phasing out mercury lighting products The importance of electrical cable marking

NEWS IN BRIEF

A RISE AND FALL CLAUSE COULD PROTECT YOU AGAINST RISING MATERIAL COSTS

The cost of materials within the electrical industry has risen a staggering average of 18.7% over the past year, leaving many operators with fixed-price contracts wondering how they will absorb these costs. Many electrical suppliers will not give prices for materials for more than two months in advance.

With the cost of materials expected to further increase over the coming months, combined with supply chain issues, NECA’s legal team are available to assist members in incorporating rise and Fall clauses into their contracts and/or terms and conditions to mitigate risk.

A rise and Fall clause will mitigate market volatility and allow the final contract price to move up or down depending upon adjustments to the cost of materials.

Contact your local NECA branch for advice on clauses that adhere to your local laws. NECA can assist with tailoring a clause for specific contracts or to complement your existing terms and conditions.

MUTUAL RECOGNITION WILL LEAD TO MUTUAL BENEFITS FOR ELECTRICIANS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND VICTORIA

NECA welcomes the announcement that the Federal, South Australian and Victorian Governments have removed the need for licensed workers to apply and pay for an additional licence to work in South Australia or Victoria as part of the Automatic Mutual recognition Scheme. Oliver Judd, NECA CEO, said, “as a policy advocate for mutual recognition, NECA supports the scheme’s aim of making it easier for electricians and tradespeople to work across state boundaries. This mutual recognition between South Australia and Victoria is an excellent achievement along a road towards recognition at a national level. “Cutting red tape to allow electricians and other tradespeople to be able to work anywhere where the work is, is a win-win for everyone. NECA encourages all levels of government to continue the process of working towards national mutual recognition.”

PHASING OUT MERCURY LIGHTING PRODUCTS

Australia is expected to commence phasing out all lighting that contains mercury or mercury products from 2022, by signing onto an international treaty called the Minamata Convention. The convention will not affect the ongoing sales, installation or operation of these lamps until supplies are exhausted.

NECA sought advice from the lighting Council of Australia to assist our members in better understanding the issue. Once supplies run out the effects will include:

Fluorescent lamps: No change is expected in the fluorescent lamp market due to manufacturers and Australian suppliers already complying with the lower mercury limit requirements since 2018.

High pressure mercury vapour (HPMV) lamps:

½ Countries that ratify the Minamata

Convention (the majority of countries globally) will no longer be able to manufacture, import or export HpMV lamps. ½ HpMV lamps will not be able to be imported into Australia after March 2022 (noting also that no manufacturing of HpMV lamps occurs in Australia). ½ HpMV lamps imported into Australia before March 2022 will be grandfathered indefinitely and can be sold and installed until stocks are exhausted. ½ The global manufacture of HpMV lamps has decreased over recent years and this has caused an increase in HpMV lamp prices. ½ The Australian Government has flagged since 2013 that it will likely ratify the

Minamata Convention and it is expected that the market will continue its transition to light emitting diode (lED) luminaires. ½ Many public street lighting luminaires and some industrial luminaires use HpMV lamp technology.

NECA acknowledges that given the advances in lED lighting technology, finding suitable replacement lighting options should not be a concern and will offer significant energy savings.

Visit www.bit.ly/lca-mercury for more information from the lighting Council of Australia.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRIC CABLE MARKING

As part of the Australian Cable initiative (ACi) surveillance programme, a reel of cable was purchased from an online retailer for testing. The cable was sold as being compliant to AS/NZS 5000.2 and the sheath marking on the cable also made this same claim.

it was noted during the testing that the marking on the cable itself, and the reel it was supplied on, were not compliant with either AS/NZS 5000.2 or the requirements of the Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS). This is an important point for all users and installers of electric cable that falls within the scope of AS/NZS 4417.1, which means all cables that are classed as Building Cables. The cable in question was a two-core, 2.5 mm2 flat cable that would typically be used for lighting applications. During testing the following noncompliances were observed: ½ No registered name or mark of the manufacturer/supplier was on the cable or packaging. ½ No year of manufacture was on the cable. ½ The script ‘ElECTriC CABlE’ was missing from the cable. ½ The distance between the end of one block of marking on the cable and the next was approximately 700 mm, which exceeds the maximum of 00 mm as stated in AS/NZS 5000.2. ½ No voltage rating was on the packaging. ½ No catalogue or type number was on the packaging. ½ No reference to the relevant Australian

Standard was on the packaging. ½ Further, the residual current monitoring (rCM) mark required for

EESS compliance was not present on either the cable or the packaging (reel). These non-compliances may seem trivial, but if the cable was installed, an authorised inspector would be unable to check the installation for compliance. There would be no way of identifying the cable or its origins, and there would be no way to determine if the cable was certified and safe to use.

As a result, the cable would need to be removed from the installation and replaced with a properly certified cable. The cost of the actual cable is incredibly small compared to the cost of removing and replacing the cable. This cost would be borne by the installer and/or the supplier. The ACi advises you should check that your cable is properly marked and certified before installing it. To check the certification status, go to the Electrical regulatory Authorities Council (ErAC) EESS National Database: www.bit.ly/eess-database Make sure the cable you are planning to install is listed as a certified product or there could be a risk of huge rectification costs. Reference: www.bit.ly/acm-importance

Growing Our National Network

GRIFFITH LEETON

Middy's are proud to announce our recent acquisition of PowerPlus Griffith and Leeton adding to our strong presence in country NSW.

Adam Truscott and Anthony Martinello opened Griffith in April 2004 at 120 Yambil St. PowerPlus Leeton then followed in March 2009 at 38 Acacia Ave, Leeton.

Members of Gemcell since 2007. We welcome the PowerPlus staff and customers to the Middy’s family. PowerPlus customers can use their accounts across Middy’s national branch network. Likewise Middy’s customers are welcome at PowerPlus.

WANGARATTA

38 Acacia Ave, Leeton, NSW 2750

P (02) 6953 8011 |

GRIFFITH 120 Yambil St, Griffith, NSW 2680 Mon-Fri 7am-5pm38 Acacia Ave, Leeton, NSW 275038 Acacia Ave, Leeton, NSW 2750 P (02) 6953 8011 | P (02) 6953 8011 | E leeton.nsw@middys.com.auP (02) 6964 8011 | E griffith.nsw@middys.com.au

Mon-Fri 7am-5pm | Sat 7am-12pm Mon-Fri 7am-5pmMon-Fri 7am-5pm | Sat 8am-11am

LEETON MID10440_02/22

NECA CALLS FOR A ‘POWER UP’ OF THE ECONOMY IN ITS 2022/23 FEDERAL PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION

in our pre-budget submission for 2022/23, NECA has urgently called on the Federal Government to implement provisions that will ‘power up’ the economy, drive industry growth and benefit members’ businesses going forward. The building and construction sector is the second-biggest driver of Australia’s economy, generating over $360 billion in revenue, or approximately 9% of gross domestic product (GDp). As the economy and businesses continue to deal with the ongoing effects of the pandemic, NECA has been working to ensure the electrotechnology industry is represented in any commitments announced as part of the upcoming budget. NECA’s budget submission focussed on four areas; small business, infrastructure and driving energy efficiency, tax and regulatory reform, and fostering the future workers in our industry. These are critical areas to ensure we remain a strong industry. The entire budget submission can be accessed at www.bit.ly/neca-media-releases. Here is a snapshot of the key submission recommendations:

½ introduce a ‘dollar-for-dollar’ grant for households (up to $3,000) and businesses (up to $5,000) to undertake electrical safety and energy efficiency upgrades. ½ provide 250 subsidised female adult apprenticeships in the electrotechnology sector. ½ Create 1000 subsidised adult apprenticeships in the electrotechnology sector. Subsidising the first two years of apprenticeships will address the difference between adult and junior rates, with a $28 million allocation in the Federal

Budget over a two-year time frame. ½ Commit to a program of community capacity building within all local government areas (lGA) to ensure local tradespeople are engaged to remediate, improve, and upgrade local buildings and assets. ½ Unlock and fast-track a pipeline of major

‘shovel-ready’ infrastructure projects (and ensure schedules for these are rigorously adhered to) for medium to large businesses to stimulate the economy. For example, government construction projects, large scale renewable energy generation, local government works across metropolitan, regional, and remote Australia. ½ Support innovative strategies and emerging technologies to encourage new ways to achieve energy efficiency.

reform the Australian Taxation System:

½ Harmonise reporting times including business activity statements (BAS), pay as you go (pAYG), fringe benefits tax (FBT) and workplace gender equality agency reports (WGEA) to reduce red tape and administration. ½ reduce company tax to 25%. ½ reform the Australian regulatory system by introducing a national occupational licensing regime. ½ introduce a national approach to continuing professional development (CpD). Extend the Australian Government’s COViD-19 assistance:

½ introduce a moratorium on liquidated damages provisions. ½ Coordinate reform to ensure liquidated damages do not apply during protected industrial disputes. ½ introduce greater flexibility for

Extension of Time provisions.

Extend COViD-19 apprentice wage subsidies and new incentives:

½ Attract mature aged apprentices to the electrotechnology industry. ½ Extend apprentice wage subsidies to large business. ½ Mandate the inclusion of appropriate workplace training to encourage higher participation levels by women in trades.

“Our industry is critical in ensuring other industries can operate and grow, assisting the Australian economy to bounce back stronger than ever,” said Oliver Judd, NECA CEO. “Our submission highlighted the challenges we’ve been facing, but demonstrated our resilience and ability to drive economic growth.” “We hope the Federal Government comes to the table and supports our recommendations so we can get on with the job of building and maintaining our economy.”

NECA will continue to advocate on behalf of members throughout the Federal Budget process to ensure members’ interests are heard. Our advocacy will also extend to the state level with NECA making submissions to state budgets.

NECA CELEBRATES JOBTRAINER PROGRAM’S GRADUATION TO SUCCESS STORY

The Commonwealth Government’s $2 billion JobTrainer program has exceeded its initial course commitment with more than 300,000 enrolments across Australia. NECA celebrates this significant milestone for the program, which has supported job seekers and young people to develop skills to find employment. “The JobTrainer program has provided thousands of opportunities for job seekers to find work in their local areas, filling gaps where skills were missing,” said Oliver Judd, NECA CEO. “NECA welcomes the program’s success. We support its expansion, especially in the electrotechnology field, where we are forecasting shortages of skilled professional electricians in the medium and long term who are critical to our country’s growth.” “NECA will continue to support and work with the JobTrainer program and the Commonwealth Government to find and train young apprentices and ensure wellpaying and future-secure jobs,” Mr Judd concluded.