President’s Message

We always knew this was going to be a significant year for The Master Plumbers and Gasfitters Association of WA because, in January, we assumed the role of Secretariat of Master Plumbers Australia and New Zealand (MPANZ). This made us responsible for administering the peak body that represents our industry in two countries in addition to being the voice of Master Plumbers in WA.

Then, without warning, came the unforeseen challenges of COVID-19 that have affected all of us and brought months of uncertainty and financial stress. At the very least, every member has endured some degree of costly and time-consuming business disruption due to the need to undergo activities such as taking extra health precautions at the workplace, finding scarce personal protective equipment or doing COVID-19 training. Coronavirus The pandemic brought the Association’s role into a sharper focus than ever before. The rapid series of announcements by the Australian and WA Governments created a sharp increase in the number of key messages we had to communicate and the range of resources and support we had to provide. As one of the articles in this issue explains, there is strength in belonging to a group that fights for you. And fight we did, not only in relation to COVID-19 but on other fronts too. For example, in the past months, the WA Government has introduced draft legislation in the areas of industrial relations, industrial manslaughter and payment security. These proposed new laws are problematic to say the least, especially for small and medium business owners. We are actively campaigning for the Government to change them. On a positive note, it is encouraging to see national licensing reform gaining traction with the publication of the Australian Building Code Board’s draft National Registration Framework. This is a welcome development and we have collaborated with other MPANZ members to submit a detailed response on behalf of the industry.

Matt Johnson

President