NECA News June 2023

THE SUSTAIN-ABILITY OF A NET ZERO ECONOMY

SUSTAINABLE TECH SHIFT SPARKS SUCCESS

In THIS ISSue JuNE 2023

GOING GREEN

DRIVING SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

For some time, society’s increasing demand for energy, and the associated growth in our carbon footprint, have been key topics of debate. The Australian electrotechnology industry has been a proactive and positive contributor to the discussion, and is in a unique position to drive change that will support Australia’s ambitious environmental targets.

In this edition, NECA recognises the exciting work being done in this space, which is creating a positive outlook for our future. With this in mind, we explore some of the innovative projects being implemented across the country, including the Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects, and an innovative floating solar project.

We also talk to two winners of the 2022 NECA National Excellence Awards. Green Energy category winner, CDI Energy, shares how sustainable technology is delivering renewable solutions to WA’s remote areas. Give Industries, winner of both the Small Business Contracting and Innovation categories, talk about their pioneering approach to corporate social responsibility, which is creating benefits not just in Australia, but for citizens across the globe. With Australia experiencing a period of unprecedented change in its policy and legislative landscape, this edition also includes an overview of the latest legal, industrial relations and technical changes that will impact on your business and team. Additionally,

we review the proposed initiatives in the Federal Government’s 2023/24 Budget and how they will apply to electrical contractors and the broader industry. We hope these insights will make it easier for you to run your business and plan for future growth. We would like to thank you for your continued support for NECA. If you have something to share about your corner of the country, let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

The NECA News team

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THE SUSTAIN-ABILITY OF A NET ZERO ECONOMY

In their May budget, the Federal Government announced a $314 million Small Business Energy Incentive, providing rebates for small business’ spending on electrification and the more efficient use of energy. This is on top of millions of dollars already pledged by the states and territories for various consumer schemes, including solar panel rebates, electric vehicle concessions, heat pump rebates and LED lighting subsidies. These incentives not only encourage a growing community support for Net Zero transition, and new opportunities for the nation’s electricians, but provide a huge carrot for businesses to facilitate this shift.

Whilst there are many initiatives making positive contributions towards achieving emissions targets and sustainability goals, a number of businesses have been found to have made concerning environmental claims.

In March 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released their ‘Greenwashing by businesses in Australia’ report which found that 64% of energy sector businesses examined had made concerning claims by hiding behind a lack of substantiating information for their allegations, exaggerating benefits or omitting relevant data, and/or using images which appear to be ‘trust marks’.

There are a number of government claims which have been met with some scepticism too. The ACT has one of the country’s most ambitious emission reduction strategies, aiming to be Net Zero by 2045. They plan to have rid the territory of gas appliances by this date and will introduce a ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales by 2035. The

ACT Government also proudly stand behind the claim that 100% of the territory’s energy has been generated by renewable sources since 2020. This is a claim that the Federal Energy Minister at the time, Angus Taylor, refutes.

‘93.6% of the ACT’s electricity comes from the NSW grid, which continues to be dependent on coal and gas,’ Mr Taylor said in a 2019 interview.

Similar debate erupted in May this year, with the completion date of the NSW Snowy Hydro 2.0 project being pushed back to 2029, well outside of the original proposal to be finished by 2021.

Former Snowy 2.0 boss, Paul Broad said, ‘the notion that you’re going to have 80% renewables in our system by 2030 is, to use the vernacular, bullshit. You can’t. This transition, if it ever occurs, it will take 80 years, not eight.’

Many of the Net Zero strategies among Australia’s other states rely heavily on the use of hydrogen technology, yet Australia’s first hydrogen plant is not due to be completed in the Pilbara until 2024. Surely this must cast doubt on the Federal Government’s claim of being a ‘major player in clean hydrogen by 2030’?

Despite the ambiguous claims and the differences of opinion, it is important that we continue to push down this path. Australians have already made a sizeable contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our quarterly emissions have fallen by around 21% since 2005, a statistic which places us well above many similar developed countries. We know that there are technologies that have helped us achieve this result, and encouragingly the market for these is rapidly expanding. If we continue to educate ourselves, and in-turn educate our customers, we can reduce emissions even further, create additional efficiencies for the consumer and expand the scope of what we, as an industry, can offer the nation.

AS A u STRALIA CHARGES F uLL STEAM AHEAD TOWARDS A NET ZERO ECONOMY, WITH BIG IDEALS OF HALTING CLIMATE CHANGE, REDuCING WASTE AND SOuRCING RENEWABLE MATERIALS, WE Mu ST ASK OuRSELVES IF WE’RE ALL PLAYING FROM THE SAME PLAYBOOK AND INDEED, IF WE’RE ALL PLAYING FOR THE SAME TEAM.

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND POLICY

NECA MEMBERS ARE REQuIRED TO NAVIGATE DIFFERENT LEGISLATIVE AND REGuLATORY FRAMEWORKS NATIONALLY AND IN EACH STATE AND TERRITORY. OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, THE Qu ANTITY OF NEW LEGISLATION AND REFORM HAS BEEN OCC uRRING AT A GREATER PACE THAN EVER BEFORE. OuR GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND REGuLATORY TEAM HAS BEEN ENGAGING WITH NECA MEMBERS TO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THE CHANGES AND THE POLITICAL OR REGuLATORY ISS uES THAT IMPACT THEM.

The Federal Government has been implementing its election agenda at quite a high pace since the last edition of NECA News. A new government has been elected in NSW and the Victorian Government has only just been reelected for another term. NECA has been working hard with the new governments to ensure members’ views and priorities are at the forefront of national and state conversations. We have achieved some great results, ensuring we have a strong voice that provides not only stability for our sector, but also for significant growth. There is high demand for labour with a pipeline of investments ready to deliver the next generation of energy production, in addition to the current workload our members are expected

to deliver. Australia continues to have low unemployment, currently at 3.5%, which has led to an extremely tight labour market. To meet industry demand for workers, we are focussed on diversifying our industry’s workforce and promoting targeted training

offerings through our involvement in the Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Council. At NECA we know we must continue to support and advocate for our industry, and we will continue to deliver and argue our sector’s position to government to make sure this happens.

SPOTLIGHT ON FEMALE PARTICIPATION

AND EQUALITY FOR ALL AT WORK

IN MARCH, NECA, ALONG WITH INDEPENDENT FEDERAL MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT AND MEMBER FOR GOLDSTEIN, MS ZOE DANIEL, HOSTED AND DELIVERED A NATIONAL ROuNDTABLE ON LEADING GENDER EQu ALITY AT PARLIAMENT HOu SE IN CANBERRA.

Joint industry submission

The following organisations came together at the roundtable and subsequently developed a joint industry submission, which has been sent to the Federal Government:

½ National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA);

½ Electrical Trades u nion (ET u);

½ Keystone;

½ Contact Group;

½ Schneider Electric;

½ National Association for Women in Construction;

½ Fredon Group;

½ Build Like a Girl;

½ Master Plumbers Association;

The event bought together members of parliament, academics, industry groups and business leaders from across Australia. The attendees included the Hon Ed Husic MP - Minister for Industry and Science, Kylea Tink MP, Monique Ryan MP, Allegra Spender MP, Dr Sophie Scamps MP, Kate Chaney MP and Zali Stegall OAM MP.

The group discussed broadening opportunities, developing pathways, removing barriers and increasing the appeal for women to work in nontraditional trades and STEM vocations. Key outcomes of the roundtable will be further developed into strategies and recommendations to the Federal Government, as well as a joint industry public relations campaign. With a focus on identifying strategies to attract, retain, educate, support, and empower women, the group will continue to foster initiatives to help create a more gender-equitable workforce in male-dominated sectors.

½ Axis Plumbing; and

½ Curtin Institute for Energy Transition.

Through this submission the industry has offered its advice to the government to inform the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality, highlighting what needs to be done to encourage more women to enter the electrotechnology and construction sectors.

Industry is asking the government to consult with women in the sector on the design, implementation and delivery of practical actions, tested and informed by industry participants.

Recommendations to government

Industry has identified the following joint recommendations:

1. Enable exemplar projects with a critical mass of women on sites, of at least 30%.

To successfully enable exemplar projects with a critical mass of women on sites, industry is asking the Federal Government to set an example by publicly declaring its zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour, bullying, intimidation or discrimination towards women in male dominated sectors.

Industry is asking the government to develop an ongoing program of pilot sites from publicly funded infrastructure investments as exemplar sites, in consultation with the states and territories, which characterise the following:

½ At least 30% females on sites (this criterion will need to be developed in close consultation with industry and audited continuously to ensure absolute efficacy).

½ Set a minimum target of 10% of female apprentices on exemplar sites, with specific conditions for hiring and training local women and targeting high-skill trade occupations.

½ Provide culture training and mechanisms that support safe and effective complaint processes.

½ Provide appropriate female facilities as a minimum.

½ Provide childcare support services.

½ Offer an incentive scheme to encourage women to migrate to these sites, e.g., $1,000 as a sign-on bonus, or similar.

2. Ensure policies and funding are directed towards priority initiatives such as subsidies for mature-aged apprentices and more effective government procurement mandates.

To ensure policies and funding allocations are effective and maximise outcomes for Australian women, industry proposes:

½ Government’s purchasing power has the ability to drive the direction of investment including a greater commitment to female participation.

½ Government procurement policies need to demonstrate a commitment to providing appropriate amenities for women, gender pay equity, and flexible working arrangements.

½ To address immediate skills shortages across the sector, the government has the opportunity to provide subsidy schemes to encourage greater uptake of mature age apprentices.

½ Government subsidies and reforms are required to make apprenticeships financially accessible to women at any age.

½ Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) System Reform is required in close consultation with industry to effectively enable the provision of dedicated female mentors/role models who can provide personalised advice and guidance, as well as active engagements through school outreach and pre-apprenticeship program facilitation.

3. Co-fund with industry a national public relations campaign to attract and retain more women to male-dominated sectors.

To attract, recruit, retain and grow female participation in male-dominated sectors, the industry recommends influencing the influencers in the lives of young girls and women through a public awareness, education and engagement campaign. This will include:

½ Ongoing engagement and education on opportunities and needs while addressing key barriers.

½ Industry-led stakeholder consultations starting with a fullday deep dive to develop the public relations campaign, including:

½ developing the stakeholder landscape;

½ identifying locational priorities;

½ considering the need for research and consultation;

½ agreeing on messaging and branding; and

½ identifying key aspects of the communication strategy.

½ The deep dive will be complemented by further consultations with women across the country through a range of workshops to be held in major cities and select regional hubs to appropriately inform the campaign.

½ Embed successful initiatives, for example, Keystone’s Schedule a Chat function nationally.

½ Ensure education efforts deliver a hands-on approach through school visits and practical activities.

Strengthening Australia’s construction industry

Industry supports workplace initiatives that remove cultural barriers, break down discriminatory practices, and make the electrotechnology sector a better place to work for everyone.

Particularly in construction, women face a range of roadblocks including:

½ inadequate provision of accessible, well-maintained, gendered amenities;

½ inadequate provision of genderappropriate, well-fitting PPE for women in trades;

½ an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (ASSN) program that fails to offer industry specificity, hands-on mentoring, and meaningful workplace support to apprentices and women in trades;

½ insecure, inconsistent, and inflexible working arrangements, particularly in construction;

½ insufficient access to women-only pre-apprenticeship pathway programs;

½ lack of outreach and promotion of trade-related skills and career pathways targeting primary and high-school aged girls;

½ unaccommodating and hypermasculine workplace cultures; and

½ apprenticeships not currently being financially accessible to women at any age.

Industry is committed to working with the government and broader sectors to establish the construction sector as an employment sector of choice for women.

Both government and industry need to demonstrate through our actions that women are welcome participants in all trades and are significant contributors to economic recovery and future prosperity.

It makes sense that women who are half of the available workforce should join non-traditional sectors for satisfying, well-paying and long-term careers.

By joining industry forces we are committed to actively driving evidence-based and genuine change, mofidying laws, making people accountable for their behaviour, improving workplace culture and ensuring that government leads by example in making women feel valued, safe and welcome in all sectors of the nation’s economy.

Only through a holistic approach will industry and government be able to collectively influence the complete ecosystem of women entering the workforce from early education to longer-term career planning in the sector.

Some key highlights from the budget include:

½ establishment of the Net Zero Authority and Powering the Regions fund;

½ energy relief for 5.5 million households;

½ low-income and rental household electrification package;

½ $314 million Small Business Energy Incentive scheme;

½ closing the gap for our first nations apprentices;

½ assistance for female participation and gender equality; and

½ support for apprentices facing barriers.

With 1.2 million workers in the construction sector and 9% of Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP) being generated by the Australian construction industry, it is disappointing to see the that the 2023/24 Budget is not directly addressing the issues facing the industry.

FEDERAL BUDGET 2023/24

THE 2023/24 BuDGET, DELIVERED BY THE TREAS uRER, HON JIM CHALMERS MP, ON 9 MAY 2023, IDENTIFIES THE RISING COSTS OF ENERGY, A u STRALIA’S TRANSITION TOWARDS A NET ZERO ECONOMY, EQu AL OPPORT uNITY FOR PARTICIPATION AND F uNDING FOR THE NATION’S APPRENTICES AMONG ITS KEY PRIORITIES.

The Budget commits to:

½ providing energy relief for households and businesses, and supporting them to reduce bills by saving energy;

½ reducing the cost of health care and medicines;

½ providing targeted, additional assistance for eligible single parents;

½ increasing support for people on working age and student payments, such as JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance and Austudy, and JobSeeker Payment recipients aged 55 and over;

½ improving the supply and affordability of housing, including through increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance; and

½ supporting wage increases for aged care and low-paid workers.

Energy

In support of the energy transformation efforts across the country, the government has committed to the following key objectives in the 2023/24 Budget:

½ Powering Australia with clean, cheap energy, with $23 billion committed to growing and modernising our electricity grid and boosting energy performance, supporting electrification.

½ Powering net zero industries, jobs and communities, with $17 billion committed to capturing opportunities in hydrogen, critical minerals and upstream industries, and realising low emissions industry growth opportunities in our regions.

These investments are underpinned by the following initiatives:

½ Through the $20 billion Rewiring the Nation program, the government is allocating over $12 billion to

priority transmission projects since the last budget. This includes:

½ Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation projects;

½ transmission to connect Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) and offshore wind in Victoria; and

½ critical transmission and REZ in New South Wales.

½ A Capacity Investment Scheme will unlock at least $10 billion of new investment and 6GW of dispatchable power by de-risking investments in priority generation and storage projects. The scheme will work alongside the $157.9 million National Energy Transformation Partnership to coordinate action by the Commonwealth, states and territories.

½ $1.3 billion to enhance our energy performance, including:

½ The Household Energy u pgrades Fund, with $1 billion being provided to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to partner with banks and financial institutions to invest in household energy upgrades.

½ $36.7 million towards expanding and modernising the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme and Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards program.

½ New Small Business Energy Incentive providing $310 million in tax relief for energy performance upgrades.

½ $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart to support Australia’s renewable hydrogen sector to mature by providing competitive hydrogen production contracts that bridge the commercial gap for early projects.

½ Establishment of a national Net Zero Authority to help drive the transformation to a clean energy economy and ensure Australia’s regions, workers and First Nations people benefit.

Skills, training and apprenticeships

The Federal Government is committed to addressing the skills shortages facing our sector by investing in skills and training. This includes:

½ $3.7 billion for the five-year National Skills Agreement.

½ $436 million over four years to reform the Commonwealth’s Foundation Skills program to give people over the age of 15 access to training to improve their literacy, numeracy and digital skills.

½ $53.3 million in critical Australian Apprenticeships to improve completion rates.

½ $8.6 million to deliver the Australian Skills Guarantee. The Guarantee will set national targets for apprentices plus specific targets for women apprentices and trainees on major Government-funded construction and ICT projects. These targets will aim to double the number of women in apprenticeship and traineeship roles in construction projects, and triple trade apprenticeship roles by 2030.

½ Negotiating with the states and territories on a new 5-year National Skills Agreement to commence from 1 January 2024.

½ Funding a further 300,000 technical and further education (TAFE) and vocational education training places to become fee-free.

½ Commissioning Jobs and Skills Australia to undertake a Clean Energy Capacity Study, by mid-2023. This will evaluate workforce needs and enable Australia to strategically plan for the skills needed to transform to a clean energy economy.

Tax

Tax changes in the budget include the following:

½ Small business instant asset write-off: 3.8 million small businesses with annual turnover of less than $10 million will be able to immediately deduct eligible assets costing less than $20,000 from 1 July 2023 until 30 June 2024. While the announcement of instant asset write-offs for small business to the value of $20,000 is a starting point, NECA warns that this is far from sufficient for an electrician or tradesperson, considering the cost of living and doing business in 2023/24. NECA asks that the government reconsiders and increases the threshold for eligible businesses, to further stimulate the economy and support job creation.

½ 2.1 million eligible small businesses will receive cashflow relief by halving the increase in their quarterly tax instalments.

½ $23.4 million will go to helping small businesses build their resilience to cyber security attacks by training in-house cyber wardens.

½ The $392.4 million Industry Growth Program will help support small to medium-sized businesses and startups develop new products and services to grow their operations.

Cost of living relief

The government has announced the following cost of living relief measures:

½ providing energy bill relief to five million households and one million small businesses;

½ helping 170,000 households save on energy bills by financing energy saving home upgrades;

½ investing $36.7 million to provide households with access to better information about where they can save energy and reduce their energy bills;

½ reducing out-of-pocket health costs by tripling bulk billing incentives and investing in more bulk billing u rgent Care Clinics;

½ cutting the cost of medicine by up to half for at least six million Australians;

½ supporting 57,000 single parents by expanding eligibility for the Parenting Payment (Single);

½ increasing the base rate for JobSeeker and other payments for 1.1 million people;

½ expanding eligibility for the existing higher rate of JobSeeker to recipients aged 55 and over who have received the payment for nine or more continuous months, which currently applies to those 60 and over;

½ increasing the base rate payment of $92.10 per fortnight for around 52,000 eligible recipients;

½ increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance for 1.1 million households; and

½ tax breaks to ensure more investment in build-to-rent projects.

Other industry initiatives

Additional initiatives to support industry include:

½ Allocating $4.4 million over four years from 2023/24 (and $1.1 million per year ongoing) to establish the National Construction Industry Forum. This will include representatives from key employer groups, unions and government to provide advice on major challenges facing the building and construction industry, such as workplace relations, industry culture, skills and training, safety, gender equality and productivity.

½ Supporting a better migration system by increasing visa processing capacity, expanding pathways to permanent residence for temporary skilled sponsored workers and taking steps to address migrant exploitation.

Housing

Housing initiatives include:

½ Increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance for 1.1 million households.

½ Tax breaks to ensure more investment in build-to-rent projects.

½ More investments in social and affordable housing.

½ New incentives to encourage the supply of housing by:

½ reducing the withholding tax rate for eligible fund payments from managed investment trusts attributed to newly constructed build-to-rent developments from 30% to 15%; and

½ increasing the capital works tax deduction (depreciation) rate from 2.5% to 4% per year, increasing the after-tax returns for newly constructed buildto-rent developments.

½ Increasing the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation’s liability cap by $2 billion to a total of $7.5 billion, supporting more lending to community housing providers for social and affordable housing projects.

Overall Economic Outlook

As a summary of the overall outlook for Australia’s economy:

½ Outside of the pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis, the next two years are expected to be the weakest for global growth in over two decades.

½ Economic growth is expected to slow from 3.25% in 2022/23 to 1.5% the year after, before recovering to 2.25% in the next.

½ Real GDP growth is expected to slow to 1.5% in 2023/24, before recovering in 2024/25.

½ The unemployment rate is expected to stay low by historical standards.

½ Inflation is now past its peak, has begun to moderate, and is expected to return to target in 2024/25.

½ Price pressures will continue to weigh on households and the economy.

In the lead up to the May Federal Budget, the Australian Government announced the establishment of the ‘Net Zero Authority’.

The Net Zero Authority is tasked with ensuring workers, industries and communities involved in the current, fossil fuel dependent, generation of the nation’s electricity will be well placed to take up opportunities as part of Australia’s transition to a net zero future.

According to the government, the Net Zero Authority will ensure:

1. Support workers in emissionsintensive sectors will have access to new employment, skills and support as the net zero transformation continues.

2. Coordination of programs and policies across government to support regions and communities to

attract and take advantage of new clean energy industries and set those industries up for success.

3. Help is provided to investors and companies to engage with net zero transformation opportunities. The authority’s agenda is aligned to the Paris Agreement and is focused on ensuring that no one is held back as the economy changes.

It will work with state and territory governments, unions, industry, First Nations groups and others to help key regions, industries, employers and others to proactively manage the transformation to a clean energy economy.

The government will recommend to the Governor-General that an interim agency at the Department of the Prime

Minister and Cabinet be created from 1 July 2023 to establish the authority and begin some of its core functions. This will include engaging with key regions, industries, investors and others to start developing strategies for how the Australian Government can best support a positive transformation. The agency will also consult across government and stakeholders to refine the functions and powers of the authority before legislation is developed.

CABAC – TOWARDS NET ZERO

CABAC, AS PART OF LEGEND CORPORATION IS INVESTING HEAVILY IN A S u STAINABLE F u T uRE.

Whilst being ISO14001 certified for quite some time, Cabac began its journey towards net zero in earnest in 2020 with the commissioning of an emissions reduction pathway by one of Australia’s leading climate change consultancy firms, Energetics. During this early planning phase, Cabac made a strong commitment to achieving net zero by 2030, well ahead of Australia’s (we think too) loose “target” of 2050.

From the Energetics report, Cabac learnt that 91% of their gas emissions comes from electricity consumption, not surprising given the scope and scale of the Cabac warehouse and manufacturing operations across Australia. Taking all the knowledge in hand about their baseline position in 2020, Cabac has launched into actioning their pathway to net zero. Over the last two years, Cabac has made some impressive changes to the way they operate on a daily basis, including implementing ways to reduce the amount of electricity consumed and shift what they do use to more sustainable options.

In 2022 the Legend plant in South Australia completed a major upgrade to its lighting, switching out the vast majority of its fluorescent tube lighting to more energy efficient LEDs, reducing its emissions from lighting by 75%. This resulted in a 15% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from the site. Furthermore, by making the switch to 100% LED fixtures throughout the

3,500m2 site they reduced CO2 emissions by 1,268kg per week. Additionally, the longer lifespan of LED lighting means less waste heading to local landfill and eliminates the potentially harmful materials that could be present in fluorescent fixtures through hazardous waste recycling initiatives.

The Seven Hills Cabac warehouse is even further ahead and will achieve Carbon Neutral Certification by June 2024. In 2022/23 Cabac, in partnership with their property owners at Seven Hills, also converted all office lighting to LED as well as completing the installation of 812 solar panels on the roof of the Seven Hills warehouse. This investment of $300,000 will see 40% of the energy consumption for their Seven Hills plant come from renewables and will lead to an annual reduction of 725 t.CO2-e, a major step towards achieving net zero company wide by 2030.

The second major piece of work underway at Cabac is an intense focus on minimising the environmental impact of their packaging. Legend is a signatory to the Australian Packaging

Covenant, which sets out how governments and businesses across Australia manage the environmental impact of packaging, and actively seeks opportunities to apply the Australian Recycling Labels to ensure customers are accurately informed on how to dispose of packaging.

In 2023 Cabac is working towards eliminating the use of all molded polystyrene and bubble wrap and invests significantly every year in paper that can be used in our PAPERplus paper crimping machines designed to replace bubble wrap and other packaging beads. Additionally, all new product development incorporates specific efforts designed to maximise the use of recyclable materials.

As Cabac literally powers towards its net zero target in 2030, they continue to investigate many avenues that will continue to have a positive impact on our environment, including things like the use of biodegradable shrink wrap, reducing our reliance on non-recyclable packaging, actively investigating the possibility of recycling pillar boxes and the use of recyclable plastic for crimpers cases. Cabac has set itself some tough goals, but with the reward being a safe and sustainable future, it’s worth it.

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SUSTAINABLE TECH SHIFT SPARKS SUCCESS

P u SHING THE BOuNDARIES IN DEVELOPING ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGIES, COuPLED WITH THE INNOVATIVE u SE OF SOFTWARE AND ROLL Ou T PROCESSES, HAS SEEN CDI ENERGY BOOM BOTH IN SIZE AND ITS CAPACITY TO DELIVER RENEWABLE SOL u TIONS FOR WA’S MOST REMOTE AREAS.

Refocusing on renewables

Established by CEO and Founder Darryl Bower in 2016, CDI Energy has grown rapidly from a team of six, to more than 25 staff who service regional WA, connecting remote operations in innovative and more reliable ways.

Darryl credits both the development and availability of new technology – like CDI’s own award-winning Rapid Solar Module (RSM) – and the greater focus on responsible Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) for the steady growth in demand for CDI’s services.

‘When CDI started, we originally focused on the building and construction industries. At the time, this was the business model that made the most sense and complimented my skill set,’ said Darryl.

‘In 2016 we revisited our business model to refocus on developing renewable

projects in remote areas. Many of these projects, companies and communities are reliant on diesel rather than grid power, which can make them particularly vulnerable to weather or market impacts like the volatility of fuel prices,’ he said. ‘Diversifying power sources while also meeting ESG targets and objectives makes sound business sense. We have especially found this in our regional client base of large mining, pastoral and utility companies. Improving our manufacturing processes and enhancing our own tech products has allowed us to meet this demand and stay at the forefront of this rapidly evolving market.’

Award-winning application

CDI’s innovation and impact in the regions has been recognised across Australia. The company recently took out both the state and national titles for the NECA Award category of Green Energy

for their Ginbata Micro Grid project, which incorporates their cyclone proof RSM product and their purpose-built, double-redundant microgrid controller.

The RSM is a modular, ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) structure which is efficient to install, produces up to two times more energy per square metre than conventional solutions, requires just one third of the land used by traditional fixed-axis systems, and delivers substantial savings. Darryl noted this helps CDI Energy’s clients reduce their carbon footprint and quickly achieve improved environmental outcomes, typically reducing the return on investment (ROI) time from five years to just three and a half years.

Engaged to supply and install a microgrid consisting of PV, energy storage and diesel generators inclusive of a complete microgrid control system, CDI were contracted to design, supply and install a complete solution to achieve a minimum 50% renewable penetration for the Ginbata airport, a critical Pilbara asset at a mining operation.

Noting the project as the first time CDI Energy had delivered a largescale energy storage system that integrated with their innovative RSM and double-redundant power supply solution, Darryl was pleased to see the project provide both proof of concept and value for the client.

‘The project reduced Ginbata Airport’s diesel reliance by 60% and reduces carbon emissions by 150 tonnes annually, which in turn provides a positive financial outcome, improved system reliability, improved environmental outcomes, and demonstrates better corporate social responsibility,’ said Darryl.

‘Winning this project and successfully executing it played a key role in our product development process and our ability to position our business for the future. Our continual commitment to research and development will allow us to remain at the forefront of the energy transition,’ he said.

‘We’re excited to be part of the shift toward green hydrogen. We expect WA will be a prime location for future hydrogen projects and our RSM will make a positive contribution through meeting our clients’ current and future clean energy needs by providing viable, efficient solar solutions.’

As expected with any project involving an airport, a key focus of the project was safety. Darryl said meeting all quality standards while maintaining safe processes was mission-critical.

‘If power fails at an airport, it threatens the safety of all users of the airport and any planes within its airspace. Our installation and delivery methods met all Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) standards,’ said Darryl.

‘As well as safely managing the installation itself, we managed all the unique risks on site, including working with electricity, heat exposure, handling batteries and dealing with stored energy, as well as manufacturing and workshop risks such as manual handling, trip hazards and using power tools,’ he said.

‘Through developing this microgrid control solution, the client is now able to control multiple energy sources in

one system, simultaneously. This has increased their power reliability, which is incredibly important for an airport.’

Future focused

Entrepreneurial and future-focused from the outset – he started CDI when he was just 19 years old – Darryl balances leading his successful business with his responsibilities as Vice President on the ECA WA Board.

It’s a role he relishes, appreciating the opportunity to advocate for positive shifts in the sustainability of the electrical industry – both in terms of greater renewable energy solution uptake, and future workforce and skills planning.

‘Green energy and sustainable tech will become an increasingly important part of our lives in the future. It’s great to see the growth, size and quality of projects recognised in this space over such a

short time, and for CDI to be recognised alongside so many outstanding finalists leading the way toward to a more sustainable future,’ said Darryl.

‘This highlights the potential for how big this part of the sector is becoming for the electrical industry. As demand inevitably grows, and the government strives to meet its own ambitious renewables targets, there will be both challenges and opportunities to fulfill the projected requirement of doubling the electrical workforce over the coming decade,’ he said.

‘Organisations like NECA and ECA are vital for advocating for government investment in training and skills development. It’s important all contractor’s voices are heard, and that we work together to see the industry develop in the ways we want it to.’

For more information on CDI Energy, visit cdienergy.com.au

TASMANIA SET TO BECOME THE BATTERY OF THE NATION

Tasmania is the country’s leader in renewable energy, having been selfsufficient in the green energy space for the last seven years. It now has bold plans to increase its renewable energy generation to 200% of the state’s current needs by 2040.

With climate change accelerating the need to reduce emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels for our power, Tasmania stands ready to support Australia’s electricity market transition.

The proposed new 1500 MW Marinus Link interconnector will open up even greater two-way energy market access, three times the current interconnector

capacity, to take advantage of Tasmania’s abundant renewable energy potential in wind and hydropower.

Hydro Tasmania has a bold vision to maximise Tasmania’s hydropower capacity and add pumped hydro, to make the island-state the battery of the nation. Through these projects, there will be an additional 1500 MW of on-demand capacity for the national market. That means clean, reliable energy available at the ‘flick of the switch’.

With more interconnection, new wind projects and increased hydropower capacity, Tasmania will produce more than enough renewable

energy to power Tasmanian homes, businesses, and industries, and export the extra power to support a clean energy future for Australia.

Tasmanian Minister for Energy and Renewables, Guy Barnett, said ‘Marinus Link is crucial to delivering Tasmania’s 200% renewable energy target by supercharging renewable energy development, which will deliver more than $7 billion worth of economic activity and thousands of jobs, all while increasing energy security and putting downward pressure on power prices.’

Marinus Link will connect Tasmania to the National Electricity Market (NEM), comprising Queensland, New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. At 1500 MW capacity, Marinus Link is equal to the power supply for 1.5 million Australian homes. It’s being delivered in two 750 MW stages with construction expected to begin in early 2025. Stage one is due for completion in 2028/29, with stage two to be operational from 2030/31.

Marinus Link will bring great potential for emissions reduction. It’s estimated that by 2050, it will have saved at least 140 million tonnes of carbon from being released into our atmosphere. That’s the equivalent of removing more than one million petrol/diesel cars from our roads.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) stated in their 2022 Integrated Systems Plan that Marinus Link is a critical, and urgently required, part of Australia’s low-cost, reliable and clean energy future.

TASMANIA HAS A RICH HISTORY AND HERITAGE IN RENEWABLE ENERGY. FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, WATER AND THE CLEAN ENERGY IT GENERATES, HAS S uPPORTED TASMANIA’S PROSPERITY AND GROWTH.

Marinus Link is currently in the design and approvals phase. A final investment decision is expected by the end of 2024, with the Marinus Link proposal already being touted as one of the most achievable and competitive solutions to Australia’s looming energy challenge.

‘With Marinus Link and Battery of the Nation, Tasmania will be well placed to provide affordable, reliable and clean energy,’ Minister Barnett said. ‘Tasmanians can be proud that we are doing our bit for climate change while also putting downward pressure on future power prices, growing our economy and creating jobs for future generations.’

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THE BUSINESS OF ELECTRIFICATION

TIPS FOR EMBRACING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE RENEWABLE SPACE

THE CHALLENGES OF DECARBONISATION AND TRANSITIONING TO CLEAN ENERGY ARE NOW EMBEDDED IN DAILY MEDIA COVERAGE, GOVERNMENT AGENDAS AND INDu STRY TARGETS. IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT ONLY A FEW SHORT YEARS AGO THE EXISTENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE WAS MORE A TOPIC OF DEBATE THAN PROVEN REALITY. NOW, IN 2023 A MORE FAVOuRABLE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, AND AN ARRAY OF F uNDING, IS BOLSTERING THE P uSH FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND DRIVING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR THE AuSTRALIAN ELECTRICAL INDuSTRY AND ENERGY SECTOR.

One such area is the increasing popularity of renewable-energy-driven electrification in the residential sector. It’s vital that businesses working in this field are across the latest technological developments and how they interrelate with each other. While governments, industries, businesses and communities across Australia grapple with the mammoth task of achieving electrification in a coordinated, equitable and effective way, electrical workers are already at the forefront of this challenge - installing and maintaining the solutions and infrastructure that are capable of supporting this transition.

What can you do in your business to ensure that you are making the most of the opportunities ahead as households and businesses increasingly move to green electrification? What can be learnt from community pilots in this area? And what knowledge gaps exist in the community that could be affecting the uptake of more sustainable solutions?

A number of announcements have been made by government this year that highlight its intention to tackle the national energy transformation collaboratively and financially. In early May, the formation of the Net Zero Authority was announced, designed to support workers and regions who will be negatively impacted by the transition to greener energy and to help market opportunities in the renewable space to potential investors and companies.

A substantial amount of funding was allocated by the Federal Government as part of their 2023/24 Budget, including an electrification package for low-income and rental households, and the $314 million Small Business Energy Incentive Scheme, providing rebates for small businesses that spend on improving energy efficiency and electrification. The government has also allocated $36.7 million to provide more information to the public on how they can make their homes more energy efficient and set up a Household Energy upgrades Fund to help make energy upgrades more affordable and widely accessible. Now that the government is on board with fully supporting clean energy, it is over to industry to ensure that the transition runs as smoothly as possible.

Research and advocacy organisation, Rewiring Australia, emphasise the significant benefits that Australia could potentially harness if it focussed on electrifying homes, vehicles, businesses and industry. Electrification for Australian households typically involves installing rooftop solar, home batteries, induction cooktops, electric vehicle chargers and heat pump water systems. Contractors must have a clear understanding of how all these installations interrelate with one another to ensure optimal results for the customer, and secure opportunities to upsell and instill goodwill for the industry as a whole.

It is essential that residential contractors can advise homeowners on how they

can improve their energy efficiency and manage their usage. If a contractor is asked to install an electric vehicle (EV) charger in someone’s home, for example, and they notice the house has a rooftop solar system that is no longer suitable for servicing the existing energy requirements, it is the contractor’s responsibility to educate the homeowner on all the available options, rather than simply installing the EV charger and leaving. Rewiring Australia state that, ‘Many households remain unaware that electrification is their most effective path to combatting climate change’.

Despite rooftop solar generating more energy than any other type of renewable energy in 2022, only 1.6% of homes with rooftop solar panels have a home battery. Although demand is expected to increase over the next few years and prices are forecast to drop, several community-battery pilots have finished successfully, giving industry a blueprint to work from. Rewiring Australia maintains that now is the time for us to be running electrification community pilots, learning from the outcomes of these trials and acting on the findings.

One recent example is the Alkimos Beach Energy Storage Trial (ABEST) in Western Australia, funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) Emerging Renewables Program. This project shows the viability of a clean energy prototype that connects the rooftop solar systems of individual

homes with a community energy storage system, the first trial of its kind in Australia. More about this pilot can be found at www.bit.ly/3oFbK0g

Renewable energy accreditation

The Clean Energy Council provides accreditation for solar design and installation, battery storage installation, stand-alone power systems, small scale wind and micro-hydro. Most of these types

Code (NETCC). Launching earlier this year, the NETCC is a collection of standards that aim to provide consumers with protection when purchasing new energy tech, such as solar, batteries and EVs. Businesses that meet the NETCC requirements and maintain ongoing compliance (including regular audits) can market themselves to consumers as trusted, approved sellers for the NETCC. More information is available at www.newenergytech.org.au

all the latest relevant news from the government and share this with members, with representatives sitting on many important training and skills committees.

Final thoughts

The electrical industry has a vital role in ensuring successful green electrification in households and businesses. The industry must overcome the challenges of establishing new infrastructure and supply

Battery

GIVE INDUSTRIES PIONEERING SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING

PRIORITISING Qu ALITY AND POSITIVE WORKPLACE C uLT uRE IS COMMONPLACE IN THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING INDu STRY; HOWEVER, GIVE INDu STRIES HAS A REP u TATION FOR DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY. WINNERS OF THE 2022 INNOVATION AND SMALL CONTRACTING Bu SINESS OF THE YEAR NATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD CATEGORIES, THEY ARE DRIVEN TO MAXIMISE THEIR POSITIVE IMPACT, AND IMPLEMENT S u STAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES.

With a long-term perspective, the Queensland-based company aims to protect the planet and enable future generations to live healthy and fulfilling lives. Their holistic approach to sustainability spans operations, their service offerings, and charitable donations - all with a goal to make a positive social impact and protect the planet for future generations.

In this feature, we discover how Calvin Baker, Kat Dekker, and Jeremy Canard of Give Industries have set a new standard in the electrical contracting industry, inspiring others to prioritise social responsibility and make a real difference in the world.

Sustainable solutions for a more vibrant future

Leading the way with environmentallyconscious business practices, Give Industries is working towards net-zero emissions, both within their business and for their clients. To offset their emissions, Give Industries completed a carbon footprint assessment. The findings showed their fleet is currently responsible for 67% of their emissions, with waste being the second-largest contributor at 17%.

To neutralise their carbon footprint, they’ve taken several measures, including purchasing 105 tonnes of carbon credits from Carbon Neutral Australia. They’ve invested in a hybrid sedan, replaced their aging fleet with fuel efficient vehicles, and have committed to replacing all vehicles with electrical vehicles within five years. Give Industries has also committed to achieving Carbon Active certification by 2024 and remaining carbon neutral as they expand their operations and workforce.

By continuing to prioritise emissions reduction and adopting sustainable procurement practices, they aim to become the go-to contractor for Tier 1, Tier 2, and government clients. At present, carbon emissions and netzero commitments are usual in the corporate arena, whereas trade projects rarely mention them. By promoting their carbon-neutral status, providing socially responsible and sustainable business opportunities, and broadcasting their business performance, they reinforce that sustainability-focussed performance can synergise with business success.

The reduction in fleet emissions via the company’s standard four-day

workweek is one such example. This policy was designed to enhance staff working conditions, work-life balance, and mental wellbeing. It has also had an environmental impact, considerably reducing commuting and fleet emissions by 20% per staff member. The company also has many other progressive policies, including achieving a 50% women and girls target for apprenticeships and promoting employment opportunities for a diverse workforce. These policies align with the belief that real sustainability depends on creating an inclusive workplace culture that represents the communities that the company operates in.

Providing energy efficiency alternatives for a sustainable solution

Give Industries is ISO certified for 45001 (Safety), 9001 (Quality), and 14001 (Environment), and consistently provides a safe and healthy work environment that meets the needs of staff, clients, and the community.

They have set out to tackle the challenge of carbon footprint reduction and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. They aim to address the ‘electrify everything’ movement and provide energy-efficient alternatives for commercial and residential clients. As a contractor that operates in both sectors, Give Industries has diversified their service portfolio to include energyefficient products such as efficient cooling, hot water heat pumps, advanced solar monitoring solutions, LED upgrades, and electric vehicle chargers.

Funding sustainable solutions

Give Industries has a strong focus on corporate social responsibility, donating to highly effective charity partners based on two frameworks: the 17 united Nations (uN) Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) and effective altruism. This allows them to measure the lives impacted by their donations as well as support internationallyrecognised sustainability targets. Through their donations, Give Industries has had a significant impact, such as lifting 230 families out of extreme poverty and providing anti-malaria bed nets to 67,016 people (equivalent to 132 villages). In remote communities in Kenya and uganda, they have donated essential medicines and reached over 7,152 people. To further support the SDGs, other donations have gone towards supporting women in poor communities (about 70% of recipients), while Living Goods targets female entrepreneurship for training community health workers.

One of Give Industries’ recipient charities is Original Power, a communityfocused Aboriginal climate advocacy organisation that supports First Nations communities to self-determine what happens on their country. They work to protect communities from fossil fuel development and support communityowned renewables and climate adaptation solutions. Original Power has been recognised as one of the top three climate change charities operating in Australia via the Giving Green guide.

Leaders in holistic sustainability

Give Industries’ entire business model is founded on sustainability on a global scale. They have created a sustainable business model, which delivers high-quality, safe, environmentally-conscious services for their clients, while actively supporting the health, wellbeing and sustainability of communities across the globe. Their award-winning business model has set the bar for sustainability and social responsibility in the electrical contracting industry. As more companies strive to adopt sustainable and socially-responsible practices, Give Industries stands out as a pioneer in the industry and an inspiration to businesses who aim to make a positive impact on the planet and its people.

TURNING THE TIDE

BRIDGETTE CUTS HER TEETH ON A NEW ERA OF PHOTOVOLTAICS

AFTER TRYING HER HAND AT HOSPITALITY AND IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF THE Mu SIC INDu STRY, THIRD YEAR NECA EDuCATION & CAREERS APPRENTICE, BRIDGETTE PEAKE, KNEW SHE WANTED SOMETHING THAT WOuLD CHALLENGE BOTH HER BODY AND HER MIND.

Whilst it was these factors that originally drew Bridgette to pursue a career as an electrician, she never imagined she would end up working on one of the nation’s most unique renewable energy projects.

‘Working in solar wasn’t something I was specifically looking for, although I’ve always been passionate about improving communities,’ said Bridgette.

‘Currently we’re underway on one of Australia’s largest floating solar projects, located in the Gippsland area of Victoria. Traditionally a solar project would start by drawing up roof plans, obtaining materials and getting to work. A waterbased installation is very different. On top of the normal requirements of a typical install, we’ve needed additional resources including engineers, cranes, barges, floats, weights, walkways and ramps. It’s been

very exciting to be part of a project that is such a new concept in the industry.’

The 350 kW floating array is comprised of more than 600 panels and adjoining floats and was designed for a client who was looking for a way to reduce their carbon emissions despite working within a small parcel of available land. Floating solar systems have also been reported to help reduce evaporation and the spread of algae.

‘We’re entering an exciting phase of the install. The anchor blocks have been meticulously craned and placed. We’re just about to start constructing the array, connecting panel floats one string at a time, and pushing them into the water. It’s fascinating to see almost a year of planning and preparations finally coming to fruition,’ said Bridgette.

‘The move towards a more sustainable society has increased the need for more action on the ground and I feel very lucky to be part of it. I’ve been exposed to the newest and brightest projects in the renewables space and go home every day feeling as though I’ve been part of something good.

‘I think we are all really excited to be part of something so unique and positive for the people of Gippsland and the broader industry. I like the idea that we’re all contributing to the world and the environment together’.

SA/NT BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE

Larry Moore NECA SA/NT Executive Director

OuR 2023 ROADSHOW SEMINAR SERIES HAS COME TO A CLOSE, AND I AM PLEASED TO SAY THAT THE SEMINARS HAVE, ONCE AGAIN, BEEN A GREAT S uCCESS WITH OVER ONE THOu SAND ELECTRICIANS, ACROSS SOu TH Au STRALIA, ATTENDING TO HEAR THE LATEST INDu STRY DEVELOPMENTS.

We have received fantastic feedback regarding this year’s shows and greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to attend and upskill themselves. Once again, we had a variety of important updates from our industry speakers, as well as a fantastic array of products and services on display from our dedicated sponsors. Our annual Roadshow Seminar Series is the only electrical industry roadshow that travels across all regions of South Australia, and this is reflected in the growing number of attendees and sponsors we have every year.

This year we heard from SA Power Networks about amendments to their Service and Installation Rules, changes to the REX system, and various compliance updates, and the Office of the Technical Regulator discussed the latest rules and regulation changes. Additionally, NECA presented on the impending introduction of continuous professional development (CPD) in South Australia to obtain industry feedback.

Our CPD presentation raised some constructive discussions amongst our members and industry representatives about the scheme and its effect on the South Australian electrotechnology industry. To gain feedback, direct from the industry, we created a survey so members could document their thoughts, which we will provide to Consumer and Business Services (CBS) for their consideration when devising the criteria. If you haven’t already, and would like to contribute your thoughts please scan the QR code.

The lineup of presentations was well received by all attendees.

We thoroughly enjoyed catching up with members across the regions and wish to sincerely thank everyone who attended this year’s seminars. We are pleased that we were able to have our Roadshow Seminar Series back to full capacity this year! I’d also like to take this opportunity to say that we are hoping to re-introduce roadshow seminars in the Northern Territory in 2024 – watch this space!

Last, but certainly not least, we greatly appreciate the dedication and support of our sponsors and presenters. Without them, we would not be able to run these seminars!

If you have any questions or feedback about the Roadshow Seminars, please contact Jamie Phillips, Marketing, Communications and Membership Manager, at the NECA SA/NT office on (08) 8272 2966.

2023 Excellence, Small Business, and Apprentice Award nominations

Our Excellence and Small Business Awards nominations for 2023 have now closed. It is fantastic to see that the sub-categories of the Excellence Awards program are developing alongside industry changes, evident in the introduction of the ‘Women in Energy’ and ‘Leaders in Diversity’ categories. We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing

the brilliant submissions from our members during the judging process.

The Apprentice Award nominations are still open until 7 July and interviews with nominees will commence shortly after. The benefits of being nominated, as an apprentice, are endless, including an opportunity to network and build relationships with industry stakeholders, win prizes, and become an ambassador for the electrotechnology industry. If you have an apprentice who you think is worthy and is within 12 months of completing their apprenticeship, we strongly encourage you to nominate them!

Contact Jamie on (08) 8272 2966 for further information about nominating your apprentice for this year’s awards.

The Excellence, Small Business, and Apprentice Awards celebrations will be held at our Industry Gala Dinner on Friday 15 September 2023 in the striking Hall H at the Adelaide Convention Centre. This event showcases some of the brilliant work being completed in our industry, as well as our fabulous small businesses and high-achieving apprentices. It also provides a great opportunity to enjoy some fantastic food, wine and live entertainment with your peers. We sincerely hope that our members, sponsors and industry representatives will join us for this fantastic event!

If you would like to attend the Industry Gala Dinner, please do not hesitate to contact Jamie Phillips who will ensure you receive an invitation to the event.

Save the date! Specialist Contractors Association Business Luncheon

After the roaring success that was our inaugural Specialist Contractors Association Business Luncheon, we have just locked away the date and venue for this year’s event. This year’s luncheon will centre around the theme ‘Risk Management in Construction Contracts’ and will be held on Friday 4 August at the National Wine Centre at 12:30pm.

This event will be a fantastic opportunity to hear from some

inspiring guest speakers, listen to an intellectual Q&A with an expert panel, and network with your peers. This event is not one to be missed so we highly recommend you pencil this date into your calendars now and keep an eye on our fortnightly eNews and social media channels for further information.

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

AUSTRALIAN ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

AUSTRALIA’S LEADERS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE

A u STRALIA’S ELECTRICITY S uPPLY IS IN A PERIOD OF EVOL u TION. AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE A u STRALIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY SPACE, WITH WELL-ESTABLISHED BATTERY, SOLAR AND WIND INDu STRIES, SOu TH A u STRALIA PRODuCES NEARLY 70% OF ITS ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOuRCES. THIS FIGuRE IS PROJECTED TO REACH 85% PRIOR TO 2026, WITH AN IMPRESSIVE TARGET OF 100% NET RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030. SOu TH A u STRALIAN ELECTROTECHNOLOGY ENTERPRISES CONTINuE TO PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THIS TRANSITION, EACH CONTRIBu TING uNIQuE DESIGNS, PROCESSES AND ORGANISATIONAL APPROACHES IN THE P uRS uIT OF MEETING CLIENT EXPECTATIONS AND ESTABLISHING THE STATE AS A GLOBAL LEADER IN RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTRuCT uRE.

The demolition of major coal power stations in 2018, located in the regional South Australian town of Port Augusta, resulted in South Australia’s electrotechnology organisations (many of which are NECA SA/NT members) assuming responsibility for delivering both private and public renewable energy infrastructure projects. Port Augusta’s power stations had a long and valued history providing reliable generation to both the South Australian and national electricity markets; however, shifting policy objectives meant the market needed to redirect its focus to decarbonisation, and pledge to distributed energy resources. Such marked dedication to decentralised energy generation was seemingly the hallmark for an aggressive uptake of renewable products within South Australia, in the domestic, commercial and industrial markets.

Considering the South Australian renewables space is incredibly

broad, this article focuses on the dynamic shift in the involvement of renewable energy products across the construction and maintenance industries. This is attributable to the idea that investors in key South Australian-based construction projects, are intent on integrating renewable assets and technologies, as it is critically important to future tenants to ensure both

organisational and state-wide sustainability targets are met.

Simon Dunn, Portfolio Operations Manager at Centuria, supports this notion, stating that he has ‘seen an increased demand amongst South Australian tenants in the premium leasing space, whereby there is increased demand for office space that incorporates LED light fittings along with lighting control and automation’.

Renewable energy-focused construction projects require meticulous planning and collaboration amongst multiple stakeholders to ensure integration into a range of building systems, including battery storage assets, lighting control programs, and solar technology systems. Electrical contractors play a key role in the design and integration of these renewable systems, collaborating with consultants and builders to justify a positive return on investment.

Mr Dunn observes that ‘tenants are becoming more educated about the benefits of these renewable friendly environments [and] building owners are contributing significant investment in their common areas, whereby there seems to be an increased appetite to spend in this area to keep up with demand’.

In the Adelaide commercial leasing market, vacancies are at historical highs, attributable to the renewable capacities of these buildings being subpar to their modern alternatives. Leading tier-1 tenants demand establishments with a positive renewable focus.

Without the latest renewable assets, tenants view such properties as energy inefficient and outdated. Consequently, the buildings with non-LED lighting are vacant, whereas the proxy are not.

There is significant work in the service and maintenance industry for South Australian electrical contractors in giving these older facilities a renewable energy make-over. This may include

installing electrical vehicle (EV) chargers to encourage sustainability participation by tenants, integration of lighting control systems including daylight harvesting, and LED light-fitting upgrades. Such seemingly simple upgrades attract commercial, government, and multi-national tenants as they can minimise their overall expenditure on electricity, attributable to the upfront investments in reliable renewable energy assets and play their role in meeting the state’s green energy targets.

Considering the above, owners of South Australian electrical contracting businesses, CME Group and NSG Boffa, have reported that they have recently reviewed their organisational strategies to foster a renewable energy focus to ensure they meet the expectations of their clients and

the electrotechnology industry.

Recently CME Group completed the installation of a 329 kW rooftop solar energy system and 250kW battery energy storage system for RedArc Lonsdale, a South Australian-based electronics manufacturer. CME Group have also been contracted to install 18 kW solar energy systems and three 9.5 kW Sonnen batteries for 33 country fire service (CFS) stations across South Australia, an ongoing project currently in progress.

In late 2019, NSG Boffa were engaged to design, install, and commission significant electrical upgrades for Adelaide Mushrooms’ new production and storage facility in Monarto. The upgrades included sitewide infrastructure that now supports a large solar farm enabling the plot to rely on its own ongoing power generation capabilities. NSG Boffa has also completed numerous LED lighting upgrades in various hospitals, schools, and universities, assisting clients in adopting a sustainability-focused energy approach.

It is evident that these organisations have re-focused their strategies to reflect current market needs to help South Australia meet its ambitious sustainability target – 100% net renewable energy by 2030. The unique climate, state-wide investment, and, importantly, the proven capability of these electrotechnology businesses is a testament to why South Australia are nationwide, and arguably global, leaders in the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure.

References: www.bit.ly/3IXDKmK

TAS BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE

Ben Shaw NECA TAS Member Manager

Welcome to the June edition of NECA News

Can you believe that we’re already halfway through the year? What a year it has been so far – full of exciting opportunities and valuable learning experiences!

In the first half of 2023, we hosted a series of Industry Nights with Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) that earned all attendees four continuing professional development (CPD) points towards their continual development, followed with a delicious BBQ hosted by AWM and D&W – part of the MMEM group.

We also held a webinar in April with the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) on understanding the Regulatory Requirements to meet Ring-fencing Compliance. Members received insight into the regulatory framework, practices, and requirements of the electricity industry including:

½ the current Network Operator Regulatory reset and the pricing determination process;

½ what is Ring-Fencing; and

½ what entails a breach and how the AER investigates any reports they may receive.

NECA members who missed out on this webinar can watch it via the NECA Members’ Knowledge Base (MKB).

But we are just getting started! The NECA team is already hard at work planning an amazing line up of activities for the second half of the year to help you meet your CPD requirements. These will include a new round of Industry Nights, a festive end-of-year celebration, and even more webinars packed with industry insights and expert advice. We are also excited about the highly-anticipated NECA Awards ceremony in July.

Stay tuned, because we can’t wait to share all these exciting events with you. Keep an eye on your weekly eNews for dates and further details.

NECA TAS Awards 2023

Saturday 15 July

Grand Chancellor, Hobart

Get ready for an electrifying event! The NECA Awards nomination window may have closed, but the excitement is just beginning. As our judges evaluate all the amazing nominations, you can secure

ARE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO NECA’S WEEKLY ENEWS?

Stay up to date on the latest in the electrotechnology industry with NECA’s weekly eNewsletter. Our informative and directive publication is packed with industry insights and updates on regulatory changes from our experts including technical, safety, legal and workplace relations, and news on NECA events and upcoming initiatives. Whether you’re an electrical contracting business, an individual contractor or support staff, our eNewsletter is a valuable tool for staying informed and ahead of the curve. NECA’s weekly eNEWS has been rated as the most-read industry newsletter.

Don’t miss out on this invaluable resource – scan the QR code to sign up for NECA’s weekly eNews today.

your spot at the Awards dinner ceremony by purchasing your tickets now.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of an unforgettable celebration of excellence in the electrical industry! Keep an eye out for event information in your emails or visit the NECA website for more details and registration.

Advocacy and policy update

As the half-year mark approaches, NECA’s Advocacy and Policy team have reflected on the progress they have made. Over the past six months, our dedicated team has been working tirelessly to advance policies that benefit members and the industry as a whole.

From advocating for changes to the future of electrotechnology training in Tasmania, to talking with ministers about Security of Payments and other key matters for small businesses, our team has been at the forefront of shaping policy in the electrical contracting industry. We are pleased to report that NECA’s efforts have not gone unnoticed, and look forward to continuing our work as the year progresses.

Key State Government advocacy initiatives have included the following:

½ We held several meetings with Skills and Training Minister Felix Ellis and departmental staff regarding the technical and further education (TAFE) system, the potential to work on a Tasmanian-based registered training organisation, and other posttrade courses, pre-apprenticeship training and initiatives to attract diversity into our sector.

½ We raised media attention with the State Opposition Leader Rebecca White and Shadow Energy Minister Dean Winter, on unfair conditions being placed on members by the Clean Energy Council for government solar loan schemes.

½ We held several meetings with the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing u nion (CEP u) State Secretary regarding training, TAFE and CPD points, and a further meeting with Electrical Trades u nion (ET u) National Secretary Michael Wright to discuss the future of electro training in Tasmania. These discussions are ongoing.

½ We held discussions with Skills Tas about how NECA Tasmania can help build the capacity of

NECA WORKSHOP FEEDBACK SURVEY

The NECA team are currently planning future workshops and are seeking suggestions on relevant subjects. We value your feedback and insights, so please let us know what topics you would like to see feature next. Scan the QR code to start the survey and share your suggestions.

electrotechnology teachers within Tasmania and help build up the workforce for our sector.

½ We met with Small Business Minister Madeine Ogilvie regarding security of payments and other key matters for small businesses.

½ We had a discussion with Energy Minister Guy Barnett on solar install red tape.

To ensure industry preparedness, NECA will continue to work for you and keep you informed of the introduction of any relevant legislative and policy changes, and their potential impacts. If you have an industry issue, we encourage you to express your concerns to NECA’s Advocacy and Policy team.

Scan the QR code to submit your enquiry.

Events and meetings

15 July NECA Awards Ceremony Grand Chancellor Hobart (dinner)

14 August Shane Hill Electrical 7.00pm

13 November RBD Electrical 7.00pm

6 September Midland Bowls Club 10am-12pm

6 December Online via Microsoft Teams 10am-12pm

Read NECA’s weekly eNews for more details and to register.

Have your say on WHS regulation changes

Join the NECA Safety Network

NECA is excited to announce the formation of the NECA Safety Network. These quarterly members only consultative meetings aim to

bring together safety professionals or those with a strong interest in safety to collaborate and ensure a safer workplace for all.

These quarterly meetings are virtual and will be held via Teams. All you are required to do is register your interest is scan the QR code and we will send you a registration link.

Regulator update

Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) has answered a list of frequently asked questions regarding the Occupational Licensing (Electricity Consumption Metering) Code of Practice 2022, which commenced on 2 May 2023. Questions and answers include details on:

½ What is an Installation Protection Device (IPD)?

½ IPD compliance requirements.

½ Meter enclosure requirements.

½ Switchboard requirements.

½ What is a Service Protective Device (SPD)?

½ The conditions relating to asbestos, fireproofing and more.

Visit the CBOS website to view their Technical Compliance Guide.

Support and advice

If you need further clarification of this code, we encourage you to connect with NECA’s Technical experts. As a NECA member you receive unlimited phone and email support on all Australian Standards including the Wiring Rules, Service & Installation Rules and Metering Rules to ensure you always stay compliant with industry standards.

VIC BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE

Pawel Podolski NECA VIC Executive Director Dean Spicer NECA VIC President

PLEASE JOIN u S IN THE VICTORIAN SECTION OF THE NECA NEWS. AS PART OF A STANDING TRADITION, A PARTIC uLARLY WARM WELCOME TO ALL NEW MEMBERS TO THE NECA VICTORIA FAMILY.

Before we delve into some updates and news from around Victoria, we would like to acknowledge and mourn the passing of Ron Daangard, former General Manager of Oliver J Nilsen & Co. Ron was a celebrated General Manager whose legacy will be remembered in the industry, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family.

Moving on to some current affairs, there has been a lot of talk in the media regarding Security of Payment. NECA has been actively advocating for reforms in this area, both at the national and state level.

In late April, several organisations representing the subcontracting industries under NECA’s leadership, met to discuss a joint approach to responding to the government’s request for input around Security of Payment (SoP). The group considered current and active conversations surrounding national SoP laws, as well as deliberating on existing gaps and challenges in legislation. A joint submission to the Victorian Government was drafted to increase the strength of a united view, which we hope will bring about muchneeded change and fairness for subcontractors. Stay tuned for further updates on this issue through our communication channels.

For anyone interested in pursuing a career as an inspector with a focus on renewable energy, Energy Safe Victoria will be launching a new Renewable Energy (RE) licence from April next year. NECA has been closely involved in this process

and can offer insights to members who are interested. Please feel free to reach out to our technical team for more information.

NECA Victoria is thrilled to offer a free mentoring program funded by Solar Victoria, which is aimed at providing technical support and guidance to those working in solar and battery installations. This program includes an individual or group session with an experienced electrical inspector. More details on registration can be found in the following pages.

Finally, we would like to remind all NECA Victoria members to make full use of the benefits that come with your membership. The NECA Team is committed to providing our members with all the support and resources they need to succeed in the electrotechnology industry, so don’t hesitate to reach out and make the most of your NECA Victoria membership.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at NECA Victoria if you have any questions or concerns. Stay safe and enjoy the rest of the magazine.

RISE IN POWER LINE CONTACT INCIDENTS PROMPTS ENERGY SAFE REMINDER TO LOOK UP

Energy Safe Victoria has witnessed an unfortunate rise in the number of incidents involving people and machinery making contact with power lines over the past two years.

These incidents pose serious threats to safety as they can result in fire, electric shock and, in severe cases, electrocution. Fire and power outages caused by the incidents can also threaten surrounding property and the electricity network.

It’s the responsibility of Victorians to ensure they remain clear of power lines electrifying the state.

For more than a decade, Energy Safe’s Look Up and Live campaign has raised awareness on the risks of operating machinery near power lines.

Look Up and Live promotes one key message – maintain safe distances from power lines.

As Victoria’s energy safety regulator, Energy Safe is responsible for investigating power line contact incidents, which have unfortunately risen over the past two years.

Energy Safe has witnessed a 21% rise across the state, from four a week (a total of 214) in 2021, to five a week (a total of 260) in 2022. We’ve also gotten off to a bad start in 2023, with 48 recorded incidents through January and February.

Of the 260 incidents recorded in 2022, 165 included contact with overhead power lines and 174 involved heavy machinery. The most common machinery involved excavators with 88 incidents, followed by hand tools (28), tipper trucks (20), rubbish trucks (17) and farm equipment (11).

The worst moment of 2022 involved the death of a man in Malvern East in February, when he was electrocuted after making contact with power lines.

In late 2020, a farmworker was also killed when the extendable boom on the telehandler he was operating came into contact with overhead power lines in Gerang Gerung, in north-western Victoria.

Two incidents that could and should have been avoided.

Energy Safe’s investigations have shown no single reason for power line contact incidents.

The more common causes relate to people either being unaware of, disregarding or forgetting to look up and check for the location of overhead power lines, a simple practice that could mean the difference between life and death. We’re seeing multiple cases involving workers bypassing safety precautions and sacrificing safety in order to meet tight deadlines ‘just to get the job done quickly’.

No doubt, many Victorians have been in a position where they’re against the clock to get an important job completed. We understand this, but when you’re working around power lines, there should never be shortcuts around safety.

Energy Safe also recommends that workers avoid distractions that can result in power line contact incidents such as sun glare, inclement weather or even co-workers wanting to have a chat.

Inexperience is a big factor with many workers unaware of the consequences faced when making contact with power lines.

Disappointingly, laziness has also been reported with workers thinking they can get the job done without following precautions.

And, finally, inattention is another serious contributor with some workers so focused on the job at hand that they forget or overlook basic safety.

All these reasons are avoidable and so we urge industry and the broader community to take note. The fact that people have lost their lives should be enough for workers to take better care around power lines.

Look Up and Live also highlights that if machinery does hit power lines and operators are inside the vehicle, they should stay inside the cabin and call 000. Always assume that fallen power lines and the surrounding ground is live.

This is also an important message for co-workers or those nearby a power line contact incident. If you’re outside the cabin of one of these vehicles, stay at least 10 metres away, as you can still be shocked when approaching.

This risk was highlighted in November last year when a Geelong man was hospitalised after a crane rolled and fell onto power lines that landed near him.

The crane operator reportedly moved the crane down the driveway at a worksite while the boom was extended, leading to the crane rolling and falling onto power lines on the opposite side of the road.

unfortunately, a 37-year-old man mowing his lawn nearby received an electric shock as the broken power lines landed within 10 metres of him. He was taken to hospital but was well enough to return home later that evening.

Luckily, other members of the community avoided injury thanks to a licensed electrician working nearby who rushed over, warning onlookers to stay away and for the machinery operator to remain in the crane cabin until the power was turned off.

But it’s not just machinery operators.

Over the past 18 months, ESV has seen a rise in the number of incidents involving gardeners making contact with service lines with hedge trimmers and pruners. Service lines are single-span power lines connecting power to houses on private land.

Since December 2021, ESV has investigated at least 14 incidents where members of the public had made contact with service lines while carrying out gardening activities. This is more than double the amount we have seen in previous years.

The incidents occurred in Geelong, Mulgrave, Brighton, Camperdown, Safety Beach, St Kilda, Chadstone, Stawell, Tatura and Moorabbin with a number of people sent to hospital with burns and electric shock. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.

As a result, we need the community to be mindful of this risk and maintain vegetation on their property at least one metre clear of service lines.

Energy Safe also advises that an Energy Safe-registered spotter should always be on hand when working near overhead power lines. Spotters have the requisite experience and training to support heavy machinery operators to avoid power lines and reduce risk.

To register to become a spotter you can visit the ESV website for further details – www.bit.ly/spotters-registration

Energy Safe also provides Look Up and Live stickers for machinery or equipment, reducing the likelihood that a worker will forget to check for power lines. This is an easy way to remind workers before they start working.

The time of day is also a factor as power lines are typically more difficult to see at dawn and dusk, heightening the risk of contact. Further to this overhead power lines are predominantly single conductor lines in rural areas and are consequently more difficult to see and easy to forget.

So please keep this in mind when you’re working in areas outside major cities and towns.

Other important tips include:

½ Identify all areas where power lines cross properties.

½ Relocate bulk delivery storage sites to a safe area away from power lines.

½ Suppliers of bulk materials must confirm, the delivery point on the farm for the load, the proximity of power lines and what safety precautions are in place should there be power lines in the vicinity.

½ Never raise the tray of tipper trucks when underneath power lines.

½ Drivers should refuse to deliver loads if their safety is compromised in any way.

½ Monitor weather conditions closely – power lines can sag in extreme heat and sway in strong winds.

Leanne Hughson CEO, Energy Safe

We don’t want to see any power line contact incidents, let alone 260 in a single year. Energy Safe will continue to work with industry and the community to educate and warn against these types of incidents, but it is incumbent on all Victorians to ensure they are taking the proper precautions to keep themselves, their loved ones and property safe. unfortunately, we see the impact these incidents can have, not just on those involved, but their loved ones and co-workers who witness these power line-contact incidents. In many cases, we talk to people who say, ‘if only we’d done this or only done that’. To ensure there are no regrets, please always Look up and Live.

For more information go to www.bit.ly/look-up-and-live

STEP INTO THE FUTURE WITH SOLAR

STEP INTO THE FUTURE WITH SOLAR

Upskill and learn:

Upskill and learn:

Energy audits

Energy audits

Design briefs

Design briefs

Complete the installation, adjustment, and set up of photovoltaic power systems

Complete the installation, adjustment, and set up of photovoltaic power systems

Find solutions to problems in ELV and LV photovoltaic systems and apparatus

Find solutions to problems in ELV and LV photovoltaic systems and apparatus

Working safely and to installation standards

Working safely and to installation standards

TAKING SOLAR MOBILE

A CASE STUDY

NECA Education & Careers’ solar training program took to the road in March, thanks to a successful pilot program in Tasmania. The program, led by resident Victorian solar trainer Allen Burrows, utilised a specially-fitted van to deliver a Grid Connect course across the Bass Strait. This pilot sets NECA Education & Careers up to expand delivery across Victoria. The Grid Connect course was originally developed by Allen and the NECA Education & Careers Resource Development Team, drawing on over 30 years of electrical and solar experience. In-house development allowed for prompt refinement of training materials to reflect feedback, changes to regulations, and advancements in technology, making NECA Education & Careers well equipped to adapt its training for regional and mobile delivery.

While there are clear benefits to training on solar systems that simulate the real thing as closely as possible, this limits training delivery to facilities that can support these types of permanent installations, and for smaller or more regional training centres this may not be feasible. Likewise, for self-employed electricians or

those employed by small businesses, travelling a significant distance to a specialised training facility may be a disincentive due to additional time lost.

By incorporating the materials required for the course’s practical components into a transportable environment, training providers can now take the training to students in a way that generally was previously only an option for more theoretical courses.

Over the six days of the course, participants established a strong theoretical foundation before moving on to the practical installations of flush mount systems and tilt frames in Allen’s portable set up. Participants found the theory and practical exercises to be well balanced and that the training put them in good stead for operating effectively in the solar space.

Central to the course is the design and installation of grid-connected photovoltaic power supply systems, supported by an understanding of the safety, installation, and performance standards required to protect users and property from the dangers of system malfunction. Following design briefs, meeting functional

requirements, and documenting design calculations and criteria are also key elements of the training.

Participants reported that learning these fundamentals of solar, the flexibility of the training delivery, and the opportunity to have discussions on the topics with their trainer and fellow participants, were the highlights of the course. In fact, many participants felt they could’ve spent even longer digging deep into the details of solar systems.

The positive response to the mobile Grid Connect course reflects the demand for quality, practicallyfocused training throughout Australia and that it is possible for this demand to be met. Making training in renewables accessible to a wide range of locations will allow more people to make an investment in their future careers as electricians. It also suggests there is potential to adapt other kinds of training for similar mobile delivery.

To learn more about NECA Education & Careers’ training opportunities visit www.necaeducation.com.au

WA BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE BRANCH UPDATE

Carl Copeland NECA WA Acting Branch Secretary

Carl Copeland NECA WA Branch Secretary

Western Power’s rural supply allocation update

Load upgrade Applications by Western Power. I am afraid that the news on this issue is not promising.

ALTHOUGH MARKET CONDITIONS REMAIN DIFFICULT, IT IS PLEASING TO HEAR FROM MEMBERS IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR THAT THE VARIOUS GOVERNMENT STIMULUS PACKAGES AIMED AT INCREASING THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HOMES IS HAVING A POSITIVE EFFECT.

Members in this sector expect a considerable increase in work in the near future.

The strong prices for gold and iron ore in particular have ensured that members working in the resource sector are also enjoying strong demand for electrical work.

Following a successful rural supply allocation trial, Western Power officially expanded their metropolitan supply arrangement across its entire network on 11 April 2023. This is a very welcome development for all contractors and regional Western Australians. We didn’t receive any negative feedback from regional members during Western Power’s trial, so we remain confident that the network will be able to successfully maintain the new supply arrangement. Western Power have provided a more detailed update on page 49.

NECA Technical is taking as many, if not more, calls than it was before COVID, which indicates there are still lots of members performing work.

Like every business in Western Australia, Western Power is experiencing staff shortages and, unfortunately, one of the areas that has been most affected is their engineering department.

NECA has met with the Minister for Industrial Relations, Bill Johnston, and personally expressed our concerns to him. We were particularly adamant that the legislation must contain defences that protect contractors whose safety practices meet the legislative requirements.

Processing delays for Load Upgrade Applications

There is obviously still a long way to go in terms of a full recovery but it does seem that Western Australia is better placed than other states at present.

NECA has been receiving an increasing number of queries relating to the lengthy timeframes for processing

Industrial Manslaughter Legislation

Sometimes there are critical pieces of

As a result, the current processing time for a Load upgrade Quote and Approval is between six and nine months. Should you wish to proceed with the upgrade, construction of the installation will take a further eight to 12 weeks. Consequently, we would encourage members to allow for between nine and 12 months to complete a load upgrade. Obviously, Western Power is attempting to improve this timeframe; however, in the current skills environment, we would strongly advise you to be conservative in your communications with your clients.

It is ridiculous to have a situation where a business owner has implemented safety practices that ensure compliance with all of their WHS obligations and yet can still be subjected to prosecution.

NECA has lobbied the McGowan government, as well as the Liberal Opposition and cross-bench members of Parliament, as part of a coalition of more than twenty other industry associations who also oppose this legislation.

I encourage every Western Australian

Type AC RCD changes

As communicated in several of our eNews publications this year, Type AC RCDs must not be installed after 30 April 2023. Whilst you are not required to replace existing functioning Type AC units, when they do require replacement, they must be replaced with a Type A RCD.

Electric shock risk when working on solar and battery installations

A number of electric shocks have been reported of late by contractors working on battery and/or solar installations. Please keep in mind that when you are working on these installations, whilst you may have isolated the network supply, there may also be an alternate supply that requires isolation. More information on this is available at www.bit.ly/3Nq6VSh

News from the College of Electrical Training (CET)

CET has experienced the highest intake of apprentices in its 27-year history, evidence of one of the most stimulated construction economies in decades. Exceeding the infamous mining boom, CET’s rolling intake has added an extra layer of complexity to managing the varying requirements of apprentices who are waiting to commence their training, current learners and capstone assessments for those who are close to finishing their qualification.

This really highlights that boosting apprentice commencements, while welcome, needs to be balanced with support for industry training organisations. Demand for trainers and assessors is simultaneously at an alltime high, at the same time as industry are desperately attempting to recruit and retain workers, facing similar labour supply issues. With future industry demand being fuelled by the new energy apprentice push and exacerbated by the AuKuS submarine agreement, demand for apprentices, trainers and qualified tradespersons will need to find a balance that ensures we can meet the industry’s needs, without sacrificing quality in training and in the workforce. Exciting but challenging times ahead.

Electrical Group Training (EGT) update

EGT has continued to achieve strong results as they progress through to the end of the 2022/23 financial year. With high demand for apprentices continuing, additional advertising and marketing efforts for apprenticeship recruitment is paying off as application numbers remain strong. EGT recruited 82 new starters between January and April 2023, bringing EGT’s total apprentice number to 554 in April. This is the first time EGT has had more than 550 apprentices employed since April 2016, when numbers reduced at the end of the last mining boom. EGT expects demand from host employers to remain strong until the end of this financial year.

The current financial year has also seen the first full season of EGT being a drag racing partner with Perth Motorplex. unfortunately, the 15 April grand final was abandoned due to rain, however all other race rounds have gone ahead with little interruption for weather and

great support from the Motorplex. Thanks to the host employers and members who attended throughout the season. Meanwhile, EGT’s support for the D1WA Drift Club has been extended to late 2024 and the WA Sporting Car Club until late 2023. Hopefully the EGT brand will be featured at the raceway during the Perth round of the V8 Supercars.

EGT is also increasing their involvement with the Australian Football League (AFL) this season, continuing to sponsor the women’s teams at Swan Athletic Football Club and partnering with the WA Football Commission. This partnership will increase EGT’s exposure across WA Football League (WAFL), WAFLW, Colts and Rogers Cup events, so you should start seeing EGT branding at more events throughout the season. EGT expects that their increasing brand awareness will encourage new people into our industry in a sustainable way - not just to meet current demand, but to ensure a steady supply of tradespeople into the future.

ELEVATING EQUITY IN THE WA ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL SECTORS OF THE WA ELECTRICAL INDu STRY CAME TOGETHER FOR THE INA uGuRAL NECA WA WOMEN’S INDUSTRY FORUM EARLIER THIS YEAR. HELD AT THE WESTIN ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, AN INSPIRATIONAL LINE-uP OF SPEAKERS SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES, CHALLENGES AND PATHWAYS TO S uCCESS WITH MORE THAN 140 GuESTS.

The attendees represented all levels of WA’s electrical industry, from current apprentices and business owners, to representatives from

Building and Energy and the Electrical Licensing Board, including Building and Energy’s Executive Director, Saj Abdoolakhan. It was heartening

to see both men and women joining forces to explore the ways they could also #embrace_equity and support greater industry diversity.

“I just wanted to reach out to the NECA WA Team after yesterday’s International Women’s Day event and thank you for organising such an amazing day. The guest speakers were very inspiring, especially Sharon. It’s great seeing NECA WA recognise all of the women in our industry. We are hoping NECA WA runs another event next year - thank you!”

Following an encouraging introduction from Claire Gerber, NECA WA Membership, Partnership and Events Manager, MC Fiona Cooper led a thought-provoking discussion with industry panellists Sophie Bond (Co-Vice President of the WA Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction in Australia), Lorraine Hull (Construction Training Fund), Melanie Moore (Generation Electrical Maintenance) and Emma McDonald (Frank & Stein Electrical).

Lorraine, Melanie and Emma spoke about the challenges they faced early in their careers as apprentices, their tips for overcoming adversity and who they relied on for support.

Sophie shared her experiences in the similarly male-dominated area of architecture, and insights she has gained through the work she does as Co-Vice President of NAWIC WA.

Keynote speaker Sharon Warburton had the audience’s full attention as she covered her wide-ranging experiences in Australia and abroad, where she navigated crises in her private life while propelling her career forward to become a highly-respected leader in the WA construction, resources and infrastructure sectors. Sharon champions flexibility, diversity, emotional wellbeing and work-life-balance, and it was a privilege to hear her story.

With many enlightening takeaways for women at all stages of their career, we received fantastic feedback from attendees following the event.

We thank this year’s attendees for their support and hope to see as many members as possible at the 2024 event on Friday 8 March at Frasers, Kings Park. If you would like to know more about next year’s event or find out how you or your company can become more involved, please contact the NECA WA events team on (08) 6241 6100 or email events@necawa.asn.au

“Yesterday was brilliant and a great introduction to the type of work NECA WA does within the industry and community. I was impressed.”

PGS INDUSTRIES SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

AS C u STOMERS, INVESTORS AND REGuLATORS DEMAND AN INCREASING FOC u S ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE (ESG), THERE HAS BEEN A MOVE TOWARD MORE S u STAINABLE PRACTICES ACROSS ALL INDu STRIES. FOR THE ELECTRICAL SECTOR, BEYOND EMBRACING MORE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOuRCES AND THE ADOPTION OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT TECHNOLOGIES, AN EQu ALLY IMPORTANT FACET OF S u STAINABILITY IS DEVELOPING SKILLED WORKERS WHO CAN S uPPORT THE INDu STRY’S GROWTH IN A SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE MANNER.

Switchboard manufacturing company

PGS Industries has recognised and embedded this thinking in their operations and is leading the way with training Electrical Group Training (EGT) apprentices to work safely and build the electrical workforce of the future.

Apprentices with aptitude

PGS Industries has designed and manufactured low voltage electrical switchboards for commercial and industrial clients for more than 30 years, and have been a member of NECA since 2005.

The company has hosted well over 100 EGT apprentices since 2008 and has

recently transitioned to increasing their intake of apprentices.

PGS Operations Manager, Anthony Longo, explained the partnership with NECA and EGT has been invaluable to their business growth and success, and an opportunity to support the wider electrical sector.

‘Our company’s goal is to always provide the best quality product to our customers. We are innovators and leaders in our niche. To stay ahead we adapt to changes in the market and manufacturing sector and invest in research and development,’ said Anthony.

‘Part of looking at this bigger future picture is workforce planning.

We foresee in the next 10 years there will be a significant impact from well-experienced people in our industry retiring, and the sector will suffer as a result. It’s critical we focus on attracting great apprentices now and teach them skills and safe work practices,’ he said.

‘Over 30 years of operation, our business has built vast knowledge, and our aim is to pass on this skill set to the next generation. Though we are a relatively small company, we are doing our part to grow the skills base and support the future sustainability of the electrical industry.’

Innovative approaches lead to safety success

Health and Safety lead Dr Philippa Milne agreed, noting the innovative use of technology as integral to engaging the younger workforce, and realising significant safety and training benefits for the company.

Following PGS Industries’ win of EGT’s 2022 No Harm Award for improvements to their WHS Management System, which included user-friendly QR code incident and hazard reporting processes, the company developed a PGS safety app hosting the EGT Risk Assessment and Isolation Checklists which apprentices are encouraged to use.

‘Previously, PGS Industries workers performed paper-based job safety analyses (JSAs), Take 5 risk assessments, and incident reports. Our increased uptake of electrical apprentices also meant a greater number of our workforce with limited understanding of how to assess workplace risks, so we advanced our approach to Work Health and Safety reporting and training,’ said Philippa.

‘Our new digital application is monitored in real-time, allowing for a faster management response to identified hazards while creating a digital record. These tools facilitate real-time communication on risks to the WHS Manager and daily analysis of safety data, a faster response to safety risks and immediate intervention through an alert system if required,’ she said.

‘Making the investments in IST (hardware and software) to have this system at their fingertips makes it more practical. People at the best of times don’t tend to report risks or incidents. By making it more accessible, it’s consciously on people’s mind and holds people accountable too.’

The results of the application are impressive, showing an increase in worker engagement with safety, higher worker confidence in the company’s safety systems, and better risk-management learning outcomes among apprentices. Both Philippa and Anthony agreed they’d seen the results of making safety reporting more visible and accessible first hand, especially to the new generation, and the positive impact on the broader culture of safety at PGS.

‘Just starting out in their careers, apprentices often don’t know what they don’t know, and it’s our responsibility to educate them. As a business we take a variety of steps to increase safety assessments, and these benefit everyone on the floor in our workforce, while setting up good habits for the next generation,’ said Anthony.

‘With an influx of apprentices in our business, one challenge we’re navigating is that everyone learns in different ways. Developing the app is one way we’re adapting our training techniques to help apprentices learn, respond to generational changes, and effectively invest in their development so they get the most out of their experience. This all goes back to our focus on sustainability,’ he said.

‘The electrical industry is inherently high risk – there’s no point teaching apprentices technical skills unless you are teaching them safely. Our role and approaches involve feeding our knowledge back into the industry for the future, and a huge part of this is improving the quality of electrical training to ensure the sustainability of the sector. We are working for tomorrow, not just for today.’

The productivity sustainability of the company has also increased along with the improvements in safety. Philippa highlighted that as safety incident reporting has gone up, 50% less sick leave was taken compared to the same period two years before, among other favorable performance measures.

‘We can see this is having tangible benefits for our business, in terms of the experience we offer our apprentices and staff, and to our business performance.’

Broader benefits

Anthony noted the long partnership with EGT and NECA has been integral to PGS’s capacity to take on more apprentices, as well as grow other parts of their business.

‘The switchboard sector is a specialised area within the electrical industry. It requires different training and resources compared to the normal contractor, and we have appreciated drawing on EGT’s expertise throughout our partnership. The package they offer apprentices sets them – and us – up for success. The apprentices are ready to go. They are inducted, have the tools they need, are aware of the requirements and come to us with the right mindset,’ said Anthony.

‘EGT offers great insight into the integration with their college training, helping apprentices with the requirements to get their white cards, and so on. Not having to manage this integration and other qualifications takes a big burden off our business,’ he said.

‘We’ve also appreciated having access through our NECA membership to more complex services such as support with interpreting electrical laws and policy, assistance with advocacy, and acting as a communications conduit with government or utility operators. When we first started the business, we didn’t have all these departments in-house, so being able to partner with a national organisation gives us and our clients the confidence that we can meet any challenge.’

For more information about PGS Industries, visit pgsindustries.com.au

EGT apprentices with members of the PGS Industries team. Anthony Longo, Operations Manager (far left) and Wayne Panomarenko, Director (far right).

LADDER SAFETY

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT LADDERS AVAILABLE WITH AN EXTENSIVE RANGE OF u SES.

Before using a ladder, it is very important to consider which ladder is most suitable for the task to be undertaken.

A ladder should only be considered if there is no other practical alternative, such as an elevated work platform or scaffolding.

A fall from a ladder (even from a low height) can have devastating consequences, including serious injury and death.

Select the right kind of ladder

Always ensure that the ladder is appropriate to the task, location and duration of the task. For example, a fibreglass ladder is often the best choice for electrical work as it provides protection from electrical conductivity.

Always undertake a Hazard

Identification Risk Assessment to identify the specific needs.

Inspect the ladder

Before setting up the ladder, inspect it for visible damage or faults. Faulty or damaged ladders should be removed from the working environment for repair or disposal.

Important areas to check are:

½ rungs, steps and/or top plates — check for damage or if any are missing;

½ worn or damaged feet — including any non-slip material;

½ a-frame ladders — look for damage to the spreader bar or lock — have they been bent or broken?;

½ load rating — ensure that ladders are rated to take the weight required for the task. Also, ensure

compliance with the Manufacturers Load Rating, which should be noted on the side of the ladder.

Positioning and setting up a Ladder

Always position a ladder on a stable and flat surface, which does not pose a hazard to others.

Secure the top and bottom of the ladder to prevent slipping or movement.

Ensure the ladder extends at least one metre above the landing.

Ensure the ladder is at an angle or pitch of 1:4. This means a ratio of one metre out for every four metres in height.

Step, A-frame and trestle ladders must only be used in a fully open position, and the spreader bars must be locked in place. Additional precautions may need to be taken when a ladder is being used in the following situations:

½ in a doorway;

½ in high traffic areas;

½ in wet, windy or inclement weather.

In these circumstances, it is best practice to set up a working exclusion zone and provide a spotter at the base of the ladder.

Using a ladder safely

To help prevent serious injury or property damage, you should always:

½ wear correct-fitting, slipresistant footwear;

½ never allow anyone to work under the ladder while it is in use;

½ ensure the ladder is only ever used by one person at a time;

½ only one-handed light works should be undertaken from a ladder;

½ maintain three points of contact e.g. two feet and one hand or two hands and one foot;

½ keep your body between the sides of the ladder and never lean or over-reach;

½ never stand above the rung indicating the maximum safe working height;

½ use a toolbelt to carry and secure your tools;

½ always use a non-conductive, insulated ladder for electrical works or near electrical hazards;

½ never use any equipment that does not meet minimum safety requirements;

½ step off the ladder carefully to minimise jarring to your knees, back and ankles.

Further resources

½ Work Health and Safety Act 2020

½ Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022

½ Code of practice - Managing the risk of falls at workplaces

Any questions?

Contact Safety on (08) 6241 6100 or safety@ecawa.org.au

Full business members have access to 30 minutes of complimentary safety advice.

WESTERN POWER’S NEW STANDARD POWER SUPPLY ALLOCATION FOR THE SWIS

THE INTRODuCTION OF A STANDARD POWER S uPPLY ALLOCATION ACROSS THE SOu TH WEST INTERCONNECTED SYSTEM (SWIS) BRINGS uNIFORMITY BETWEEN RuRAL AND METRO AREAS AND DEMONSTRATES WESTERN POWER’S COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORMING THE NETWORK TO FACILITATE THE GROWTH OF RENEWABLES AND ELECTRIFICATION.

As announced by Energy Minister Bill Johnston on 3 April, Western Power now offers a standard connection service capacity of 63 amps for single-phase connections regardless of location, ensuring the same allocation for all small use homes and businesses across the entire network.

Capacity limits for rural split-phase connections have also increased from 20 amps to 32 amps per phase, where the service is available. Three-phase connection services remain unchanged at 32 amps per phase across the SWIS and is dependent on service availability.

The move to a universal supply allocation follows consultation with industry and a comprehensive assessment of network impact and load pattern changes using Advanced Meter Infrastructure data taken during a 24-week trial, establishing a standard connection service could be managed in a safe and reliable way for community benefit.

Western Power’s New Standard Connection Services (effective 11 April 2023)

Metro, major regional centres and rural areas within the SWIS

1 Phase 63A (240V)

3 Phase* 32A (415V)

Split-phase* 32A, per phase (480V)

*Where the service is available

What this change means for you and your customers

Summarised below are key points to be aware of:

Main switch circuit breakers remain a requirement

The safety device ensures safe and equitable access of power supply for the whole community and remains a requirement for all new connections to the grid or when adding circuit capacity to an existing connected premise.

The WA Service Installation and Service Requirements (WASIR) has been updated to enable the rural supply allocation and protection changes

It specifies in, but is not limited to, clauses 1.2, 7.6, 11.6.4.3. and 15.4.4, that all new and altered connections to the grid must have a main switch circuit breaker installed. Visit wwwbit.ly/3qoIeMO for the WASIR 2023.

eNotice submission

To reduce delays in processing your eNotice, when submitting any eNotice where the capacity limit is for above standard supply, please provide the associated Western Power Project number in the Network Operator Reference Number field of the form.

Main switch circuit breaker upgrade reimbursement program

For most rural customers with previously installed lower rated main switch circuit breakers, an upgrade is not required unless a change to their connection is initiated, such as for an air conditioner or solar system installation, or if they’re experiencing frequent electricity tripping.

If an upgrade is required between now and 31 December 2023, and your rural customer had a lower rated main switch circuit breaker installed between 1 August 2021 – 11 April 2023, they may be eligible to claim a (capped $250) reimbursement towards the upgrade costs. Check the full T&Cs on the Western Power website.

Electrical contractor and homeowner obligations

As an electrical contractor you’re required to assess household demand requirements when adding new capacity and or circuits for property owners and apply for an upgraded supply allocation where necessary. Homeowners continue to be responsible for managing their electrical load and should seek electrical contractor advice when adding or replacing larger appliances or equipment.

Find out more

For more information on the standard power supply allocation, including FAQs and the circuit breaker reimbursement program, visit Western Power’s dedicated webpage – www.bit.ly/westernpower-swis

POWERING AHEAD SOLAR AND BESS REQUIREMENTS

WITH SOLAR AND BATTERY INSTALLATIONS ON THE RISE, WA’S ELECTRICAL SAFETY REGuLATOR, BuILDING AND ENERGY, IS REMINDING INDu STRY ABOu T PARTIC uLAR CONSIDERATIONS AND REQuIREMENTS FOR THESE TECHNOLOGIES.

generation, or they may be called upon to design and install a new solar PV/BESS/generator system. This means the EC will need to be across several different standards and come up with a solution that satisfies them all. It may be even more challenging if the EC is asked to add to, modify and/or repair an existing stand-alone power system that may be noncompliant or even dangerous. In WA, ECs must report unsafe installations to the owner and the network operator – or to Building and Energy in the case of an off-grid installation.

Grid-connected systems

Grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) embedded generation systems remain popular with domestic and commercial consumers for environmental and energy cost reasons. In WA, solar PV installations make up approximately 40% of all notifiable electrical work.

Over the past 12 months, WA has also seen a noticeable increase in the uptake of grid-connected battery energy storage systems (BESS), both as an addition to an existing solar PV installation or included with a new one.

The BESS installation must be completed by a licensed electrical worker, working under a licensed electrical contractor (EC). In WA, all BESS that are a part of a grid-connected system require the network operator’s approval prior to installation. In addition, a Notice of Completion must be lodged with the network operator regardless of whether the BESS is part of a new solar PV installation or a later addition.

There have been allegations of some solar PV and BESS retailers pressuring ECs,

particularly inexperienced contractors, to ignore network operator requirements and state regulations. This is simply unacceptable – as well as the obvious safety and compliance issues, it is illegal and the penalties are significant. WA ECs are urged to report this conduct to Building and Energy and seek clarification if they are unsure about the rules.

Stand-alone systems

Due to WA’s vastness, going offgrid is sometimes a necessity in remote areas, while for others it is a choice. All off-grid installations require a Notice of Completion to be submitted to Building and Energy.

Off-grid installations often incorporate solar PV and BESS with conventional fuel-powered generation. ECs may be asked to add solar PV and BESS to a property serviced by conventional

For example, an EC may encounter an installation where the existing BESS is homemade, in an unsafe location, not properly ventilated or near ignition sources. Putting a noncompliant or dangerous installation back into service could result in the EC facing significant penalties.

For complex power generation systems that utilise PV solar, BESS and conventional generation, the EC must label all the equipment including protection and isolation devices. They must also create a site-specific emergency shut-down procedure that will make sense to the equipment owner.

Building and Energy has inspected several installations that contain multiple inverters, BESS and generators, but the shut-down procedure affixed to the wall is a generic one for basic domestic solar PV installs. This type of shut-down procedure is of no use for a more complex system in an emergency.

Saj Abdoolakhan WA’s Director of Energy Safety www.commerce.wa.gov.au/building-and-energy

PURPLE BRA DAY LUNCH

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT F uNDRAISING DAYS IN THE WA ELECTRICAL INDu STRY’S SOCIAL CALENDAR IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING AND WE ENCOuRAGE EVERYONE TO CONSIDER BEING PART OF THIS YEAR’S EVENT.

Seven years ago, six mates got together for lunch and pledged to donate $600 to Breast Cancer Care WA. Thanks to the incredible efforts of Dina Panebianco, Travis Lester, Steve Murphy and Warren Coppard, this annual catch-up has grown into the annual Perth Electrical Industry Purple Bra Day lunch, a significant fundraising event. Last year more than 200 attendees helped raise more than $90,000 for this worthy cause that unfortunately affects so many of us.

In 2023, the lunch returns to The Camfield and we encourage everyone in our industry to consider getting involved by registering for the event.

2023 Perth Electrical Industry Purple Bra Day lunch

Date Friday 1 September 2023

Venue The Camfield

Cost $150 per ticket, plus a minimum $100 mandatory donation

This lunch certainly isn’t a guys-only show. We would love to see as many women as possible attend.

If you have female staff in the field or in the office, please bring them along to support this worthy cause.

Did you know that:

½ more than 20,000 Australians are diagnosed with breast cancer each year;

½ 1 in 7 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime;

½ 1 in 600 men are diagnosed in their lifetime.

Please bring yourselves, your friends, work colleagues and family along to raise money for Breast Cancer Care WA and help raise awareness for early detection of this disease.

Please visit www.perthpbd.com.au to buy your tickets or make a donation. Whether you participate as an individual or as part of a team, you can make a real difference in the fight against breast cancer.

See you at The Camfield!

ACT BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE

Nataisha Martin NECA ACT & Southern NSW Member Manager

Welcome to our June edition of NECA News.

Can you believe that we’re already halfway through the year? And what a year it has been so far – full of exciting opportunities and valuable learning experiences from Membership Health Checks to compliance issues and the looming deadline for silica training. Keeping up with the changing landscape of regulations and compliance can be challenging, but it’s vital to ensure your business remains compliant and up to date.

We have also been busy rolling out our NSW Government Regulator updates series in regional NSW, and have more exciting events planned for the second half of the year, including the NECA ACT Awards ceremony, our series of Industry Nights and our renowned end-of-year event.

Stay tuned for upcoming details and dates in your weekly eNews.

Is your business in good

health?

Members are reminded to contact NECA for a FREE NECA Membership Health Check. This is a valuable process, designed to help you identify potential areas of your business that may require assistance, and provide you with the guidance and support you need to overcome any issues. It is also a great way for us to build strong relationships, ensure you have the necessary tools to be successful and help you achieve your business goals.

If you would like a Membership Health Check or to simply chat with a NECA Representative on how NECA can better support your business, then scan the QR code to register your details.

NECA ACT Awards – Save the date

Friday 18 August Realm Hotel, Canberra

Get ready for an electrifying event! The NECA Awards nomination window may have closed, but the excitement is just beginning. As our judges evaluate all the

amazing nominations, you can secure your spot at the Awards dinner ceremony by purchasing your tickets now.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of an unforgettable celebration of excellence in the electrical industry!

Keep an eye out for event information in your emails or visit the NECA website for more details and registration.

Has an Access Canberra Inspector fined your business for non-compliance?

NECA’s Technical team has received calls from ACT members seeking clarification on compliance after a recent visit from an Access Canberra Inspector. If you have concerns about an inspector’s decision, contact our technical advisors for peace of mind and to ensure compliance for your business.

Remember, interpretations of rules can vary, and as a NECA member, you have access to unlimited phone and email support with our technical experts.

Contact 1300 361 099 or scan the QR code to submit your enquiry.

Have your say on WHS regulation changes

Join the NECA Safety Network

NECA is excited to announce the formation of the NECA Safety Network. These quarterly members only consultative meetings aim to bring together safety professionals or those with a strong interest in safety to collaborate and ensure a safer workplace for all.

These quarterly meetings are virtual and will be held via Teams. To register your interest, all you are required to do is scan this QR code and we will send you a registration link.

Shutdown Periods – what they mean for your business

On 22 December 2022, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) issued its decision to standardise the annual leave shutdown provisions in most awards including the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (the Award). The reasons for the change included the FWC’s view that such provisions are inconsistent with the Fair Work Act, and that it is not fair for an employer to direct an employee to take leave without pay during a shutdown.

In summary, from 1 May 2023:

½ employers must give affected employees 21 days’ written notice of any temporary shutdown period, or any shorter period as agreed between the parties;

½ employers may direct employees in writing to take a period of paid annual leave if the employee has an accrued annual leave entitlement, providing the direction is reasonable;

½ should an employee not have sufficient annual leave to cover the whole shutdown period, by written agreement the employee may take leave without pay or annual leave in advance during the temporary shutdown;

½ employees can no longer be required to take leave without pay if they do not have sufficient annual leave or leave in advance to cover the whole period of the shutdown.

As an employer, you need to be aware of the removal of an employer’s overarching right to direct an employee to take leave without pay if they do not have enough annual leave accrued to cover the shutdown period. This may mean that employees, in some circumstances, may be entitled to wages during the shutdown period if they do not agree to take pay without leave or leave in advance.

In practical effect, the above changes may increase the likelihood that employers may refuse annual leave applications throughout the year to ensure workers have an appropriate balance for the shutdown. However, it is recommended that legal advice is sought prior to making this decision.

Support and advice

If you need support or advice on the new annual leave shut down provisions, we encourage you to connect with our Workplace Relations team.

As a NECA member, you receive unlimited phone and email advice on all matters including pay rates, award rates, termination, travel allowances and leave entitlements specific to your business.

Want to know more? Scan the QR code to submit your enquiry.

Post-trade training courses

Open Registration

5 Days – $800 (GST exempt)

Week 1 – 24/7/23

Week 2 – 31/7/23

Method of delivery: Combination of theory and skills tasks (five days).

units of competency: ICTCBL247 – Install, maintain and modify customer premises communications cabling: ACMA Open Rule.

Pre-learning: units completed using self-paced learning prior to attending course: ICTTEN208 – use electrical skills when working with telecommunications networks. ICTWHS204 – Follow work health and safety and environmental policies and procedures.

Structured Cabling (Cat 5-7)

2 Days – $500 (GST exempt)

Method of delivery: Combination of theory and skills tasks (two days).

units of competency: ICTCBL301 – Install, terminate and certify structured cabling installation.

Entry requirement: The Open Registration course or Existing Registered Cabler (or the eligibility to register).

Scan the QR code for more information and to register.

Change to ACT legislation on electrical apprentice pathway

The ACT has changed the requirements for electrical apprentices. They have stopped all but three registered training organisations (RTO) in the ACT from being recognised as bona fide training organisations or an ACT electrical apprentice. The recognised RTOs include: the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), NECA Training and Global Energy Training Solutions (GETS).

In late January 2023, the Minister signed the new 2023 Qualifications Declaration for ACT Construction Trades, which is available on the ACT Legislation Register.

Whilst most trades had minor changes for new qualification packages, the electrical trade has had some major re-wording to modernise the content.

½ The requirements for all Restricted Electrical Licences (REL) were streamlined to have consistent requirements. The new training package reflects the changes.

½ RTOs should note the requirement for three units of competency for the REL qualification: u EERL0004, u EERL0005 and u EERL0001.

½ A note was added to make it clear there is no requirement for plumbing apprentices to have a permit when doing the REL units.

½ The unrestricted electrical licence now requires the Certificate III Electrotechnology to be completed in an apprenticeship.

For people who have gained their qualification through pathways such as Overseas Trade Recognition and Gap Training, they will still qualify for an electrical licence, but may have to undergo a skills assessment before their application is accepted.

NECA Workshop Feedback Survey

The NECA team are currently planning future workshops and are seeking suggestions on relevant subjects. We value your feedback and insights, so please let us know what topics you would like to see featured next.

Scan the QR code to start the survey and share your suggestions.

NSW BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE

Brett Carew Nothern NSW Member Manager

Mynas Leontios Sydney Metro Member Manager

Julia Cassar Sydney Metro Account Manager

Welcome to another edition of NECA News.

Can you believe that we’re already halfway through the year? And what a year it has been so far!

We started off with amazing BBQ breakfasts at MMEM wholesalers followed by informative Industry Briefing Sessions with our business partners NHP and Legend Cabac. That’s not all! We also had the pleasure of hosting a workshop with NECA Legal on employer obligations, we held a NECA Member only Business Workshop on how to track sales through our Sales Tracker tool and a review of Chargeout Rates, kicked off our Business Partner Apprentice Information Sessions with NESS Super, and our NECASafe team has been busy all year assisting members with their safety compliance.

The feedback received from electrical contractors who attended these sessions was overwhelmingly positive. They felt more supported and guided by NECA than ever before.

We’re not done yet! We are currently halfway through our series of NSW Government Regulator updates in

regional NSW. We’re also planning events for the second half of the year, which will include our first series of Industry Nights for 2023 around the Sydney Metro region and prestigious NECA Awards ceremony. We can’t wait to share them with you - keep an eye on your weekly eNews for dates and more information.

Legal workshop

Did you know that there have been seven changes to Industrial Relations laws since December 2022?

Last month NECA held a workshop to help businesses navigate these changes and avoid negative impacts. Our expert-led workshop covered crucial topics, from legal compliance and employment contracts to the National Employment Standards (NES) and enterprise bargaining. All attendees were equipped with the knowledge on how they can mitigate industrial relations risks and ensure that their business complies. The workshop included the following presentations:

½ NECA CEO, Oliver Judd, provided an in-depth overview of the 11 minimum entitlements of the NES and Employer Long Service Leave Obligations.

½ James Robertson, Executive Director – Legal Compliance & Enforcement from the Fair Work Ombudsman, discussed the consequences of noncompliance, including hefty fines and reputational damage.

½ NECA Legal Senior Associate, Anna Hahm, provided an extensive overview of the Electrical Contracting Award 2020 with insights on how to prepare contracts for employees, and the benefits of enterprise bargaining.

½ Calvin Lake from NESS Super discussed employers’ super obligations, changes to super, and how businesses can work their default super fund.

If you missed the workshop and want to learn more, scan the QR code to speak to a NECA expert.

NECA members have unlimited basic phone and email support for all matters relating to pay rates, award rates, termination, travel allowances, and leave entitlements specific to their business.

Non-compliance will substantially impact your business financially!

Keeping track of your sales

NECA frequently receives the question, ‘How do I track my business sales?’ during Membership Health Check sessions with our Membership Managers. For any business to succeed, it’s essential to understand the basics of sales, charge-out rates, and costs. Tracking, analysing, and measuring business results is crucial to boosting the success of the business.

Some of the key takeaways from our recent workshop included:

½ a review on the previous Chargeout Rate webinar, including the top five things you need to know about charge-out rates;

½ a live demonstration of how to use the NECA Employment Cost Calculator and navigate NECA’s Members’ Knowledge Base.

There was also a focus on how to track your monthly sales, including

ARE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO NECA’S WEEKLY ENEWS?

Stay up to date on the latest in the electrotechnology industry with NECA’s weekly eNewsletter. Our informative and directive publication is packed with industry insights and updates on regulatory changes from our experts including technical, safety, legal and workplace relations, and news on NECA events and upcoming initiatives. Whether you’re an electrical contracting business, an individual contractor or support staff, our eNewsletter is a valuable tool for staying informed and ahead of the curve. NECA’s weekly eNEWS has been rated as the most-read industry newsletter.

Don’t miss out on this invaluable resource – scan the QR code to sign up for NECA’s weekly eNews today.

setting targets for your business and tracking and analysing your monthly sales using the NECA Members’ Sales Tracker.

Members can log into the NECA Members’ Knowledge Base and download this content, including tools such as the NECA Members’ Sales Tracker, Labour Cost Calculator and the recently updated Charge-out Rate Calculator.

With these powerful resources at your fingertips, you can now easily monitor and analyse the performance of your business. Knowing how to set realistic goals and track progress is essential for success in any industry, so make sure to take advantage of what NECA has to offer.

Have your say on WHS regulation changes

Join the NECA Safety Network

NECA is excited to announce the formation of the NECA Safety Network. These quarterly members only consultative meetings aim to bring together safety professionals or those with a strong interest in safety to collaborate and ensure a safer workplace for all.

These quarterly meetings are virtual and will be held via Teams. All you are required to do is register your interest is scan the QR code and we will send you a registration link.

NECA members putting safety first NECA’s HSEQ Coordinator, Cassie Tapper, made an impact during her recent confidential safety advisory visits and safe work method statement (SWMS) overviews with NECA members in Tamworth and Armidale. Cassie assessed each member’s safety performance and addressed potential compliance issues accordingly.

Helen, Managing Director of Tritech Security, praised Cassie’s informative visit, stating, ‘Cassie from NECA was very informative and we were very appreciative of her taking the time to visit Armidale. This was great timing as we have a new Operations Manager starting with little experience in this field. I would highly recommend businesses take up this opportunity as a refresher or for new staff – remembering the office staff need to be across SWMS just as much as the techs in the field.’

Other NECA members, such as Grant Davidson, from Davidson Bros Electrical, were encouraged to explore NECA’s newly-released EmploySafe Platform for managing their HSEQ and HR environment.

All NECA members are encouraged to contact NECA about any safety issues they may have, as members receive unlimited phone and email advice as part of their membership. NECASafe are industry experts and provide additional services such as document development, NECA member Confidential Safety Audits and inspections, root cause investigations, and toolbox training.

Want to know more? Scan the QR code to connect with NECASafe.

What do the recent changes regarding shutdowns mean for your business?

As our world becomes more digitally influenced, it’s no surprise that many employers are now receiving digital medical certificates as evidence for sick leave. Our Legal team recently received an enquiry from a NECA member, who was uncertain about the validity of a digital medical certificate received from an employee who took a sick day. The day the employee took off coincided with a religious celebration. The NECA member was seeking legal advice from our team to better understand their position as an employer.

NECA’s legal experts state that while the employer’s concerns may be well-founded, Section 107 of the Fair Work Act 2009 does not have a strict criterion for the evidence that needs to be provided, except that the evidence must be able to convince a reasonable person that the employee was genuinely entitled to the sick leave. A digital medical certificate stating that, in the opinion of a professional medical doctor, the employee is unfit to

attend work, would likely satisfy these requirements and qualify as an acceptable form of evidence. As such, the NECA member was advised to take caution and pay the employee for the day. If you are in a similar situation, we recommend you connect with our Workplace Relations team for advice and support here.

On another note, recent Fair Work Commission (FWC) changes regarding temporary workplace shutdowns will mean that permanent employees who do not have a sufficient paid annual leave balance, who do not agree to take annual leave in advance and who do not agree to take leave without pay, will be required to be paid their usual wages during any proposed shutdown.

On 22 December 2022, the FWC issued its decision to standardise the annual leave shutdown provisions in most awards, including the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (the Award). This decision seeks to make workplace arrangements fairer for employees by ensuring employers cannot direct them to take unpaid leave during shutdowns.

In summary, from 1 May 2023:

½ Employers must give affected employees 21 days’ written notice of any temporary shutdown period, or any shorter period as agreed between the parties.

½ Employers may direct employees in writing to take a period of paid annual leave if the employee has an accrued annual leave entitlement, providing the direction is reasonable.

½ Should an employee not have sufficient annual leave to cover the whole shutdown period, by written agreement the employee may take leave without pay or annual leave in advance during the temporary shutdown.

½ Employees can no longer be required to take leave without pay if they do not have sufficient annual leave or leave in advance to cover the whole period of the shutdown.

NECA members can find more information on how these changes will affect their obligations under the Award on the NECA Members’ Knowledge Base.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU MANAGE YOUR HEALTH, SAFETY, ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY AND HUMAN RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT WITH EMPLOYSAFE

EmploySafe is a user-friendly digital platform with a customisable dashboard that enables you to manage and control your:

½ health, safety, quality and environment (HSEQ);

½ human resources (HR);

½ technical compliance;

½ industrial relations; and

½ legal.

Developed by NECA, EmploySafe has been designed to tailor and centralise your governance system into a paperless, cloud-based compliance software to enable effective management across all platforms.

Powerful, data-rich governance software designed for the electrical industry.

Now is the time to EmploySafe the future of your business. Connect with NECASafe – scan the QR code to learn more.

POWERFUL, DATA RICH GOVERNANCE SOFTWARE DESIGNED FOR THE ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

NECA NSW branch advocacy and policy update

With the NSW state election completed and a new Labour government in power, it is yet to be seen what changes to the industrial and working environment will eventuate. NECA’s Government Relations team were quick to action, reaching out to all elected representatives from both parties to congratulate them as well as introduce NECA and highlight the key issues under their respective portfolios.

As the business of government ramps up, we will be reaffirming our position on security of payments, training and training facilities, regulation of unlicenced work and many other issues.

Accredited Service Provider (ASP) scheme review

In 2021 NECA provided a detailed submission on the ASP scheme as part of a government-led review. We used our members extensive knowledge base to help guide what we saw as being the key issues with the current ASP scheme.

The final review has been released, with the report tabling 34 recommendations, many of which were specifically called out by NECA. The key aspects of the recommendations are:

½ improve the turnaround times for applications via new IT systems. This is a continued road block for ASPs as they try to cut through the red tape to get new employees into the active workforce. The Office of Energy and Climate Change have acknowledged this as a key recommendation and have made this a high priority to rectify;

½ establish an industry led advisory body to assist in the understanding of new and emerging issues that the scheme needs to address;

½ investigate the scheme’s expansion to include other types of work such as installing line covers, and vegetation management;

½ improve the administration of the scheme to deliver enhanced customer service through a new digital platform that is self-service, trackable, searchable to the public and is coupled with improved information;

½ address gaps in the initial and re-accreditation of ASPs to ensure they have the necessary staff, equipment and processes to commence work effectively.

NECA WORKSHOP FEEDBACK SURVEY

The NECA team are currently planning future workshops and are seeking suggestions on relevant subjects. We value your feedback and insights, so please let us know what topics you would like to see featured next. Scan the QR code to start the survey and share your suggestions.

NECA is committed to working closely with the Office of Energy and Climate Change to ensure the new ASP scheme meets the needs of our members and the industry more broadly.

The full report can be found via: www.bit.ly/43HYpTR

Australian Energy Regulator-approved price increases for network operators

From 1 July 2023, all network operators in NSW will be applying an Australian Energy Regulator (AER)-approved increase to the prices for their ancillary network services (ACS). This includes notification of service work (NOSW) fees, inspection fees, all fees associated with contestable services and access to the network. There are, on average 8-10% increases on most services and fees, and these will apply to all works after 1 July.

Each network operator has sent specific communication to their registered contractor lists. If you have not received this information, we encourage you to contact the network operator responsible.

The full list of fee increases can be found at the AER’s website: www.bit.ly/42p5yHx

NSW legislation update

In late 2022, the NSW Government consulted on the largest set of legislative reforms seen in many years. This included the Home Building Act and the Gas and Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act. In consultation with our members, NECA provided an in-depth submission on both acts, highlighting a number of key concerns raised by members. These include unlicensed work, continuous professional development and submitting Certificates of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW).

When the next round of consultation is released, NECA will be well placed to act quickly to get the best outcomes for our members.

Update from Essential Energy Incorrectly Connected Embedded Connection Incidents

Essential Energy has recently encountered incidents involving incorrectly connected embedded generation, which have resulted in energised overhead conductors at the worksite. The first incident occurred where a 22 kV back feed through the transformer was caused by a customer’s installation that was wired incorrectly.

Most recently, low voltage (LV) conductors were found to be energised due to an incorrectly wired stand-alone solar installation feeding back into Essential Energy’s distribution network.

Our initial response

Investigation into the first incident identified our network being energised by the embedded generation while a changeover switch had been in the ‘Generator’ position (that is, expected to be disconnected from our network). The changeover switch was then moved to ‘Off’ and the overhead line was proved de-energised. Further investigation found that incorrect wiring of the changeover switch allowed connection between the embedded generation and our network.

What do you need to do?

Due to the increasing embedded generation affecting our distribution network, installers are reminded of the importance of ensuring connections of embedded generation changeover switches are correctly wired, so that no unsafe working conditions are created during network outage conditions or where workers are carrying out maintenance on the network.

If you have any queries or would like to clarify the requirements for connecting embedded generation, scan the QR code to connect with NECA’s Technical experts.

KEEPING UP WITH THE LATEST NECA EVENTS

Never miss a NECA event, stay in the loop by checking your weekly eNewsletter for upcoming dates!

NECA’S BBQ BREAKFAST STOPS TRAFFIC WITH TLE ALEXANDRIA AND MONA VALE

NECA and TLE Electrical have been firing up the grill and heating things up at the Alexandria and Mona Vale wholesaler stores. Attendees got to dig into a delicious BBQ breakfast while being enlightened by NECA Representatives Mynas Leontios, Julia Cassar, Grant Morehouse, and Calvin Lake from NESS Super.

SPEED DATING WITH NHP

Electrical contractors in Sydney were given an electrifying experience last month, thanks to business partner NHP. Attendees engaged in speed-dating sessions on electric vehicle (EV) chargers, smart RCD testing, and cyber security changes with experts such as Dean Reynolds and Vincent Leung from NHP, NHP Branch Coordinator Kirsty Lauritzen, and Mathew Taylor from Rockwell.

Additionally, Michael Horsham - NECA Technical Advisor, Adriana Hondrogianis – NECASafe, Nathan Spithill - NECA Policy and Advocacy, Mynas Leontios and Julia Cassar - NECA Sydney Metro Membership Managers, and Hernan Reyes - Superannuation Advisor, provided valuable insight on the latest technical updates, safety compliance, NECA policies, and superannuation. This was all while enjoying some delicious wood-fired pizza. What could be better?

BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR WITH LEGEND CABAC

Joining forces for NECA’s Industry Briefing, Legend CABAC and NECA hosted an informative evening full of highlights, competitions and expert advice at the CABAC premises in Seven Hills. Legend CEO, Bryan Tisher, kicked off the evening with an overview of the year at Legend CABAC, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of their testing labs. But the excitement didn’t stop there, NECA member Anthony Collins wowed the crowd with a record-breaking win in a crimping competition, taking home prizes worth over $1,000. Not to be outdone, CABAC challenged attendees

with a competitive electrical trivia session where lucky winners scored CABAC products. For those looking to protect their business, NECA offered essential guidance on minimising risk and complying with safety regulations, including SafeWork NSW’s current Safety Blitz. All this, plus a sizzling BBQ, made for an unforgettable night for electrical contractors. Thank you to the Legend CABAC team Bryan Tisher, Joshua Hickey and David Skewes for hosting the event, and for everyone who attended.

TLE BURWOOD AND NECA INDUSTRY BRIEFING SESSION

NECA teamed up with TLE Burwood at the Canada Bay Club to bring local electrical contractors up to speed with the latest Australian Standards and regulations. During this informative and interactive Industry Briefing, participants gained valuable insights into critical updates, including the changes regarding installing Type AC RCDs. Due to amendments to AS/NZS 3000:2018 clause 2.6.2.2, these products were no longer compliant from 30 April this year. Attendees were also privileged to hear from NECASafe expert Owen Leslie, who touched on the Safety Blitz rollout and the new regulations for SafeWork NSW. Not stopping there, NECA’s Sydney Metro Member Manager shared insider knowledge on how members can access a free Letter of Demand template just by logging into the NECA Members’ Knowledge Base (MKB).

NECA TRAINING APPRENTICES KICKSTARTING THEIR SUPER

NESS Super’s Employer Services Manager, Calvin Lake, recently hosted a series of educational apprentice sessions for NECA Training apprentices, with a valuable message on the significance of super, and tangible steps that NECA apprentices can take to grow their super over time. Through these sessions, Calvin provided useful insights on how apprentices can secure a prosperous future with targeted investments into their super fund. At the end of the session, attendees had a comprehensive understanding of what steps they need to take to make the most of their super with NESS Super.

NECA NSW AWARDS

Friday 8 September

The Star Sydney

Get ready for an electrifying event! The NECA Awards nomination window may have closed, but the excitement is just beginning. As our judges evaluate all the amazing nominations, you can secure your spot at the Awards dinner ceremony by purchasing your tickets now.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of an unforgettable celebration of excellence in the electrical industry!

Keep an eye out for event information in your emails or visit the NECA website for more details and registration.

NECA ELECTRICAL

APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS NIGHT

NECA ELECTRICAL APPRENTICESHIPS RECENTLY HOSTED ITS ANNu AL APPRENTICE AWARDS NIGHT AT THE PRESTIGIOu S DOuLTON HOu SE IN DARLING HARBOuR, SYDNEY. THIS EVENT HAD A Du AL P uRPOSE: TO CELEBRATE OuR APPRENTICES’ Ou TSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS AND EXPRESS OuR DEEP

GRATIT uDE TO OuR HOSTS FOR THEIR S uPPORT THROuGHOu T THE YEAR.

The evening was a platform to acknowledge and honour apprentices for their exceptional performance, progress, and growth within their electrical apprenticeship. It recognised their achievements and showcased technical skills, exemplary work ethics, and a strong commitment to safety. With over 600 NSW-based apprentices across our four years, competition for each award category was strong and we were proud to acknowledge several runners-up as well as the winners. The night was also a chance to relax with our hosts and reflect on another year of working together to develop the next generation of tradespeople for our industry. Our hosts’ invaluable guidance, mentoring, and provision of opportunities has underpinned the success and development of our apprentices, giving them a solid foundation to launch their careers in our industry.

As NECA Electrical Apprenticeships continues to foster a culture of excellence, the Apprentice Awards night was once again a great opportunity for the early-stage apprentices to see the benchmark set high and show them what can be achieved.

The top prize, Apprentice of the Year, went to Corey Hackett, hosted by PM Electric. This award recognises an apprentice who has consistently displayed exceptional performance and has earned the respect and admiration of both NECA and their host. The Apprentice of the Year Award is based on a combination of academic results, site assessments, work ethics, and reports provided by the host and field officers throughout the entirety of the apprenticeship. The runners up for this award were:

½ Kristy Lee O’Farrell, hosted by Heyday5;

½ Lachlan Fish, hosted by Kerfoot; and

½ Ethan Baxter, hosted by ARA Electrical Engineering Services.

Congratulations to all four on their achievements throughout their apprenticeship.

Other category winners

Overall performance award

1st year Tyran Smith-Mieszkuc, hosted by JV Holt.

2nd year Patrick Vizy, hosted by Stowe Australia.

3rd year Shane Button, hosted by Fredon Industries.

Field Officer Awards

These are presented as encouragement for consistent performance, both on and off the job, throughout the apprenticeship:

½ Jayden Vella, hosted by Kerfoot;

½ Emily Alden, hosted by Fredon Infrastructure;

½ Miles Wilkins, hosted by Electrical Data Voice;

½ Lachlan Cann, hosted by Heyday5;

½ Rachel Cooper, hosted by Nilsen.

QLD BRANCH

BRANCH UPDATE

Christopher Gradwell NECA QLD Member Manager

Welcome to the June issue of NECA NEWS.

It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through what is proving to be an eventful year. Over the second half of this year, we will be holding Industry Briefing Sessions, Industry Dinners, the NECA Awards ceremony, an end-ofyear event and other networking and information events. Keep an eye out in your email inbox for more details.

Networking, collaboration and learning – key to business success

Over the last few months, I’ve been meeting with electricians across QLD, discussing the important issues impacting their businesses so we can better understand how NECA can help members. We’ve also held electrical Industry Dinners with Haymans Emerald and Haymans

Cairns, and Industry Briefing Sessions in Maroochydore and Noosa.

Networking is a powerful way for people in the electrical contracting industry to achieve business growth and success. By building relationships with peers and suppliers, contractors can open doors to new opportunities and collaborations, and stay updated on industry trends. Continuous learning is equally important to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to changing industry standards and technological advancements.

Events like NECA’s electrical Industry Dinners, Industry Briefings and Wholesaler BBQ Breakfasts, provide an opportunity to hear from and speak to NECA specialists as well as network and collaborate with other members. It takes time but investing in a mindset of continuous learning can assist your business’s long-term success.

I hope to see you at our upcoming events.

NECA QLD Awards 2023

Friday 4 August

Royal International Convention Centre

Get ready for an electrifying event! The NECA Awards nomination window may have closed, but the excitement is just beginning. As our judges evaluate all the amazing nominations, you can secure your spot at the Awards dinner ceremony by purchasing your tickets now.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of an unforgettable celebration of excellence in the electrical industry!

Keep an eye out for event information in your emails or visit the NECA website for more details and registration.

Book your how-to tour of NECA Members’ Knowledge Base

The NECA Members’ Knowledge Base (MKB) is an invaluable resource for members, offering access to a vast amount of expert knowledge and resources. It enables members to stay informed about the latest industry developments and best practices, as well as safety regulations and other relevant industry information.

NECA’s MKB provides a user-friendly platform that enables members to quickly research and access critical industry information, allowing you to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding and complying with current regulations, as well as staying informed about new trends.

NECA’s MKB includes:

½ Australian standards and regulations;

½ health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ) documents;

½ safe work method statements (SWMS);

½ a series of toolbox talks;

½ legal, human resources and industrial relations templates;

½ member-only webinars;

½ the NECA Business Workshop Series including charge-out rates and a sales tracker.

Scan the QR code to book your free virtual tour today!

ARE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO NECA’S WEEKLY ENEWS?

Stay up to date on the latest in the electrotechnology industry with NECA’s weekly eNewsletter. Our informative and directive publication is packed with industry insights and updates on regulatory changes from our experts including technical, safety, legal and workplace relations, and news on NECA events and upcoming initiatives. Whether you’re an electrical contracting business, an individual contractor or support staff, our eNewsletter is a valuable tool for staying informed and ahead of the curve. NECA’s weekly eNEWS has been rated as the most-read industry newsletter.

Don’t miss out on this invaluable resource – scan the QR code to sign up for NECA’s weekly eNews today.

Have your say on WHS regulation changes

Join the NECA Safety Network

NECA is excited to announce the formation of the NECA Safety Network. These quarterly members only consultative meetings aim to bring together safety professionals or those with a strong interest in safety to collaborate and ensure a safer workplace for all.

These quarterly meetings are virtual and will be held via Teams. All you are required to do is register your interest is scan the QR code and we will send you a registration link.

NECA Workshop Feedback Survey

The NECA team are currently planning future workshops and are seeking suggestions on relevant subjects. We value your feedback and insights, so please let us know what topics you would like to see featured next.

Scan the QR code to start the survey and share your suggestions.

COUNTDOWN TO THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR WITH NECA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

NECA Members’ Toyota Fleet Discounts

As the end of the financial year approaches, it’s a great time to take advantage of NECA’s cost-saving benefits for members. Fortunately, NECA Members’ Toyota Fleet Scheme provides an opportunity that could save you and your business thousands of dollars!

Whether you are a sole trader or large electrical contracting business, purchasing a vehicle(s) for performing work-related duties means you can claim a tax deduction for your business coming to the end of this financial year.

The savings are huge and now is the perfect time to pick up an endof-financial year run-out model. Speak to a NECA Representative to learn how. Scan the QR code to submit your enquiry.

QUEENSLAND REGULATOR UPDATES

Risks with extra low voltage solar photovoltaic systems

Queensland’s Electrical Safety Office investigated the electrocution of a person who was modifying the solar panels on an off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) system in a remote area. The deceased was found with significant burns to their hands and fingers.

The investigation found the solar PV system, at around 100 volts DC, had been operating at an extra low voltage. The person performing the work was not required to be a licensed electrical worker, however, this incident highlights the real risk of working on such installations.

Safe work practices and compliance with safety standards for equipment and installations is imperative, and can reduce risks such as electric arcing, electric shock, and fire risks. NECA members can read the full article in NECA Members’ Knowledge Base.

Support and advice

If you need clarification on low voltage solar photovoltaic systems, we encourage you to connect with NECA’s technical experts. As a NECA member you receive unlimited phone and email support on all Australian Standards including the Wiring Rules, Service & Installation Rules and Metering Rules to ensure you always stay compliant with industry standards.

Electrical Licensing Committee hearings

In 2022 the Queensland Electrical Licensing Committee (ELC) presided over 64 disciplinary hearings, with 31 hearings for electrical contractors and 33 for electrical workers. The majority were referrals from the Electrical Safety Office asking the ELC to consider the following grounds for disciplinary action:

½ electrical contractor licence holders - the way the electrical work was performed is not electrically safe;

½ electrical work licence holders - the holder performs or supervises electrical work, and the way the electrical work is performed is not electrically safe.

A common theme for the electrical contractors appearing before the ELC was that they failed to implement adequate safe systems of work and procedures and failed to keep up to date with current legislation and codes of practice. This included a failure to adequately demonstrate an understanding of testing and inspection procedures, including lock out, tag out and auditing to ensure correct test and isolation procedures were being followed.

Another common problem was the contractors’ failure to adequately supervise an electrical apprentice or training permit holder on site.

The ELC has recommended that all electrical contractors and particularly qualified technical persons (QTPs), supervise all electrical work on site, and ensure that they are up to date with AS/NZS 3017:2022

Electrical installations – Verification by inspection and testing.

Queensland WHS Act Review outcomes

In August 2022 the Queensland Government announced an independent review of the Queensland Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act). The review was concluded and reported to government in December 2022.

The review focused on the legislative provisions relating to the representation and participation of workers in WHS matters and the procedures for identifying and resolving safety disputes. It also examined whether the provisions of the WHS Act were operating effectively and contributing to achieving the WHS Act’s primary objective of keeping workers and others safe.

In early May 2023, the Queensland Government announced that it had accepted all 31 recommendations made by the reviewers and expects to introduce an amendment Bill later this year to implement the majority of the recommendations.

A key finding was that safety outcomes improve when workers are empowered to have an active role in safety, and where there are high levels of cooperation between workers and employers.

Consequently, the main recommendations that the government has committed to implement, include:

½ employers will be required to annually advise their workers about the duties and powers of Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and to invite representation;

½ employers will be required to ensure the HSR is available when a statutory inspector or WHS entry permit holder attends the worksite;

½ employers will be required to provide HSRs with copies of any statutory notices or incident notices for the workplace;

½ HSRs will be permitted to choose their training provider, with the initial training taking place within 28 days of appointment, followed by an annual refresher;

½ where a HSR issues a direction to cease work, the employer will be obliged to cease work until the matter is resolved or the direction is set aside after following the dispute resolution process;

½ the dispute resolution processes will be clarified, so disputes can be resolved quickly by the Queensland

Industrial Relations Commission. This will apply to matters such as when to establish a Health and Safety Committee or Provisional Improvement Notices (PIN);

½ WHS entry permit holders will be given immediate access to employee records and the ability to consult with workers, without needing to wait the current 24-hour notice period;

½ The Minister will consider a review of the scope and provisions of the industrial manslaughter provisions.

NECA will continue to monitor the development and introduction of any legislative changes and keep members informed.

Electrical Safety Plan for Queensland 2023 – 2027

The Electrical Safety Act 2002 (ES Act) provides the legislative framework to protect people and property from the risks associated with electricity. The ES Act provides the legislative authority for the Electrical Safety Board (ESB), which is appointed to provide independent advice to the Minister about improving electrical safety in Queensland. The ESB includes representatives from employers, unions, workers and the community, with NECA currently representing industry employers.

The ESB works closely with the Electrical Safety Office (ESO), which is the electrical industry regulator in Queensland. The ESO enforces legislation and compliance as well as taking a proactive approach to electrical safety.

One of the ESB’s key legislative functions is to prepare and maintain a five-year electrical safety plan for Queensland,

which is then enacted by the ESO. The ESB is currently preparing a new five-year Electrical Safety Plan for Queensland 2023 – 2027. In developing the new plan, they are considering the following strategic levers.

Safety leadership and partnerships

Drive safety leadership practices and improve the safety culture at all levels of industry and workplaces.

Collaboration with stakeholders to understand issues and risks.

Emerging and existing technology

Research and understand emerging and existing technologies and potential impacts on electrical safety.

Monitor and review the global supply chain of electrical equipment to ensure safety and compliance.

Workforce competence

understand the skills and knowledge required to meet changing demands for the current and future workforce.

Improve workforce skills and competencies to respond to existing and emerging risks.

Community and stakeholder education

Inform and educate the community of electrical risks.

Effective regulation

Align the regulatory framework with community and industry change.

NECA will keep members informed on the development of the new Electrical Safety Plan.

LESSONS FROM BATTLING SECURITY OF PAYMENT CLAIMS

WED 28 JUNE, 11AM–12PM (AEDT)

WITHOu T A STEADY FLOW OF F uNDS, ALL PARTIES ALONG THE CONTRACTING CHAIN ARE AT RISK OF INSOLVENCY IF THE PAYMENT FAILS OR SLOWS DOWN ITS COuRSE. uNFORT uNATELY, AS A FINISHING TRADE, OFTEN AT THE END OF THIS LINE OF CREDIT, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS FACE GREAT V uLNERABILITY WHEN IT COMES TO RECEIVING PAYMENT FOR WORK COMPLETED.

In this NECA member-only webinar, presenter Frank Brown, NECA’s in-house Senior Associate, will discuss lessons from battling Security of Payment claims for NECA members, including wins, insights and some frustrations from adjudicating under security of payment legislation across Australia.

The webinar will also cover the top five questions NECA members have recently asked our legal experts:

1. What counts as a payment claim? Can a perfect payment schedule fix an imperfect payment claim?

2. Is the client’s response a payment schedule? To adjudicate or send a second chance notice (section 17)? And, if I don’t think their response valid, how do I address it in my adjudication application?

3. ‘40% on Completion’? Milestone payment regimes – should you have them, or will they restrict your rights to progress payments?

4. I won, but I still can’t get paid! - The cat and mouse of enforcing judgments.

5. Reform – What is NECA proposing?

If your business is experiencing these issues, we encourage you to join our webinar on Wednesday 28 June from 11am – 12pm.

All members are encouraged to ask as many questions as they like on this topic.

Scan this QR code for more information and to register.

ACRS NEWS

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Peter Lamont Director ACRS and Senior Policy Advisor peter.lamont@neca.asn.au

Online scams

In the last edition of NECA News we talked about the number of online scams that are about, and some of the key ways to avoid them. Well, the scams have intensified with scammers having started to pretend to be the industry regulator.

The latest scam has people saying they are from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), with warnings that your phone and/or internet is about to be cut off unless you pay outstanding bills. Don’t respond to these scams and report them immediately to www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam

New webinars

The Australian Cabler Registration Service (ACRS) and other cabler registration bodies have been partnering to conduct a survey on the main topics that cablers would like more information on and how they would like that information presented. The survey results have shown a significant appetite for information on a range of topics; however, some common themes have emerged.

The leading topic, nominated by well over 80% of respondents, is what cablers need to do to comply with AS/CA S009: Installation requirements for customer cabling (Wiring Rules). In addition, there were five other topics that more than 70% of responders would like more information on;

½ how to deploy wireless correctly;

½ the main issues when you need to install a network that is ‘beyond the basic network’;

½ the main infrastructure requirements for the Internet of Things;

½ what you need to do for remote powering and digital electricity;

½ the best way to conduct risk. mitigation – to ‘cover your butt’.

The cable registration bodies are using the survey results to create a series of webinars that will run for around 30 minutes each. They will draw on industry experts and be broadcast widely to registered cablers. The topics above will be used as a starting point, with other topics added later.

When the webinars become available, ACRS will ensure that our registered cablers receive invitations. We encourage you to attend these webinars, as participation will help you get the best and most up-to-date information.

Electricians performing cabling work – check if you are compliant

Electricians considering undertaking communications cabling work M u ST have the relevant qualifications and the appropriate competencies, plus be registered with an accredited Cabling Registrar, before they carry out any telecommunications and data cabling work.

In Australia, all cabling work, including smart homes, telephone, data, fire and security alarm systems and cabling that connects to the telecommunications network, must be performed by a registered cabler or under the direct supervision of a registered cabler. Registered cablers have completed the relevant training and have the knowledge to complete the work to the required Australian Standards, as set out in the Wiring Rules AS/CA S009:2020 and deliver the work to the customers’ expectations.

Cabler registration is overseen by ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Australian Government statutory authority that regulates, sets and manages rules about telecommunications in Australia. Working unregistered can be costly. The ACMA has a range of options available to enforce compliance, from infringement notices through to financial penalties.

GREEN WITH ENVY

HOW ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND IS OUR ENERGY FUTURE?

ELECTRICITY HAS BEEN AN ESSENTIAL ASPECT OF MODERN LIFE FOR DECADES NOW, POWERING OuR HOMES, Bu SINESSES, AND INDu STRIES WORLDWIDE. HOWEVER, THIS VORACIOu S HuNGER FOR ELECTRICITY HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, PARTIC uLARLY IN TERMS OF GREENHOu SE GAS EMISSIONS AND RESOuRCE DEPLETION.

The concept of sustainability in electricity, seeking to balance the economic, social, and environmental aspects of electricity production and consumption, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, almost seems impossible. Yet the youth of today are demanding it, and why not. Their future is dependent on it. When apprentices in our classes are identifying that the future of the electrical industry is green, it’s not hard to see why they are so passionate about it.

The days of producing electricity with unsustainably high greenhouse gas emissions are over. Pressure from society and enforcement by governments has seen to that. Dispute the science at your peril, we still arrive at the same conclusion. We can’t keep doing it the old way.

The Energy Future, where our future electricians will ply their trade, is in renewable energy sources: solar, wind, green hydrogen, and hydropower. Sources that do not emit greenhouse gases during power generation, making them an environmentally friendly option, are the future. But can we do more to make electricity more sustainable?

Let’s consider the roadblocks.

One of the main challenges of renewable energy sources is their intermittency. Simply, they are not always available on

demand. At one of our campuses, the wind generator regularly didn’t produce a commercially viable amount of electricity, and solar power generation fell to zero at sundown. After ten years, the wind generator gave up the ghost and disposing of it was an environmental disaster risk, with fibreglass and lubricants needing to be carefully handled. But what about batteries? Aren’t they just as bad? We have seen that energy storage technologies have become crucial for ensuring a stable and consistent supply of renewable electricity. Beyond battery storage systems, we see pumped hydro storage, and compressed air energy storage as examples of technologies that enable the storage of excess renewable energy for later use when demand is high. So stored kinetic energy is promising.

But making and storing electricity is only one aspect we should consider. Maybe the future is better assured by addressing not just the supply, but also demand?

Sustainability in electricity must include energy efficiency, or more for less. Less energy in, more output, whether in terms of lighting, heating or movement. This power-up comes with additional benefits, such as lower e-waste and energy consumption while maintaining or improving productivity. For instance, energy-efficient lighting and appliances,

such as light emitting diode (LED) fittings and five star-rated refrigerators, have a direct impact on energy usage while providing the same level of service.

The youth of today know that energy access is a critical issue, with 1 billion people globally lacking ready access to electricity. Access to affordable and reliable electricity can improve people’s livelihoods, health, and education opportunities. This in turn reduces environmentally damaging practices, such as burning wood or manure to heat, cook and light homes. Where energy access is limited, such as remote and rural areas, and traditional grid infrastructure is not feasible, mini-grids and stand-alone solar home systems are placing cheap, reliable electricity at their doorstep.

So, is our Energy Future environmentally sound? All the hallmarks of it are there. Sustainability in electricity is no longer just a multi-dimensional concept that embraces the economic, social, and environmental aspects of electricity production and consumption. It’s already here and working.

Renewable energy sources, energy storage technologies, and energy efficiency measures are now commonplace components of many sustainable electricity systems. As the technology and engineering prowess of the future electrician grows, we will continue to see improvements to affordable, reliable, and clean electricity, knowing that we are all contributing to climate change mitigation and promoting sustainable development.

Steve Hall General Manager, College of Electrical Training

‘UPTIME’ IS THE ONLY OPTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS, IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK

THE AVAILABILITY OF CRITICAL SYSTEMS IN INDu STRIAL PROCESSES AND FACILITY MANAGEMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER. FOR CRITICAL EQuIPMENT IN COMMERCIAL AND INDu STRIAL APPLICATIONS, uPTIME IS THE ONLY OPTION. INDu STRIAL uNINTERRuPTED POWER S uPPLIES (uPS) REPRESENT A GREAT WAY FOR ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

TO INCREASE Bu SINESS FROM NEW AND EXISTING C u STOMERS. IT’S Ju ST A MATTER OF uNDERSTANDING ALL THE POTENTIAL uPS APPLICATIONS IN COMMERCIAL AND INDu STRIAL SETTINGS – MANY OF WHICH MAY NOT BE IMMEDIATELY OBVIOu S.

In general, applications that are critical in a commercial or industrial building. and thus require uPS protection, fall into one of four categories:

½ business process continuity, meaning the systems required to keep the business operating and prevent damage to equipment, such as machinery on a production line;

½ safety and security systems, including emergency lighting, security cameras, fire alarms and smoke extraction systems;

½ heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems that are required not only for employee and customer comfort, but also for business purposes, such as protecting temperature-sensitive equipment or products in a manufacturing plant;

½ data and smart business applications, including IT systems that support integrated inventory, sales and supply chain functions.

Within those categories, you will find many potential industrial uPS applications. The following are just a few examples in various industries.

Building and infrastructure UPS applications

The ‘building’ category covers small-tomedium-sized buildings such as retail stores, restaurants and hotels. ‘Infrastructure’ refers to highways and tunnels, airports, wastewater treatment plants and the like.

Here the obvious applications include the point-of-sale systems, alarms and telecom systems including Wi-Fi, HVAC and IT systems.

But plenty of not-so-obvious applications are also in play, including digital signage and warning devices, elevators, pumps and power management systems. Think about a parking garage or lot during a power outage; without uPS backup, you can’t process payments or lift the gate. Not good for business.

Plenty of UPS opportunities in healthcare

Healthcare is likewise rife with applications that demand industrial uPS protection. The low-hanging fruit includes operating rooms, emergency and intensive care units. Valuable and sensitive machines including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scan systems are likewise natural candidates.

Systems that may not be top-of-mind include laboratories, nursing stations and wastewater treatment plants. Healthcare facilities also rely heavily on their IT, so data centres, server rooms and wiring closets will also demand uPS protection.

Protecting critical transportation applications

Airports also have plenty of critical applications that require uPS backup, including all the air traffic control systems, lighting for runways and automation control systems. Consider also the luggage screening technology, including consoles, workstations and x-ray systems. Airports have various automations, such as for luggage handling, as well as lots of emergency systems, including call stations, lighting and fire

alarms. They also have large parking facilities that demand uPS protection. Train stations present similar opportunities. Consider track change control systems, monitoring, and methods of communicating with passengers and among employees. Automated fare collection mechanisms demand industrial uPS protection as do kiosks for ticketing as well as automated platform screen doors.

How do you educate your customer?

Think about your favourite coffee shop. What role do uPS play there? Protection against lost business due to downtime and disappointed or angry customers in the coffee shop. In other cases, such as a hospital or airport, the business consequences of a power failure can be far more dire. All of them present opportunities for electrical contractors to have meaningful discussions with customers, educating them on the value of uPS in protecting their business interests –whether that’s revenue or customer safety.

How to get started on this journey?

½ u se freely available tools such as the Secure Power Industrial Selector, which will help you hone-in on the u PS models that will work best for the parameters of what you need to protect.

½ Actively upskill yourself by learning about industrial edge and the opportunities it presents to you. Join programs such as APC Amplify for Contractors - learn, earn while you learn, and earn more.

APC Amplify Contractors

Amplify your rewards with Amplify Contractor Rewards

Australian partner community- providing you with instant have the opportunity to access free trainings on how you and commercial space, and earn rewards while you do so. to help you upskill and hain some bonus cash to boot.

Amplify is the exclusive rewards program for APC’s Australian partner community- providing you with instant cash rewards. As an electrical contractor, you now have the opportunity to access free trainings on how you can tap onto new revenue streams in the industrial and commercial space, and earn rewards while you do so.

There are three great eligible courses available now to help you upskill and hain some bonus cash to boot.

Amplify is the exclusive rewards program for APC’s Australian partner communitycash rewards. As an electrical contractor, you now have the opportunity to can tap onto new revenue streams in the industrial and commercial space, There are three great eligible courses available now to help you upskill and

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It’s cash in your pocket – and more skills to help you build an even more profitable business.

NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CODE 2022 – SECTION J9

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

It is that time again – the new National Construction Code 2022 (NCC) is now active, including new requirements for renewable energy equipment, electric vehicle charging and battery systems. Read on for some insights into the important changes.

The Australian Building Codes Board produces and maintains the NCC on behalf of the Australian Government and each state and territory government. Its purpose is to outline the minimum performancebased requirements for new and refurbished buildings’ safety, accessibility, health, amenity and sustainability. In this iteration of the NCC, Section J8 ‘Facilities for energy monitoring’ has been moved to Section J9 and renamed ‘Energy monitoring and on-site distribution of energy resources.’

This new section adds requirements for electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment, solar panels and battery systems within buildings. This also necessitated the addition of requirements for monitoring additional load.

New criteria in Section J9D3 ‘Energy monitoring’ now require the recording of individual time of energy data use for on-site renewable energy equipment, electric vehicle charging and battery systems. The energy data gathered from this equipment must now be centralised onto the same single monitoring user interface as the rest of the loads on site.

What does this mean for energy monitoring?

A single-user interface must be able to collate information from various types of energy meters/equipment. This includes loads such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), lighting, power, central hot water, internal transport and other ancillary plans, as well as the new addition of on-site solar, EV charging and battery systems.

The information captured must be time stamped (i.e., energy consumption must be recorded with reference to time and date). Ideally, the information captured should be easily identifiable (i.e., loads outlined in J9D3 should be grouped and/or labelled appropriately within the single-user interface).

The single-user interface must have the facility to store energy consumption information for a reasonable period (Note: the data storage capacity is not specified).

What does this mean for electric vehicle charging equipment?

Electrical distribution boards dedicated to electric vehicle charging are now required in accordance with Table J9D4. The distribution boards are required to have the capacity to support the delivery and monitoring of the minimum power specified in J9D4 (2). Time-stamped energy data collected from EV charging needs to be centralised in the same user interface as the energy meters from other individual loads on site.

What does this mean for solar photovoltaic and battery systems?

For new buildings without solar and battery systems at the time of completion, the main electrical switchboard is required to contain at least two empty three-phase circuit breaker slots and four Deutsche Institut fur Normung (DIN) rail spaces, labelled to indicate the use of each space for solar system and battery system. These empty spaces must be sized to accommodate the installation of solar photovoltaic panels producing their maximum electrical output on at least 20% of the building roof area.

How to comply to the NCC section J9D3

NHP has worked diligently to help provide seamless solutions for NCC compliance. A wide range of energy meters is available through NHP to monitor all types of loads within your building. Communication options such as MODBuS and BACnet are available across the NHP range of energy meters. All of NHP’s energy meters can fit into our Concept Plus distribution boards.

Concept Plus single, double or triplemetered distribution boards are fitted with NHP’s dual energy meter EM270, which is capable of monitoring two threephase loads or six single-phase loads within the single meter. This means that individual branch feeder sub-circuits

metering for light, power and HVAC (or any other load metered sections) can be done within the one distribution board and exported for reporting and centralisation. For greater granularity, the WM50 branch circuit energy meter can monitor up to 96 circuits from the single unit, giving the option to monitor energy usage down to a single circuit and appliance.

NHP Concept Plus distribution boards have standardised models specifically dedicated for electric vehicle distribution. They can fit up to 24 single-phase chargers, and options are available for three-phase charger versions or a mixture of both.

Elegantly designed, flexible, practical, efficient and fast, the Delta AC Max 22kW is a market leader in both function and appearance and is well suited for both commercial and residential requirements. It is a single and three-phase compatible EV charger in one, meaning greater flexibility. Input wires can enter the charger from various points, enabling easier installation, regardless of concrete walls, plaster/timber walls or steel posts.

The Delta AC Max Smart also includes an in-built modem with Ethernet/Wi-Fi/SIM card slot connection types. This enables the charger to have the communication capability to remotely track its energy usage and send the data to centralised user interface such as NHP’s SMART eBOX.

The SMART eBox takes the guesswork out of centralising all the energy monitoring devices to a single-user interface. It can be utilised as a datalogger, gateway or controller for various meters, environmental sensors and other SMART power distribution devices via Modbus (RTu or Ethernet). It can also operate as a BACnet/IP gateway, seamlessly integrating any Modbus capable device into a building management system (BMS). The SMART eBox is built and commissioned by NHP, which means by combining with NHP’s metered panel boards, it becomes a flexible, easy-touse and quick-to-install solution that ticks all the boxes for Section J9D3.

To find out more about how NHP can help you to comply with the new National Construction Code, please contact your local NHP Account Representative, call 1300 647 647 or email nhpsales@nhp.com.au to request a call back.

CIP Safety over Ethernet/IP enabled

NATIONAL TECHNICAL UPDATE

The first half of 2023 has flown past, with NECA providing regular industry nights across the country, first-class technical support, and advocating for our members on many issues. It is exciting to see so many of our members’ comments on consultation papers, being heard by those making and changing the legislative framework we operate under.

It is always our goal to make the lives of our members and our industry easier. To do this we need your voice and experiences to build the evidence to lobby for change. Some of the more important projects are below.

Review of EL-001 – The Wiring Rules Committee

In late 2022, Standards Australia, as part of their voice of customer initiative, commenced an independent review of EL-001, which is the peak committee for the Wiring Rules (AS/NZS 3000), and a number of associated Australian Standards. The review recognised that the committee has served the industry well for many years and has produced many excellent standards but identified a need to redesign the committee structure to a more streamlined, efficient and agile model that can react to the industry’s needs in a timelier fashion.

NECA is working closely with the committee and Standards Australia to ensure the voice of the end user, installers, is clearly heard as we navigate the new committee structure.

National Construction Code goes live

The first stage of the National Construction Code (NCC) was adopted on 1 May 2023 and includes the most significant changes since the NCC and Plumbing Code of Australia were combined in 2011.

The changes will affect the design and construction of most residential dwellings in Australia, including updates to energy efficiency and condensation mitigation standards, and may require changes to some of the common building materials currently in use.

In this iteration of the NCC, Section J8, ‘Facilities for energy monitoring’ has been moved to Section J9 and renamed ‘Energy monitoring and on-site distribution of energy resources’. This new section adds requirements for electric vehicle (EV)

charging equipment, solar panels and battery systems within buildings. This also necessitated the addition of requirements for monitoring additional load.

To facilitate these new EV charging stations and rooftop solar panel requirements in J8, all switchboards must leave provisions for additional circuits to accommodate them. This will encroach on room size when designing cupboards and main switch rooms that will house these switchboards.

New criteria in Section J9D3, ‘Energy monitoring’, now require the recording of individual time of energy data use for on-site renewable energy equipment, electric vehicle charging and battery systems. The energy data gathered from this equipment must now be centralised onto the same single monitoring user interface as the rest of the loads on site.

It is vitally important when designing the electrical reticulation of a new building, that members check to ensure their state regulators have not introduced additional requirements above the NCC requirements.

Type A RCDs only from 1 May 2023

The use of Type AC RCDs was banned from 1 May 2023. As per the staged introduction outlined in clause 2.6.2.2.2 of Amendment 2 to AS/NZS 3000, Type AC RCDs can no longer be used on new and upgraded electrical circuits. All RCDs installed now must be either Type A, Type B or Type F depending on the application required. Type A RCDs can be identified via this symbol.

Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS)

In May 2023, NECA participated in the first meeting of the review of the EESS framework. The EESS is a regulatory framework aimed at increasing consumer safety when interacting with household electrical equipment (In-Scope electrical equipment). The EESS outlines the safety requirements for registration of Responsible Suppliers and equipment in a centralised national database (National Register).

The EESS stipulates three levels of equipment types with different registration and certification requirements for each level, based upon the assessed risk of that equipment type. The EESS has

a registration database for Responsible Supplier registration and equipment registrations, and also has a public search facility for certain information relating to household electrical equipment.

NECA sees this as a key reform as members are often left to explain or replace faulty inferior imported products. It is also important to note that NSW is looking at adopting the EESS as its platform for these types of products, making these reforms a truly national issue that we must get right for our industry.

Standards representation

NECA represents our members and the electrical contracting industry on many standards development committees, and through our work we have an outstanding reputation as key contributors to both existing and new standards.

We still have some spots on committees that require filling, and these include:

½ BD-058 Thermal Insulation;

½ EL-004 Electrical Accessories (RCDs, conduits, socket outlets, etc);

½ EL-006 Industrial Switchgear and Controlgear (fuses, switchgear, motor starters);

½ EL-007 Power Switchgear (high voltage);

½ EL-011 Electricity Metering Equipment

½ EL-050 Power System Control and Communication (tele and supervisory control systems);

½ EL-057 Boating and Boating Marinas Installations;

½ MS-011 Classification of hazardous areas due to explosive atmospheres.

If this interests you, contact Paul Brownlee and he can assist in getting you onto the development committee for your favourite standard.

AER Ring-Fencing Requirements for Network Operators webinar

In April NECA hosted a national webinar with the Australian Energy Regulator’s (AER) ring-fencing team, where they detailed the requirements placed on network operators to ensure they do not breach their obligations to remain fully ring fenced from any external or contestable entities. This has long been a topic that resonates with many members, and it was great to have the AER available to answer the hard questions presented to them.

Recently released standards

There were 69 new and updated Australian Standards released between January and May 2023. There were 135 updated Australian Standards. The following list provides the 37 that we believe most impact our members.

AS 2548.1:2023

Battery chargers for lead-acid traction batteries, Part 1: Battery chargers for vented cells

AS 5385:2023

Smart Energy Profile Application Protocol

AS 60068.1:2023

Environmental testing, Part 1: General and guidance (IEC 60068-1:2013 (ED. 7.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.1:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.1: Tests - Test

A: Cold (IEC 60068-2-1:2007 (ED. 6.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.11:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.11: Tests - Test Ka: Salt mist (IEC 60068-2-11:2021 (ED. 4.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.14:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.14: Tests - Test N: Change of temperature (IEC 60068-2-14:2009 (ED. 6.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.2:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.2: Tests - Test

B: Dry heat (IEC 60068-2-2:2007 (ED. 5.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.27:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.27: Tests - Test Ea and guidance: Shock (IEC 60068-2-27:2008 (ED. 4.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.30:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.30: Tests

- Test Db: Damp heat, cyclic (12 h + 12 h cycle) (IEC 60068-2-30:2005 (ED. 3.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.31:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.31: Tests

- Test Ec: Rough handling shocks, primarily for equipment-type specimens (IEC 60068-2-31:2008 (ED. 2.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.5:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.5: Tests - Test

S: Simulated solar radiation at ground level and guidance for solar radiation testing and weathering (IEC 60068-2-5:2018 (ED. 3.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.6:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.6: Tests - Test Fc: Vibration (sinusoidal) (IEC 60068-2-6:2007 (ED. 7.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.75:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.75: Tests - Test Eh: Hammer tests (IEC 60068-2-75:2014 (ED. 2.0) MOD)

AS 60068.2.78:2023

Environmental testing, Part 2.78: Tests - Test Cab: Damp heat, steady state (IEC 60068-2-78:2012 (ED. 2.0) MOD)

AS 60984:2023

Live working - Electrical insulating sleeves (IEC 60984:2014 (ED. 2.0) MOD)

AS 62052.11:2023

Electricity metering equipmentGeneral requirements, tests and test conditions, Part 11: Metering equipment (IEC 62052-11:2020, MOD)

AS 62053.21:2023

Electricity metering equipmentParticular requirements, Part 21: Static meters for AC active energy (classes 0.5, 1 and 2) (IEC 62053-21:2020 (ED.2.0) MOD)

AS 62053.22:2023

Electricity metering equipment - Particular requirements, Part 22: Static meters for AC active energy (classes 0.1S, 0.2S and 0.5S) (IEC 2053-22:2020 (ED.2.0) MOD)

AS 62053.24:2023

Electricity metering equipmentParticular requirements, Part 24: Static meters for fundamental component reactive energy (classes 0.5S, 1S, 1, 2 and 3) (IEC 62053-24:2020 (ED.2.0) MOD)

AS 62262:2023

Degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts (IK code) (IEC 62262:2002 (ED. 1.1) MOD)

AS IEC 61032:2023

Protection of persons and equipment by enclosures - Probes for verification

AS IEC 62619:2023

Secondary cells and batteries containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolytes - Safety requirements for secondary lithium cells and batteries, for use in industrial applications

AS/NZS 3084:2017 Amd 1:2023

Telecommunications installationsTelecommunications pathways and spaces for commercial buildings

AS/NZS 3084:2017 Amd 1:2023

Telecommunications installationsTelecommunications pathways and spaces for commercial buildings

AS/NZS 4836:2023

Safe working on or near low-voltage and extra-low voltage electrical installations and equipment

AS/NZS 60320.3:2023

Appliance couplers for household and similar general purposes, Part 3: Standard sheets and gauges (IEC 60320-3:2014 (ED. 1.2) MOD)

AS/NZS IEC 60839.11.5:2023

Alarm and electronic security systems, Part 11.5: Electronic access control systemsOpen supervised device protocol (OSDP)

AS/NZS IEC 61000.2.2:2023

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), Part 2.2: Environment - Compatibility levels for low-frequency conducted disturbances and signalling in public low-voltage power supply systems

AS/NZS IEC 61000.3.3:2023

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), Part 3.3: Limits - Limitation of voltage changes, voltage fluctuations and flicker in public low-voltage supply systems, for equipment with rated current = 16 A per phase and not subject to conditional connection

AS/NZS IEC 61000.4.13:2023

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), Part 4.13: Testing and measurement techniques

- Harmonics and interharmonics including mains signalling at AC power port, low frequency immunity tests

AS/NZS IEC 61000.4.16:2023

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), Part 4.16: Testing and measurement techniques - Test for immunity to conducted, common mode disturbances in the frequency range 0 Hz to 150 kHz

AS/NZS IEC 61000.4.30:2023

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), Part 4.30: Testing and measurement techniques - Power quality measurement methods

AS/NZS ISO 13256.1:2023

Water-source heat pumps - Testing and rating for performance, Part 1: Waterto-air and brine-to-air heat pumps

AS/NZS ISO 13256.2:2023

Water-source heat pumps - Testing and rating for performance, Part 2: Water-towater and brine-to-water heat pumps

AS/NZS ISO 5151:2023

Non-ducted air conditioners and heat pumps - Testing and rating for performance

SA/SNZ TS IEC 63106.1:2023

Simulators used for testing of photovoltaic power conversion equipment

- Recommendations, Part 1: AC power simulators

SA/SNZ TS IEC 63106.2:2023

Simulators used for testing of photovoltaic power conversion equipment

- Recommendations, Part 2: DC power simulators

Paul Brownlee NECA National Policy and Technical Director

COPING WITH CHANGE

CHANGE IS PART OF NOT ONLY OuR WORK LIFE, Bu T OuR ENTIRE LIVES. AS WE ALL NAVIGATE LIFE’S CHALLENGES, A COMMON ELEMENT IS THE FEELING THAT THINGS ARE CHANGING AROuND u S. LET’S LOOK AT SOME STRATEGIES TO COPE WITH OuR CHANGING WORLD.

Realise and acknowledge your feelings

It is completely normal to experience varying feelings in times of change. Feelings of anxiousness, sadness, worry or maybe even excitement can all be part of how you are feeling. Acknowledge what you are feeling and allow yourself some time to process what is happening to you and also those around you. Fighting change can drain your emotions and take a lot of effort away from actually dealing with your ability to cope. Maybe think of it from a different angle –‘things are changing, and that’s OK’.

Even positive change can be an emotional roller coaster

Events like a newborn child, graduating, moving house or even getting married are all very exciting, but can be a very emotional time for all of us and can result in a level of stress. Take the time to appreciate the great things in your life, but also consider and be aware of how they are affecting you emotionally.

Looking after yourself physically during this time is important

Sometimes, during challenging periods in our life, we can let things go a little. Eating healthily, getting an adequate amount of sleep, exercise and spending time with our friends and family are all still important and can be a way of grounding yourself in the things you enjoy. No matter what is changing in your life, a good walk, a great meal and a good chat with a loved one can all set us back in the right direction.

Start to list the positive things that come from change

Change can often present the opportunity to grow and discover something about ourselves that we

may have never realised. Change can often lead to new skills or talents, meeting new people, healthier habits or even lead us to acknowledge the more important aspects of our life. It is important to realise that not all change is negative, and taking time to list the positives coming from change can provide you with a new perspective on what is happening around you.

It is easy to feel that change is happening to you not with you

Sometimes changes are forced on you by an external influence and it is easy to feel a victim with little or no ability to influence the outcome. So, stay informed and seek out as much information and updates as you can along the way. Ask questions, attend the information sessions, read up on

what is happening. Sometimes you will not be able to control all of the change, so focus on what you can control. One thing we can all control is our attitude towards change and how we react.

Seek support and talk to others

You are not alone and there is a lot of support around you whenever life’s challenges occur. Talk to your colleagues, your friends or family or book an appointment with your doctor. Reach out to your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or even contact Mates in Energy at www.mates.org.au/energy. Never be reluctant to ask for help.

Change is constant and will always be a part of our lives, but sometimes, it can bring with it new opportunities to grow and experience things from a different angle.

Michael Stoddart General Manager Mining Energy and Manufacturing, Mates in Energy

CONTACT NECA FOR EXPERT LEGAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION

LEGAL UPDATE

Employers can no longer direct employees to take unpaid leave during end-of-year shutdowns

The Fair Work Commission has introduced a model term for shutdowns that affects 78 awards including the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award 2020 (clause 21) and the Clerks (Private Sector) Award 2020 (clause 32). Employers and employees can mutually agree for the staff member to take unpaid leave during a temporary shutdown period, but an employer can no longer direct an employee with no accrued leave to take unpaid leave. This change took effect on 1 May 2023.

As taking unpaid leave during a shutdown period is now by mutual agreement, employers will need to pay ordinary time wages or find reasonable duties for employees who do not have enough annual leave accrual to cover the shutdown period, unless they agree to take unpaid leave.

We encourage employers to plan for shutdowns. We also recommend they ensure their letters of engagement and policies refer to the annual shutdown if one is planned. Employers are reminded that the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award and the Clerks (Private Sector) Award require written notice of any temporary shutdowns.

Deadline for notifying staff about pre-2010 collective agreements

Employers who have a pre-2010 collective agreement that covers one or more employees (also known as “zombie” agreements) are required to notify affected employees in writing about the sunsetting of the agreement. These agreements will automatically terminate on 7 December 2023 unless an application is made for it to be extended.

The notice to employees about the sunsetting must be done before 7 June 2023. Failure to notify employees may attract a civil penalty.

A guide for employers and a template notice can be found on the Fair Work Commission’s website – www.bit.ly/3IZ8unh

Employers must make a formal request for employees to work on public holidays regardless of rostering

The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has clarified an employer’s obligations when requiring an employee to work on a public holiday. The matter of CFMEu v OS MCAP Pty Ltd raised the question of whether

the provision of a roster meets the requirement of issuing a ‘request’ for employees to work as per section 114 of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act). In this case, all employees had requirement provisions in their contracts, inductions providing information on the requirement to work on public holidays, and rosters outlining the public holidays shifts. The employer had provided the roster of shifts to be worked over Christmas and Boxing Day and received numerous leave applications for these days.

The Full Court ruled, that a reasonable ‘request’ must provide the employees with an opportunity to accept or reasonably refuse. It needs to be provided as a proposition to the employee in the form of a question for discussion, rather than a unilateral command. In this instance, the assumption that employees rostered to work on public holidays were required to do so unless a leave application was submitted, did not meet the standard of a request under section 114 of the Act.

Requests needs to be provided with adequate time for the employee to consider any reasonable refusal. Reasonableness under subsection 114(4) of the Act, takes factors such as the following into account. The:

½ nature of the workplace;

½ nature of work performed by employees;

½ employee’s personal circumstances;

½ compensation of work performed on a public holiday;

½ amount of notice given by the employer when requesting; and

½ amount of notice given by the employee of refusal.

Accordingly, businesses must be aware that a formal request must be put to the employees who are rostered to work on public holidays, with reasonable time to respond, regardless of their contract terms and rostering.

WHEN AN EMPLOYEE TAKES TOO MANY ‘SICKIES’

WHEN AN EMPLOYEE HAS SEEMINGLY TAKEN TOO MANY ‘SICKIES’ WITHOu T A GENuINE NEED, WHAT CAN AN EMPLOYER DO?

For employers covered by the national system of employment laws (including companies), an employee is entitled to sick leave (personal leave under the Fair Work Act) when he or she ‘is not fit for work because of a personal illness, or personal injury’.

This means when an employee is unfit for work, you cannot prohibit them from taking personal leave. Likewise, you must not penalise or take disciplinary action against an employee for taking personal leave. Such action violates section 340(1) of the Fair Work Act and exposes you to the unique risks from an unlawful adverse action claim.

So, what can you do?

Black letter approach

You can insist on strict compliance with the added notice and evidence requirements for personal leave. In terms of notice, this must be given as soon as practicable and advise you of the expected period of leave. In terms of evidence, an employee must provide you with evidence that satisfies a reasonable person of the genuine need to take personal leave. Typically, this includes a doctor’s note or a statutory declaration.

If an employee fails to comply with these notice or evidence requirements, his or her absence from work is unauthorised. In this case, you may refuse an employee the claimed paid personal leave.

This ‘black letter’ approach can be applied after an employee takes personal leave. Conversely, this approach can be applied in advance of an employee taking personal leave, by developing an appropriate employment contract or company policy. For example, you may consider including a clause that states:

‘The Employee is to submit a medical certificate or statutory declaration for any personal leave the Employee takes in excess of two consecutive days (paid or unpaid) or as requested by the Company.’

Require attendance at a doctor’s appointment

If an employee produces a doctor’s certificate or statutory declaration, which you dispute on reasonable grounds, you may require the employee to attend a doctor’s appointment examining their fitness for work. Given you would be directing the employee to attend the appointment, you must pay the employee for the time spent at the doctor’s appointment at the employee’s ordinary hourly rate. Additionally, you must pay for the appointment cost.

If this doctor’s appointment reveals an employee is in fact fit for work, you may direct them to return to work.

Take disciplinary action

If an employee takes personal leave and fails to provide the known notice and evidence requirements, you may issue a written warning. If, following the written warning, the employee again falls

short of personal leave requirements, you may take further disciplinary action which may in certain circumstances, justify termination of employment.

As with any disciplinary action, the above steps carry an unavoidable degree of risk. The employee can, for instance, allege the written warning and/or termination was undertaken because he or she took personal leave. To mitigate this risk, the written warning should be carefully worded, focusing squarely on the employee’s failure to meet the notice and evidence requirements for this leave. Through all verbal engagements with the employee, you should also take all reasonable steps to preclude the perception (accurate or otherwise) of taking disciplinary action because he or she took personal leave.

In summary, an employee applying for what may appear to be excessive personal leave requires considered action. We encourage you to contact your local NECA branch for assistance if this issue arises, to ensure your response is both remedial and risk averse.

Disclaimer: This summary is a guide only and is not legal advice. For more information, contact your local NECA branch.

PANOS infinity / evolution

With its wide range of models, the PANOS infinity product group meets the challenges of various applications with brilliance –from homogeneous illumination of vertical or horizontal surfaces to emphasising highlights. Thanks to the formal reserve with which both downlights and wallwashers blend into their architectural surroundings, PANOS infinity is the perfect lighting tool for designers and planners.

The range of potential applications is endless: reception areas or corridors, offices, conference rooms, shops or museums –the luminaires create the right lighting effect in any environment, satisfying every standard and guaranteeing the highest level of system efficiency.

+61 1300 139 965 | info.au@zumtobelgroup.com