Fair Work Australia has considered almost identical situations with major road projects in Victoria where the CFMEU was resisting testing and that the Commission held that requiring drug and alcohol tests was a ''reasonable'' request from an employer.
If the CFMEU wants to be seen to be credible
New anti-bullying laws under the Fair Work Act On 1 January 2014, new anti-bullying laws came into effect under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act). While much criticised, they target a costly problem, with the annual cost of workplace bullying estimated at between $6bn and $36bn nationally. The new laws define ‘bullying’ as: repeated unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker, or a group of workers of which the individual is a member, that creates a risk to health and safety. The above definition does not require any intentional malice on the alleged bullies’ part, only that the behaviour be repeated, ‘unreasonable’ and adversely affect worker(s)’ health and safety, picking up on similar drafting under model work health and safety laws. However, the FW Act specifies that bullying will not include ‘one-off’ incidents or ‘reasonable management action carried out in a reasonable manner’, so the message is: while you needn’t mollycoddle them, please be respectful to your employees – even when you are criticising their work. Interestingly, the laws apply to any person at work, i.e. are not restricted to employer-staff or staff-staff interactions, but would also include client-staff and principal-subcontractor exchanges. The laws provide alleged victims of bullying (as defined above) with rapid dispute resolution before the Fair Work Commission (FWC) in order to avoid psychological harm, with complaints required to be handled within 14 days. The FWC is empowered to make orders
that any bullying cease, contravention of which would allow for the imposition of fines (up to $10,200 for individuals and $51 000 for corporations). These new laws would operate in addition to Members’ duties to provide a safe work environment under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT) and alongside potential remedies under the Workers Compensation Act 1951 (ACT). However, unlike the latter, the new laws under the FW Act do not provide for compensation and can only be invoked by current employees. Although there are fears of a flood of vexatious claims (following the introduction of specific anti-bullying laws in Victoria, of the more than 6,000 complaints made in 2010 alone, only 1% required a workplace visit by the regulator) and potential payments of ‘go-away money’ to prevent brand damage, some commentators (such as Ms Grace Collier of The Australian) prefers the new FW Act regime to the alternatives, given that ‘it is primarily a person-toperson system designed only to stop bullying’, with no pot of gold for litigants. Indeed, as Ms Collier notes, ‘the only type of order a business is likely to get is that it have and enforce a policy on bullying’ (‘Relax, the new anti-bullying claim system will be fairer to all’, The
Australian, 11 January 2014). This is a crucial point, as under the new laws any orders that the FWC makes must have regard to company policies / procedures and / or any investigations that have been undertaken by an employer. In other words, if you have a bullying policy, the FWC will follow that policy. For that reason, members should act now to implement bullying policies in their workplace. After all, as Mr Guy Biddle of Finlaysons (a law firm) has advised to employers: ‘you need to acknowledge that workplace culture is your responsibility’ (‘Regulations need more work to avoid headaches for employers’, The Australian, 11 January 2014). Master Builders will be hosting a seminar in March 2014 on the new laws, following-up from a seminar held on 5 December 2013. Master Builders also sells a Human Resources Manual which includes a model anti-bullying policy, go to Master Builders’ website, at: http://www.mba.org.au/ publications/hr-manual/ Further information is also available from the FWC’s website: http://www.fwc.gov.au/index. cfm?pagename=anti-bullying
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allegations against the CFMEU Widely-reported allegations of corruption and links to organised crime by officials of the CFMEU have been seized on by the Federal Government and the building industry as further reason for the Government’s plans to reinstate the Australian Building and Construction Commission. The Government’s plans to restore the Commission are currently being blocked by the Senate. The allegations of corruption have led to suggestions the Government may seek a Royal Commission into the corruption allegations, which have touched on payments by building companies and subcontractors to union officials, involvement of motorcycle gangs in the building industry and the presence of subcontractors with organised crime links on the giant Barangaroo development site in Sydney. The allegations are as yet unproved. Master Builders ACT Deputy Executive Director Jerry Howard told The Canberra Times he did not believe that corruption was a significant issue in the building g industry in Canberra. He said the building industry had many problems with the CFMEU but corruption was not one of them. He believed the problems caused by criminal elements in Sydney and Melbourne were not present to the same extent in Canberra. "We've always been reasonably well behaved here," Mr Howard said. "I'm not saying things don't go on, and I've heard a few stories over the years, but I'd hang my hat on saying that we wouldn't have much corruption in Canberra's building industry." Prime Minister Tony Abbott suggested that a previously promised judicial inquiry into union slush funds and criminal behaviour stemming from allegations involving the former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Australian Workers Union could be widened to cover the CFMEU matters. “I notice there have
been various calls, including from people inside the union movement, inside the Labor movement more generally, for a fuller inquiry and the Government will be making appropriate announcements in due course.” He also said, “We made a commitment pre-election that there would be a judicial inquiry into union slush funds and a royal commission is in fact a judicial inquiry and we will honour the commitments that we made pre-election. Labor's workplace relations spokesman, Brendan O'Connor, rejects the Government’s argument that the latest allegations against the CFMEU strengthened the case to re-establish the ABCC. “If people are committing crimes, if there are serious allegations of crimes, where better than to refer such matters to the police could there possibly be?” Mr O’Connor said. Employment Minister Eric Abetz said, "Given the latest revelations by the ABC and the Fairfax media, the ALP simply no longer has any feathers to fly with in opposing the re-establishment of the ABCC. "The national interest should come first and that demands the reestablishment of the ABCC." In Melbourne CFMEU organiser Danny Berardi resigned from his union position after it was alleged he helped at least two construction companies win contracts, after the companies did renovation work on his properties for free. The national secretary of the CFMEU, Dave Noonan, said the vast majority of the union's officials are doing their job properly and he stridently opposed the reintroduction of the ABCC.
“The ABCC has no power or role in respect of criminality or corruption. The ABCC enforces industrial relations laws, and very unfair and unequal laws for construction workers.” The executive of the NSW branch of the CFMEU called for an urgent leadership meeting to discuss the position of state secretary Brian Parker, who was accused of helping criminally linked construction industry companies win contracts on major projects including the Barangaroo site. Parker was accused of giving favourable treatment to an associate, organised crime figure George Alex and his company Active Labour Hire. The union support came despite Mr Alex, who has business links to drug dealers and bikies, owing more than $1 million in workers' benefits and taxes. Senior NSW union official Andrew Quirk wrote a confidential letter to CFMEU national secretary Michael O'Connor documenting a series of corruption allegations, including a claim Mr Parker had "given unwarranted favourable treatment" to Mr Alex's companies. The claims were backed up by whistleblower and former CFMEU organiser Brian Fitzpatrick, who said he received death threats after raising concerns about Mr Alex's union ties. CFMEU Victorian state secretary John Setka has denied claims from former developer Andrew Zaf that he received free roofing materials on his property in return for peace on building sites.
ACT faces lean economic outlook Leading economic forecaster Deloitte Access Economics has warned that the impact of public service cuts on the ACT economy will be worse than the effect of Holden’s closure on South Australia, and that the Territory faces a tough two-years economically. Deloitte Access Economics' latest Business Outlook predicts lean years in 2014 and 2015 in Canberra, due to Federal Government cuts. The forecaster said job growth has stalled with vacancies already at record lows. It said a recent surge in housing construction has run out of steam and housing finance and building approvals are falling. Vacancy rates are also continuing to climb, house prices are heading down, and business investment spending is on the slide. Deloitte Access Economics director Chris Richardson said 6,000 public service jobs in Canberra could go, creating a bigger impact than the closure of Holden in South Australia, which has four times the employment base of the ACT. "Holden will be a problem for the South Australian economy but chances are smaller job losses in a bigger economy than the ACT faces with public sector job cuts," he said. "Now it's not the end of the world, we do see the ACT continuing to grow, but only just. It should be a modest couple of years in the local economy." ''There may be twice as many jobs at risk in the ACT from public service jobs cuts as in the impact of the closure of Holden's car manufacturing operations in South Australia, while the latter state has almost four times the employment base of the ACT,'' the report said. ''Moreover, there are flow-on impacts here too, for example, business investment spending in the ACT is already on the slide while many Canberra private sector employees 'sell' to the public sector.'' Queensland was losing 14,000 public sector jobs but the state's workforce
was 10 times the size of the ACT's workforce. ''So this is a genuine, big negative [but] it's not the end of the world,'' Mr Richardson said.
is falling, building approvals are doing the same, vacancy rates are continuing to climb, while housing prices are heading down rather than up.
''The ACT is a more mature economy and by and large we're not expecting the Commission of Audit will lead to large second-round cuts.
''Not surprisingly, therefore, housing construction activity is already sinking, and those lower levels of building work may be evident well into 2015.''
''If you look ahead there are growing risks partly because the housing and construction downturn continues and, more importantly, because the public sector cut-backs finally start to bite.
The report said the impact of the efficiency dividends by the Labor government was so notable - an estimated 14,473 job cuts already in the pipeline - the Coalition government has backed away from its promised cut of a further 12,000 jobs.
''They are big, we're talking about problems that are bigger than Holden looms as a problem for South Australia, bigger than the state government public sector cutbacks in Queensland have been up there.'' The report said Canberra's economy is a tug-of-war between benefits of low interest rates and negatives due to public service cutbacks. ''Growth in the ACT may have slowed, but it remains reasonable,'' the report said. ''Yet the good news side of the equation is looking less flash than it was. ''In part that is because, in contrast with the nation as a whole, low mortgage interest rates are not coaxing more housing construction work from ACT homebuilders. Partly that is simply because, also unlike the rest of Australia, housing construction in the ACT has been marching to the beat of a different drum. ''Recent years saw a surge in residential building work in Canberra and it has only recently run out of steam. ''The latter is increasingly clear in the forward indicators - housing finance
''Yet the latter announcement merely puts a floor under what may be a modest couple of years in Canberra,'' the report said. ''Job vacancies have already dropped to record lows and chances are that 2014 and 2015 will be lean years for the ACT economy. ''Job growth has stalled and the ranks of the unemployed, while still small, are growing ‌ With something like 6000 public service jobs to go from Canberra itself in the next few years, that bulks large in a jurisdiction where total employment is only 210,000.'' Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said Canberra's economy will always be linked to the fortunes of the federal public service. "The next two years we're all going to have to work together," she said. "Everyone who loves Canberra, everyone who works here, industry, the community, we're going to have to work together to make sure that we're doing everything we can to seize any opportunities that can come our way."
Government checks on pollution control The ACT Government will conduct inspections of residential building sites in late February 2014 as part of an education campaign focussing on pollution control.
Regulation section of the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate will look for compliance with the Environment Protection Act 1997 and the Planning and Development Act 2007.
Pollution controls are important for both the environment and the developer/builder. A development without adequate pollution controls increases costs, for example, replacing washed away stockpiles, clean-up costs, fines and loss of business reputation.
To comply, ensure sediment does not leave your site and that the roads are kept clean. You can do this by installing and maintaining sediment fencing, a stabilised access, designated cutting/ wash down areas, etc. Remember, it is an offence to allow any substance other than rainwater to enter the stormwater system. Contravention of the Acts
Officers from the Environment Protection Authority and Utilities, Land and Lease
can lead to fines and prosecutions for individuals and companies. For more information on how to prevent pollution from residential building sites, information sheets are available at the at the Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate as well as the Dickson and Mitchell customer service centres. Further information is available online at: www.environment.act.gov.au/ environment/environment_protection_ authority/business_and_industry/ environment_protection_guidelines
Land release policies risk damage to ACT economy The ACT government’s land release policies risk further damage to the ACT economy in the wake of the slowdown likely to flow from public service job cuts. The building and construction industry faces threats from the ACT Government’s decisions to slow the release of land and exclude the private sector from new land developments. Master Builders ACT has warned of more pain for local builders and the community unless the ACT Government fast tracks its land release program. “A further slowdown in the release of land has recently been foreshadowed and MBA-ACT is concerned this will impact negatively on the local building sector, economy and housing affordability,” MBA executive director John Miller warned. Much of the industry is already reeling from the delays in bringing new land to the market off the back of protracted negotiations around Commonwealth environmental approvals, and is now facing a total shutdown in the absence of land to build on. Mr Miller said that many members were reporting that they were unable to help potential clients looking to build in the Territory because they were quite simply unable to get their hands on land, and particularly affordable land. “Whilst there might have been a lot of excitement over some extraordinary prices paid prior to Christmas for land in South Lawson, it served to highlight an underlying problem of land shortage and certainly in an affordable range.
T FOR RELEASE OT FOR RELEASE NO
“The ACT Government, via the Land Development Agency, has told industry it is taking responsibility for new residential developments in the short to medium term, meaning local developers will have to wait at least couple of years before they get an opportunity to develop land in the ACT.” The government has quietly ended its policy of selling a third of its available land for housing to property developers and another third as joint ventures. The Land Development Agency will take on responsibility for readying new sites for housing in greenfield areas such as Moncrieff and Throsby, putting a halt to the practice of selling large parcels of land to developers. Mr Miller said, “Combined with this, the tap has been turned off on supply for small builders who can’t currently access land. It is just another nightmare for the industry. We would like to see releases such as Moncrieff and Throsby come on line sooner rather than later and for there to be affordable blocks available. By affordable we mean home sites for less than $350,000 and even some blocks at under $250,000.
“Costs are escalating for home buyers dealing with the solar access provisions and along with other fee and charge increases introduced last year are making the ACT a very unattractive proposition for home buyers and investors. Adding the extra burden of recent regulatory change sees further costs imposed along with frustration for the industry. “There is a lot of discussion about what is happening or is going to happen in response to the federal government’s Commission of Audit however, at this very moment there are people looking to enter the housing market but can’t. This is something the ACT Government has control over and it cannot play politics with the lives of the people looking for reasonably priced housing and the livelihoods of builders and their families looking to survive. “As we commence 2014 we implore the ACT Government to listen to what the industry is saying before it is too late for many families.
“Exacerbating the land shortage is a range of issues for builders still with some land who are grappling with the constraints around solar access provisions introduced through DV306. Whilst some changes have been made, it is not helping nearly enough.
FOR RELEASE FOR RELEASE NOT T NO E AS LE RE R NOT FO NOT FOR RELEASE
New superannuation requirements from 1 January 2014 All employers became subject to new employee superannuation requirements from 1 January 2014 as a result of the start of the Government’s ‘MySuper’ requirements. From 1 January 2014 all employers are required to make their employer Superannuation Guarantee contributions on behalf of employees who have not nominated a fund to an authorised ‘MySuper’ fund. The obligation applies only in relation to employees who have not selected a preferred fund (by completing a ‘choice of fund’ form) MySuper is a new superannuation product that replaces previous default superannuation products. MySuper products have a simple set of features, regardless of who provides them.
The rules for MySuper are designed to ensure that superannuation fund members do not pay for any unnecessary features they do not use. Default super products are used when employees haven’t chosen a super fund.
The ATO also advised that if an employer’s existing default fund does not offer a MySuper product by 1 January 2014, they will need to switch to a fund that is authorised. Employers will need to provide an updated choice of fund form to employees that have not nominated a chosen fund within 28 days of this change.
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has recommended employers check that their current default fund offers a MySuper product. A list of authorised MySuper funds is also available on the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority website (APRA: List of MySuper authorised funds ).
Hockey Must Restore Business Confidence The May 2014 Federal Budget must restore business confidence by setting out a credible strategy for a return to sound economic management and to a Budget surplus. “Confidence is fundamental to the wellbeing of the building and construction industry and its capacity to contribute to economic and jobs growth,” Wilhelm Harnisch, CEO of Master Builders Australia said. “The focus of Master Builders’ PreBudget submission is the role that the building and construction industry can play in strengthening and re-balancing the economy, driving investment and jobs in the non-resources sectors,” he said. “Master Builders is deeply concerned at the very difficult fiscal challenges revealed by the Treasurer when releasing the Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) and against this background restoring confidence is crucial to the building and construction industry,” Wilhelm Harnisch said. “Master Builders has called for adequate funds to be allocated to properly resource the restored Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) so it
can effectively confront the resurgence of unlawful behaviour by building unions, particularly in the first year of its renewed operations,” he said. “The lack of housing supply and its impact on housing affordability continues to be important but is largely missing from the public policy narrative. Master Builders is calling for a reinvigorated and effective COAG and a national ‘competition style’ payment to State and Local Governments to remove regulations in order to improve the supply-side efficiency of the housing market,” Wilhelm Harnisch said. “The building and construction industry is one of the most regulated industries and Master Builders is calling for the Government to pare back the red and green tape burden stifling the productivity of the industry and, in particular, the requirement for independent contractors to report all payments they make to other independent contractors should be abolished,” he said.
“As the building industry begins to enter a period of forecast recovery, the industry’s lack of skilled tradespeople is a major concern and therefore Master Builders calls on the Government to maintain its investment in post-secondary skills training and deliver effective assistance to employers to allow the industry to provide sufficient young people with a rewarding career path in a trade apprenticeship,” Wilhelm Harnisch said. Master Builders’ Pre-Budget Submission also addresses building and construction industry’s concerns in the areas of infrastructure, immigration and tax reform. Access Master Builders PreBudget Submission at: http://www.masterbuilders.com.au/ TemporaryDownloads/4C835E7870DB-4CDD-9725017281ACDFAA-2014-15%20 Pre%20Budget%20Submission.pdf
COMING EVENTS FOR 2014 Master Builders ACT Charity Golf Day
Date: Monday 3 March 2014 I
2014 CCF Earth Awards
Date: Friday 9 May 2014 I
Where: Federal Golf Club, Red Hill
This year the Master Builders ACT Charity Golf day will be held at the Federal Golf Club in Red Hill. This year's charity will be the Boundless Canberra all abilities playground project. Where: Hyatt hotel Canberra, Canberra
The 2014 Civil Contractors Federation Earth Awards are on at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra on 9 May. The Earth Awards are the most prestigious awards in civil infrastructure including; roads, bridges, railways, marine structures and utilities that are the economic veins and arteries that link the Australian community. 2014 Master Builders & Cbus Excellence in Building Awards
Date: Friday 27 June 2014 I
Where: National Convention Centre, Canberra
The Master Builders and Cbus Excellence in Building Awards are the premier networking event of the year for our industry. This year's awards will again be held at the National Convention Centre, Canberra. Places are limited - ensure your place by booking early.
TRAINING DATES FOR 2014 SAFETY LEADERSHIP - ADVANCED OBSERVATIONS & CONVERSATIONS SKILLS TRAINING
Date: There are a number of available dates. (Contact Cecilee Miller at cmiller@mba.org.au to book your place)
WORKING AT HEIGHTS
Date: There are a number of available dates. (Contact Cecilee Miller at cmiller@mba.org.au to book your place) The aim of this course is to provide participants with information, tuition and activities that will enable them to identify, assess and safely work above 1.5 metres from floor level with fail protection where required.
The program consists of three 4 hour modules and two on site coaching seesions. The Safety Leadership Program looks at the way human factors affect the development and maintenance of safety culture. Participants develop awareness and learn skills, to better influence safety culture on site.
SECTOR COUNCIL MEETINGS 2014 COMMERCIAL
8 APRIL
10 JUN
12 AUG
14 OCT
CIVIL
25 MAR
3 JUN
2 SEP
7 OCT (AGM)
RESIDENTIAL
9 APR
11 JUN
8 OCT
10 DEC
SUBCONTRACTORS & SUPPLIERS
25 FEB
29 APR
24 JUN
26 AUG
PROFESSIONAL
9 APR
11 JUN
13 AUG
8 OCT
10 DEC
ACT PRIVATE SECTOR BUILDING ACTIVITY $100
MILLION
$80 $60 $40 $20 $0
Feb-13
Mar-13
Apr-13
May-13
Jun-13
Jul-13
Aug-13
Sep-13
Oct-13
Nov-13
Dec-13
Jan-14
The above graph and table below summarise private sector building activity for the various building sectors in the ACT over the past 12 months. The values for each month are depicted in millions of dollars. // To Insert New Data Goto Object/Graph/Data
• Copy and Paste Pivot Table Data into Data Additions and Alterations (Residential) Commercial Building Work Garages, Pools, Decks and Similar Structures Multi Unit New Housing
Feb-13 Mar-13 Apr-13 May-13 Jun-13 6.4 5.02 7.4 6.3 4 68.6 24.3 35 27.5 22.3 11.4 13 12.5 13 13 10.2 18 28 43 32.6 43.2 51.2 69 55 60.2
Jul-13 13 45 22.2 17.3 60
Aug-13 Sep-13 Oct-13 Nov-13 Dec-13 Jan-14 3.4 11 7 4.7 4.5 4.8 24 41 24 26 17 42 5 9 12 12 3 12 13 84 35 56 23.1 20 14.2 32 32 62 44 42.2