branch update

SA/NT BRANCH

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BRANCH UPDATE

Larry Moore

NECA SA/NT Executive Director

OUr INDUStrY GALA DINNer, HeLD ON FrIDAY 9 September 2022, WAS ANOtHer OUtStANDING SUCCeSS, WItH OVer 400 AtteNDeeS eNJOYING AN eVeNING FILLeD WItH eNtertAINmeNt, GreAt FOOD AND WINe, AND INDUStrY ACHIeVemeNtS ON DISpLAY bY bOtH memberS AND tHeIr AppreNtICeS.

We wish to congratulate all the winners and finalists of the Awards and thank all of those who nominated a project or apprentice. It is pleasing once again to see the great work our members are undertaking and the fantastic apprentices they are employing and training.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who attended the event and showed support for our industry and our association.

We have once again received excellent feedback in regard to the event, which seems to be growing in number and popularity every year.

the evening kicked off with a welcome from our new president, Andrew Cross, and some information about what NeCA has been involved in over the past twelve months. We were also pleased to recognise outgoing president, Andrew thorpe, for his fantastic commitment to NeCA SA/ Nt over the past seven years as president. Later in the evening we had a performance from comedian and impersonator ben price, who wowed the crowd with his phenomenal impersonations of famous people from around the world. to cap off the evening, band mr. buzzy had the dance floor full with a fantastic line up of new and old songs.

Our sincere thanks to all our sponsors; because quite frankly these events could not be run without their generous support. Our sponsors this year included:

National Business Partners

NHp and CAbAC

Perpetual Sponsor

Clipsal by Schneider

Apprentice Sponsor

bianco Construction & Industrial Supplies

Gold Sponsor

Cbus Super

Product Sponsor

milwaukee tools

Silver Sponsors

NeCA Careers & Apprenticeships (NCA) and simprO

Award Sponsors

peer, e-Oz energy Skills Australia

Bronze Sponsors

meGt, CNW, Lynch meyer, portable Long Service Leave and Lai Group. the full write up on this year’s NeCA SA/Nt excellence and Apprentice Awards will be featured in the December edition of the NeCA NeWS.

If you have a project or apprentice that you are proud of, we encourage you to seriously consider entering the 2023 NeCA Awards because the recognition and rewards are significant. If you have a great project, excellent apprentice or you are a small business doing fantastic things, it would be beneficial to begin thinking about your submissions now. members can get plenty of assistance with their submissions from our business relationship manager, Leah boyce. If you would like further information on entering a project, business or apprentice into the awards, please do not hesitate to contact the NeCA SA/Nt office and speak to Leah.

Save The Date for our Crucial Women in Construction End of Year Celebration

After COVID interrupted our last two planned Crucial Women in Construction (CWIC) events, we are extremely pleased to announce we are bringing a CWIC event to you before the end of this year. this will provide attendees with the opportunity to network and celebrate the great work that women do within our industry, over some light refreshments on a Wednesday afternoon. We are thrilled to announce that Jessica Stenson will be joining us at the event as our guest speaker to discuss her achievements and how she overcame challenges to become an Olympic long-distance runner. this end of year celebration will be held on Wednesday 16 November 2022 in the Gallery room at the National Wine Centre. Invitations will be sent out soon but save the date in your diaries now, as this special event will be limited to 100 people only!

Security of Payment Forum

In early August I had the great pleasure of attending an Industry Forum consisting of industry associations, union representatives and interested parties from the construction sector to discuss the current inadequate and inconsistent Security of payments legislation.

Across Australia, state-based security of payment laws has a serious impact on the level of protection afforded to subcontractors and does not adequately protect contractors and subcontractors from the effects of insolvency. the collapse of large builders across Australia have placed many Smes under enormous financial stress, threatening the further collapse of smaller businesses resulting in the loss of many more jobs.

mr John murray Am attended the Forum and provided an overview of Australia’s Security of payment Laws and his review of Security of payment Laws, building trust and Harmony report, commissioned by the Australian Government.

the outcome from the Forum was the development of a Sop Statement of Agreement calling on the Australian Government to address the current Security of payments legislation which do not protect jobs or support Smes, and to facilitate the creation of nationally consistent laws to protect small and medium businesses across Australia.

the Statement of Agreement essentially identified the following three important actions to be implemented by the Federal Government:

½ urgently enact federal Security of payment legislation that implement the murray report; ½ strengthen the prohibition of unfair contract terms; ½ ensure government procurement practices support fair contracting down the construction contractual chain.

NeCA, rACCA and the Specialist Contractors SA will continue to advocate on behalf of members and the industry in order to ensure the building industry has fair, productive and more protective laws, which reduce the impacts of insolvency.

Contract Clauses for Department for Infrastructure & Transport (DIT)

I am also extremely delighted to announce that, after much advocacy, the Department for Infrastructure and transport (DIt) has agreed to our proposed changes to General building Contractor’s (GbC contracts) and its conditions of tendering including the inclusion of rise and fall provisions, bulk purchasing arrangements and change to the tender validity period to 60 days.

through the forum of Specialist Contractors SA we have been able to work with DIt to progress these issues to enable much improved contractual arrangements for subcontractors. As we are all aware building and construction industry subcontractors are responsible for approximately 85% of the build within the commercial construction industry so these changes are extremely important and believe they offer a great step forward towards fair and sustainable contracting.

We sincerely thank minister Koutsantonis and the Department for Infrastructure and transport for their responsiveness and leadership on this matter.

For further information or assistance with any of the above please contact the NeCA SA/Nt team on (08) 8272 2966.