Australasian Timber November 2022

Some turbulent times ahead for building sector

THE pipeline of houses still to be built in Aus tralia is going to be above normal until late next year, according to Industry Edge managing director Tim Woods.

And he expects there will be a sharp downturn, al though he says it should not particularly long because long-term demand is "baked in" thanks to population growth.

Mr Woods was speaking at a Forestry Australia webinar on the outlook for Australian forestry and timber prod ucts.

Mr Woods said any slump would be short-lived thanks to a fairly aggressive migra tion program that will hope fully reduce some of the pressures on labour in the Australian economy.

"Timber supply is going to continue to be tight, but it is already improving," he said.

"However, long term sup ply will be quite difficult because demand is grow ing faster than supply now and for all times that we can model into the future.

"That doesn't mean im ports are a problem," Mr Woods said.

"It means they're a poten tial saviour. But over reli ance on imports is a supply chain risk.

"And that's why there's an industry focus on increas

ing local production, not just as sawn wood, but also of those improved utiliza tions that might come from various forms of engineered products," he said.

"And I guess when it comes to prices for sawn timber, well, we do anticipate that they're going to remain high. They’re unlikely to hit bottoms they have previous ly struck. And that is a good piece of good news for this supply chain."

According to the general manager of the southern business of National tradefocused building mate rial supplier Dahlsens, Mark Cooper, the combination of the global housing boom, low interest rates and the

Government’s HomeBuilder grant resulted in huge build ing industry demands over recent years. We are hearing from many of the builders we partner with that they have 6-12 months of work in the pipeline; however, it is difficult to provide a clear vision after that

Mr Cooper added that the company does not predict that the building industry would experience a sharp downturn.

“We anticipate that inter est rates will settle, the in dustry workforce will build, and skilled workers from overseas will immigrate to Australia. We believe new housing builds and renova tions will start to dip; how ever, we don’t think they’ll drastically disappear,” Mr Cooper said.

He explained the Dahls ens team was working with suppliers to support a con tinued increase of timber supply.

Mr Cooper said that while pine supply on some lines remained tight, overall stock levels in key timber lines had improved.

“To ensure the survival of the supply chain and the wellbeing of everyone across the industry, we have been working closely with our sup ply partners to ensure we can continue to support these levels of building.”

Mr Cooper added that Dahlsens remained nerv ous about the industry rely ing too heavily on imported products and believes Aus tralia should be investing in growing the footprint of our forestry estate in Australia.

“We are advocating for the Australian Government and various influential industry association bodies to step up investment in renewable plantations, particularly in softwood, to sufficiently meet the future demand.

“We are very clear on our stance that there is a need for more trees to be planted if we are to supply our indus try locally,” he said.

“However, we have seen minimal movement on this front in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, there is an in creased demand for fibre based renewable products, not just in the building in dustry, but from other sec tors too - for example, paper bags and cardboard as a replacement for single use plastics and packaging.

“Our strategy remains to support more local produc tion so the Australian build ing industry can access these locally produced products,” said Mr Cooper.

CLT valued at $2021m by 2027

Accordingto a report by Reports and Data, the global cross-laminated timber (CLT) market was valued at US$786.71 million in 2019 and is expected to reach $2,021.29m by the year 2027, at a CAGR of 12.51%. Source: Digital Journal, Reports and Data

By volume, the market is expected to reach 3,237.61 thou sand cubic metres in 2027 from 1,411.55 thousand cubic metres in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 11.23%. Rising awareness regarding sustainable architec tural methods, coupled with the rising number of CLT producers and increasing interest for green homes are factors augmenting the market growth.

The move from concretebased development to woodbased development alongside government initiatives to cut down on pollution emanating from construction activities around the globe are factors impacting the market.

In addition to this, the diminishing costs of CLT due to increasing suppliers and shorter total project development time is having a positive impact on the industry. Stringent government regulations regarding the use of timber for building homes, due to the risk of fire, is expected to be a restraint to industry growth.

However, certain unique benefits like the ability to better absorb seismic shocks than concrete structures are also a reason why builders are showing an interest in this material.

A report by the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE), UK, illustrates that the construction industry is likely to be one of the most dynamic industrial sectors in the next 10 years from 2020 and the same will be witnessed in economies globally.

The report illustrates that the volume for construction output will grow by 85% to over $15.5 trillion globally by 2030, of which the three major countries China, the US and India to account for over 57% of this growth.

China’s share of the global construction industry will in crease marginally as growth slows until 2030. Comparatively, US construction will grow faster than China, growing by an aver age of over 5% per annum.

The same report illustrates that apart from the top three countries, the growth in the con struction industry is witnessed in Indonesia, while Mexico is forecasted to overtake Brazil in the Latin America region.

• Industry Edge's Tim Woods

• Dahlsens' Mark Cooper

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The

Interest rates continue to weigh on new home sales

NEW home sales de clined by 15.7 per cent in the three months to September, com pared to the previous quar ter.

The HIA New Home Sales report – a monthly survey of the largest volume home builders in the five largest states – is a leading indicator of future detached home con struction.

“This data produced the weakest quarter since June 2020, when the national lock down drove Australia into its first recession in almost 30 years,” HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon said.

“New home sales fell in the month of September, for the third consecutive month, by a further 4.2 per cent.

“This reflects the increasing weight that the RBA’s tighten ing cycle is placing on home buyer borrowing capacity,” he said.

“The RBA increased the cash rate again in October, and this will further acceler ate the decline in new home sales.”

The RBA’s most acute tight ening cycle in almost 30 years was occurring at the same time as the industry was experiencing the fastest in crease in home building costs in almost 50 years.

Mr Reardon said that these compounding forces would see sales continue to slow and that the full impact of the rise in the cash rate was yet to emerge.

“This month’s data shows that home building is past the pandemic peak and is now set to experience a long

COVID slow down,” he said.

“Given the longer-than-usu al lags in this building cycle, the RBA’s rate hikes to date will similarly take longer than usual to affect the broader economy.

“Much of the impact of the RBA’s tightening cycle will be obscured until the second half of next year.

“These treacherous lags will force the RBA to wait longer

to see the easing in price pressures that it desires. This could result in them weigh ing too heavily on household finances and jeopardising the housing industry’s future soft landing,” Mr Reardon said.

For the three months to September 2022, compared to the previous quarter, most states declined under the weight of interest rates. Vic toria led the declines, down by 20.8 per cent, followed by Queensland (-17.0 per cent), New South Wales (-16.3 per cent) and Western Australia (-10.0 per cent). South Aus tralia saw the only increase, up by 6.6 per cent.

Simple signature could free up Victoria’s timber reserves but Govt won’t do it

THERE is something of a proverbial saying – dating back to the reign of Henry VIII - that says silence equals consent.

The principle is not accept ed in modern English law, but it cost Sir Thomas More his head in 1535 when asked at his trial why he was silent on being asked to acknowledge the king’s supremacy over the Church.

Sir Thomas argued that his silence equalled consent, but the court held it equalled denial. The king desperately wanted Sir Thomas’ “ap proval”.

What’s this history lesson got to do with anything to day?

The Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath seems to think it’s got a lot to do with

the Victorian Government’s attitude to the timber indus try and the industry’s inabil ity to supply hardwood to the nation’s building industry which is cerying out for sup ply.

During constituency ques tions, she took the opportu nity to raise the issue of what she described as the appall ing treatment of Gippsland native timber mill workers, whose livelihoods are being destroyed by a “slack govern ment” which has abandoned its commitment to maintain wood supply at 2019 levels.

“Third-party litigation has seen timber harvesting cease

or dwindle, and wood vol ume is in dire shortage,” she told Parliament.

“Strangling the mills, the Andrews government is ig noring its promise to main tain the industry at 2019 lev els.”

“Protections under the greater glider action state ment require VicForests to retain 40 per cent in each coupe when conditions are triggered, which it has done for the last four years. The is sue sits with the ambiguities and flaws in the timber code of practice. Minister, will you gazette the 40 per cent rule in the timber code of practice so it gains the legislative power for the courts to recognise and stop this third-party liti gation?”

Hansard did not record a re

sponse from the Minister Lily D’Ambrosio.

So, to put a halt to the roundabout of coupes being opened by VicForests, then closed by litigation time and time again, all the Minister has to do is gazette the 40 per cent rule in the timber code of practice so it gains the leg islative power for the courts to recognise and stop this third-party litigation?

It seems so.

Then, it must be asked, does this hesitancy meet the silence is consent maximum? Does this hesitancy mean the Minister is giving silent con sent for the third-party litiga tion to continue?

That, at the end of the day, might be for the vot ers in Victoria to decide on November 26.

• HIA Chief Economist Tim Reardon

australasian

TAFE training next generation of house builders

TAFE NSW Nowra student

Reana Bidois is studying a Certificate III in Carpentry

TAFE NSW is training the next generation of tradies, as the nation’s construction industry continues to thrive following a record year of house builds commencing in 2021.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) is forecasting 125,000 houses are expected to begin construction this year across Australia, following a record 149,000 last year. This is driving hot demand for tradespeople until at least the end of 2023.

HIA’s General Manager Apprentices, Russell Holtham said TAFE NSW plays a critical role in the training of HIA apprentices in residential building trades in NSW.

“Vocational education is a key pathway into the construction industry. TAFE NSW offers students an invaluable combination of theory and practical experience, which combined with HIA’s apprentice offering means graduates are ready to hit the ground running.”

The NSW government last year announced support for 3,000 training places for women in trades with the funding intended to remove the cultural and social barriers keeping women from building sites.

New research reveals women comprise only 2 per cent of workers in construction. TAFE NSW provides women with pathways into a range of construction trades and already boasts a comparatively higher proportion of female enrolments in construction courses at 9 per cent.

TAFE NSW Nowra student Reana Bidois is studying a Certificate III in Carpentry and is an apprentice with BPL Contracting in Nowra and on the South Coast.

Reana is among a growing number of women who are capitalising on the construction boom to gain new skills, qualifications, and a new career in an industry with variety and opportunity for growth.

Since she was a teenager she’s wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and learn a trade.

“After school I started out in hair dressing and was a nail technician for a while. I Then had a trucking business in Sydney for a while, but I always wanted to be a tradie.

“When I moved back to Nowra a few years ago I decided to become a

carpenter. I started out as a laborer and was offered an apprenticeship.

“I would encourage young women coming out of school to consider a trade as their thinking about their future. Girls often talk about nursing, hairdressing, and beauty but I wouldn’t overlook a trade.

“I think as a society we’re really coming around to seeing more equality between men and women, but I think the more we see women taking the step to follow their passion and jumping into a trade, the move we will move this thinking forward.

“Being a woman in this trade isn’t something I give a lot of thought to.

The tradesmen I work with don’t treat me any different. I’d say don’t be scared to try a trade, get in touch with TAFE NSW and go for it.”

“The website and the teachers can explain what’s involved and help you understand what to expect. The TAFE NSW teachers are really supportive and have real industry experience to pass on as they have all worked in the construction sector themselves.”

TAFE NSW Nowra Carpentry and Building Head Teacher John Quin, said as NSW’s leading provider of vocational education and training, TAFE NSW was uniquely positioned to arm students with the hands-on, practical skills they need to develop successful careers.

“There are so many opportunities to make a difference in a rewarding trade career, and our skills-based courses allow students to hit the ground running in local industries and stay living and working in regional areas,” Mr Quine said.

“Many of the construction sectors across NSW are experiencing growth in jobs, so there is currently an opportunity to choose from a diverse range of careers.”

Australia’s growing demand for tradies is unlikely to end any time soon, as the ongoing house building and renovation boom keeps skilled tradespeople like electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and builders busier than ever.

For more information about the range of construction industry courses available at TAFE NSW or via TAFE Digital, visit www.tafensw.edu. au or phone 131 601.

• TAFE NSW Nowra student Reana Bidois

Timber towers turning turbines

Wood has gained main stream appeal as mass timber in the construction industry in recent years, but unexpectedly, the ma terial has also become a viable alternative to tradi tional materials like steel and concrete in other in dustries.

For one, plywood is used to make what is report edly the first wooden satel lite called WISA Woodsat, launched in 2021.

And now, wind turbine towers are also being con structed using engineered wood, specifically laminat ed veneer lumber.

The company behind this turbine tower innovation is Modvion, founded by David Olivegren and co-founded by Otto Lundman and Joakim Örneblad.

According to Lundman, who is also the CEO of Mod vion, Olivegren had first seen wooden wind power towers in Germany. But equipped with experience in building boats and work ing with architecture, he had a better idea on how to construct better wooden towers — hence Modvion.

The first project the com pany had embarked on was a 30m-tall prototype tower on the island of Björkö, Sweden, just outside of Gothenburg.

“That tower made people believe in our vision and made the idea real,” said Lundman.

“It also attracted the attention of one of the world’s largest wind tur bine manufacturers, name ly Vestas, who have since become shareholders of Modvion. Björkö will al ways be important for us.”

Currently, it is building its first commercial building, which will be ready in 2023.

The turbine tower will be 100m tall, reaching a total height of 150m when in cluding the turbine and the blades.

“This will be the first tow er from our new production line, which will then pro ceed to build an even taller tower to support a larger turbine of around 6mW, which is where we will sell larger volumes. That tower will be for turbines around 250m tall,” Lundman said.

Timber mix for big build in Melbourne

THE developer Hines had formed the con cept and design for its big new timber building in Melbourne, but no final deci sions had been made about the type of timber. Sustain ability was the key theme of the proposed building at 36 Wellington Street in Colling wood.

“Then we saw Bendigo,” said Hines construction

manager, Jo Lees. Bendigo - that’s the new Government Hub being built that marks a new level in the use of mass engineered timber in a major building in Victoria.

“We loved the timber; we saw what they were doing,” Ms Lees said. “It was easy for us to tell a story on what the concept meant for us in terms of timber, the value that brings, and that lends itself to 6-Star, Green Star (environmental rating).”

All the timber in the Wellington St building comes from Victoria – Glulam (GLT) from Australian Sustainable

Hardwoods (ASH) in Heyfield and CLT from X-Lam Australia in Wodonga.

The resulting 15-level, 18,500 square-metre com mercial building has two levels of basement, six levels of concrete podium and nine levels of timber structure, which makes it the tallest timber structure in Australia – a mixture of certified CLT and GLT.

PHILIP HOPKINS

Hines, a US real estate in vestment, development and management company, has 26 timber buildings in the US at all stages from concept to completion. A total of 13 are completed. All are part of the company’s 3T Portfolio – tim ber, talent and technology.

Ms Lees said when the tim ber concept was first mooted, Hines assumed it would use European spruce. However, the Bendigo builder ICON suggested they consider ASH. “We were not sure of ASH’s capacity, but over the next six to nine months, as we got our building permits, they ramped up,” she said. “They got to the point where they could supply Bendigo and our job. We got together with ICON to formulate why we should use ASH.”

Ms Lees said several rea sons showed that Australian timber was a viable option.

“Cost – that always comes into it. The saving on shipping was a fairly high percentage of dollars,” she said.

“Time – having it local, three hours away, was a sav ing. All that ties into risk; it was a less risky proposition going local – there is better control over shipping, more quality control. Culture –they know the industry in Australia, the installers, the contractors, even things down to delivery.”

Ms Lees said ASH’s man aged regrowth hardwood was a different colour, darker than European spruce. “We needed to get the architects on board. The structural properties are different as well; Vic Ash is stiffer than spruce, requiring some rework in the engineering but that worked in our favour; the stiffer timber beams and columns could be a bit more slender, using less wood for the same structural result. That was one of the many considerations,” she said.

The Wellington St build ing has 970 cubic metres of hardwood GLT as beams and columns, and 2350 m3 in CLT made from radiata pine. About 30 per cent of the GLT volume is columns and 70 per cent beams. “The beams and columns are all exposed. We are excited about that as it will be a great feature,” Ms Lees said.

Some CLT is exposed, but fire checks meant fire plaster board had to be adhered to the underside of the ceilings.

“We can’t have exposed CLT there. That’s a shame, it’s a lovely aesthetic.”

The podium has a brick façade with an orange, ochre

and brown colour scheme to tie into the timber. In the lobby, there is the same brickwork and some timber elements - furniture, joiners and small stairways.

ASH’s national business development manager, Daniel Wright, said unlike at Bendigo, his company took a pretty in volved role this time in design and detailing. “The connec tions and the design from the architectural intent were the guidelines - grid spacings, floor-to-ceiling, the distance between the columns, the visual intent. They were all by the architect,” he said.

“How the joints and connec tions work - we helped with

We have lots of data with fire testing; we understand how the wood performs in fire and how safe it is,” he said.

“We were able to start pushing cost efficiencies. The column sizes are 380 millime tres by 380mm, the beams about 700mm to 900mm deep by 380mm as well. It’s an improved efficiency of about 15 per cent compared with Bendigo, even though it has similar loads. Fire and structural knowledge help with that.”

The Wellington project will take ASH about four months to produce. It starts with CNC - ‘computer numerical control’; big robotic timber

gram that actually determine the best tools to use – drills, saws, milling units, chain saws. There are 160 tools on this machine. It will choose the best tool to make the cut, or the drill and our technician can override that. Technology has caught up now – you build it in the boardroom and then the robots go and make it for you.”

The building is zoned com mercial and has a cafe and restaurant on ground floor. The bike and changing room are on the ground floor and not in the basement. Ms Lees said Hines management was quite surprised at the num ber of lockers and showers.

“It’s about active transport – riding or walking to work,” she said.

These factors will contrib ute to the new ‘Well’ rating for buildings, a measurement that has come out of the US.

“Lend Lease were the first to go for accreditation at Barangaroo. There are levels of accreditation - silver, gold, platinum – a whole range of the scorecard,” Ms Lees said.

Stora Enzo goes pre-fab

TO meet the demand for sustainable and innovative con

struction solutions, Stora Enso has launched Sylva which is a massive wood building kit of pre-manu factured, custom-made ap plications delivered just-intime to the building site.

The solution enables fast er construction, reduced costs, more efficient use of raw material and fewer emissions than concrete or steel.

“One of the major reasons why the construction indus try’s carbon emissions have reached its highest level is its constant over-reliance on carbon-intensive materials such as steel and concrete,” says Lars Völkel, EVP and Head of the Wood Products division at Stora Enso.

Sylva uses cross-laminat ed timber (CLT), laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and glued laminated timber (GLT). The Sylva kit includes everything needed to cre ate a modern, sustain able wooden structure for low-carbon buildings. The custom-made walls, floors, roofs, stairs, beams and col umns optimise the use of massive wood to suit build ings of all types and scales.

that to make sure it was cost efficient, manufactured in time and looks good. That is a lot of the work – about five months collaborative with architects and engineers.”

Mr Wright said the 1000m3 of their managed regrowth hardwood amounted to about 350,000 kilograms of stored carbon. “We regrow that volume in the forest in less than five minutes,” he said.

ASH had more input into the beams and columns on the Wellington project. “We learnt lessons from previous jobs. The structural strength in our hardwood is incred ible; its strength-to-weight ratio compared to its price is internationally incredible.

processors cut and mould the timber to meet the require ments of the connections.

“We create a 3D model, the structure we devised with the architect and engi neer – the full building is in virtual reality. Every member, every screw in that model is millimetre perfect. From that we take a shop drawing with every individual piece. I can look at the beam, for example, with its screws and brackets, and rotate it on the computer; we can see where everything is, which helps determine improvements before being manufactured,” Mr Wright said.

“That shop drawing feeds through to our robots. The robots have their own pro

“The pathway is similar to Green Star in terms of air qual ity, health and wellbeing for staff and managers – anyone who comes into contact with the building. It also includes things like amenities – yoga classes, employee support services for building manage ment staff. A lot of Green Star feeds into it – mechanical system requirements, such as cleaner air and air quality. That’s part of the story we want to tell.”

Mr Wright said the team approach with the architect, engineer, the builder, the client and X-Lam had been a smooth process. “This is the blueprint on how to do these builds, the team has been really good; the building will come together really well,” he said. “This is the future.”

Stora Enso’s automated coating line, being built in Austria, will further enhance the value and quality of the Sylva components by of fering high-quality waterbased coatings, protecting them against moisture, sun light, insects and fire. This will result in shorter con struction times, decrease costs for construction com panies, and provide added value and improved prod uct quality.

“By delivering prefabri cated, easy-to-install com ponents to the construction sites, we respond to the increasing trend of off-site construction while offering a solution to the industry’s labour shortage. Sylva by Stora Enso is a game-chang er for making this happen, replacing concrete and steel with renewable wood to en able a circular, low-carbon construction process,” said Mathieu Robert, Head of Building Solutions at Stora Enso.

“This is the blueprint on how to do these builds, the team has been really good; the building will come together really well... This is the future.”

Atlassian build gets under way

CONSTRUCTION firms from Japan and Australia have started work on a 182-me ter-high skyscraper in central Sydney in what is planned to be the world’s tallest hybrid-timber building using an eco-friendly wood product.

Tokyo-based Obayashi and Syd ney-based Built plan to complete construction on the 39-story Atlas sian Central in 2026. The building will be used for offices, accom modation and retail outlets, the companies said in recent press releases.

The companies aim to cut car bon dioxide emissions during construction by 50% or more com pared to a conventional building project and operate the tower en tirely with renewable energy, they said.

The seventh floor upwards will feature a hybrid-timber structure that consists of a combination of steel frames and cross-laminated

timber — or a wood panel product made from glued layers of sawed lumber.

The product is said to emit less carbon dioxide in production and is lighter than concrete. It can also be recycled for other uses, according to the Japanese construction firm.

Reinforced concrete will be used below the seventh floor, including the basement, the two builders said.

“Nothing about this project is typical,” said Built CEO and man aging director Brett Mason in a company press release.

“It has been designed and de veloped to be a proof of concept for what the future of buildings should look like that are low im pact on the environment in both construction and operation.”

Obayashi has been emphasizing in its home market the construc tion of low-emission wood build ings and increasing the use of the eco-friendly lumber product.

Top architect on Tassie tour

JAMES Fitzpatrick at fitzpatrick+partners Archi tects continues to use crosslaminated timber on many of his projects.

In fact, his firm has invested sig nificantly in the research of CLT and other engineered timbers in build ings, with an aim to help lessen the built environment’s impact on the planet.

James’ search for an innova tive timber manufacturer led him recently, along with his client and engineer, to Cusp’s manufacturing facility in Wynyard, Tasmania.

His visit and comments attest to the quality of Cusp’s products.

“It was great to catch up with Mi chael Lee and the Cusp Team and see the final commercial grade CLT and glulam products in full produc tion,” he said.

“The Eucalyptus Nitens produces a face quality beyond expectations and combining this with the struc tural properties of a hardwood will see us using these products in many of our projects moving forward.”

“Congratulations to all on an exemplary process – from idea to reality.”

James founded fitzpatrick+ partners in 2000. Fast forward two decades later and the Sydneybased design studio employs some 60 architects working on projects

across Australia. They’ve won mul tiple awards for their sustainable, leading-edge approach to residential, interior and commercial building designs.

Fitzpatrick+partners is currently working on Australia’s first seven-sto ry timber healthcare building – which is due for completion in early 2023. They’re also pioneers in sustainable architecture, delivering the first 6-star Green Star as-built office building in NSW, and have recently developed a carbon measuring tool for architects.

“In the spirit that working together is the only way we can address our climate emergency, we have released this product to the Australian market at no cost,” James said.

Cusp General Manager Michael Lee

said he first met James and intro duced the Cusp product to him when he toured the state as part of the Tas manian Visiting Architects Program several years ago.

James’ visit to the Cusp facility was the first time he’d laid eyes on the product.

“You’ve got one of the leading ar chitects and designers in the country saying really positive remarks about our product,” he said.

James doesn’t talk about sustain ability, he lives it. He’s a timber fanatic. His designs are impeccable. His own dwelling, the Seed House, is a monument to timber and a mo ment to mass timber builds, with CLT incorporated in it. I can’t speak highly enough of his work.”

CLAIRE BENNETT

• Cusp General Manager Michael Lee with leading Sydney architect James Fitzpatrick

MBA forecasts a bumpy ride ahead

MASTER Builders Australia is predicting a bumpy ride for residential building but a more favourable medium- term out look for non-residential and civil con struction in its update to its forecasts for the building and construction in dustry out to 2026.

In the post-pandemic economic environment of interest rate rises, surging inflation, and unemployment at a 50-year low, the latest forecasts indicate that activity is still likely to expand modestly over the medium term despite the effect of short-term challenges. However, there will be considerable variation in the pattern of growth by subsector.

Even though about 200,000 new homes need to be built each year to accommodate long-term population growth, we are likely to fall signifi cantly short of this until 2026. Activity

on the medium-high density side of the market is likely to be particularly slow.

“While pandemic conditions brought forward some residential building demand, the current eco nomic conditions of interest rates hikes, inflation increases, and contin ued shortage of workers and materi als, are significantly contributing to the decline,” Master Builders Australia

Chief Executive Denita Wawn said.

Long-term supply constraints con tinue to hamper residential building, with Master Builders Australia sup porting the decision by the Federal Government to establish the Housing Supply Council in conjunction with State and Territory Governments.

“Our members continue to be frus trated with lengthy delays in approv als for land title, building applica tions, and occupation certificates. Shortage of land in the right places, high developer charges, and inflex ible planning laws also restrict oppor tunities to meet the housing needs of our future. These long-term supply challenges are the responsibility of State and Territory Governments,” she said.

The outlook for non-residential building activity (social, cultural, re tail, commercial and warehousing)

is reasonable with a small decline in 2023 but steady increase from 2024 to 2026.

“Master Builders remains concerned about the potential impact of unfa vourable changes to the industrial re lations framework for non-residential activity. Changes already made and intended are likely to mean higher costs and lengthier rollout times. Were it not for these changes, the forecast growth rates would be more substantial,” Mrs Wawn said.

Civil and engineering construction is likely to show the strongest per formance of the three sectors of the industry and while a small decline is forecast for 2023, growth is forecast for 2024-26. However, the industrial relations changes currently under implementation will prevent growth here from reaching its full potential over our forecast horizon and beyond.

Staying ahead of the curve

Keeping pace with increased order volume made difficult

THE Australian timber industry continues to face challenges, with supply chain issues, skill shortages and increases in mate rial costs all impacting growth. Now, many are realising that to stay ahead of the curve and ensure profitability, an innovative solution must be de ployed to help with the daily running of businesses and bring in new oppor tunities.

A CHANGING INDUSTRY

Despite the many challenges, the construction industry is experiencing a post-pandemic boom as home and building renovations continue along side major infrastructure projects fuelled by government investment. However, for many merchant busi nesses, keeping pace with increased

order volume is made difficult by a lack of skilled workers. According to Arcadis’ 2022 International Construc tion Costs Index report, there has been an 80 per cent increase in un filled roles within construction since 2019 and have predicted by 2023 there will be over 100,000 vacancies.

It further stated that this is the ‘challenge of the decade’ due to skill shortages and now many businesses are focusing on ways to invest in reli able digital methods to help mitigate these issues and improve outcomes.

IMPROVE EFFICIENCY ACROSS THE BUSINESS

For merchant businesses consid ering new technology, deploying integrated business management software can streamline processes and improve operational efficiency. Interestingly, Architecture and Design reported that the industry was named the least digitised sector in 2016, with

under 40 per cent of companies look ing to adopt a digital transformation roadmap.

Faced with labour shortages, we ex pect to see businesses of all sizes reconsidering this decision, owing to the significant efficiency savings.

For example, using an ERP system that integrates document manage ment reduces the administrative bur den associated with running a busy merchant business. Not only does this free up your team’s time to focus on more value-add activities, it can also allow you to easily scale or open a new branch. With all key documents stored on the cloud, including handwritten and faxed documents, all employees can gain instant access to customer order history, inventory and invoicesremoving the need for long telephone conversations or email chains.

Similarly, cloud-based solutions remove the need for employees to spend hours filing or documenting paperwork. Not only does this save time, it also prevents the chance of customer data being lost or mis placed - something that could poten tially result in a poor customer experi ence.

BETTER VISIBILITY

With the supply chain and labour shortages crisis ongoing, making good business decisions is essential. With all key information stored on a central system, each department can view the necessary data, metrics and order status’ quickly and easily. Should last minute situations arise, such as an unforeseen order delay or a customer placing a large order, hav ing these comprehensive reports to hand and real-time data available will facilitate smarter decision making.

Similarly, with full visibility of met rics, it’s easier to analyse sales and measure profitability, without teams having to lose time sifting through multiple spreadsheets and paper trails.

BOOST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Meeting customer demand can put a lot of pressure on employees, espe cially given the high number of vacan cies many businesses are currently facing. With a fully integrated business management solution, staff can easily manage different options for ordering and delivery - not only saving them time but also ensuring a positive cus tomer experience. Similarly, the sys tem can remember customers’ previ ous purchases, making order planning far easier from an operational point of view.

Sometimes delayed delivery can happen, but ensuring there is no miscommunication between the cus tomer and the business improves cus tomer satisfaction. Quickly answering customer queries and using the dash board to provide updates on the latest changes to their order status will help to resolve any potential issues faster.

With the increased vacancies contin uing to rise, building an efficient team that can meet those tight deadlines can be tricky. Taking the time to incor porate a digital solution will support the business to manage high work loads whilst boosting productivity and future sales.

To find out more about how ECI can help your business please visit our website: https://www.ecisolutions. com/en-gb/builders-merchants-soft ware/spruce/

GREG GILL, REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SALES ACROSS APAC AT ECI SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS.

Pulp is not making it to Opal

PHILIP HOPKINS

THE Victorian Government has only supplied 15-20 per cent of its promised wood pulp com mitment to Opal Australian Paper over the past 13 years, the Government has admitted.

The figures were tabled in State Par liament by the Minister for Agriculture, Gayle Tierney, in response to a series of questions from the Independent Member for Morwell, Russell Northe.

The Government’s 1996 agreement requires it to supply a minimum of 350,000 cubic metres of pulpwood each year between 2010-11 and 202930 to the Maryvale pulp and paper mill.

Australian Paper’s 2018 Sustain ability Report shows that the Maryvale mill bought 1.65 million tonnes of pulp wood for its operations; 68 per cent was supplied by Hancock Victorian Plantations and 26 per cent from Vic Forests, with hardwood residues from sawmills making up the remaining 6 per cent.

Ms Tierney told Parliament that after the 2009 bushfires, the government re duced the annual supply of ‘mountain forest’ pulpwood (mountain ash or al pine ash) to 265,000 cubic metres.

“The government continues to sup ply approximately 50,000 cubic metres of mixed species pulpwood under the agreement,” she said.

In June 2020, the agreement was varied to allow silvertop ash to be sub stituted for mountain forest pulp log. Silvertop ash is classified as ‘mixed species’ timber.

Ms Tierney said the variation pro vided for a proportion of up to 40,000 cubic metres of mountain forest pulp wood to be substituted with silvertop ash for the period 2019-21 to 2023-24 inclusive.

“A number of other clauses in the agreement allow for variations,” she said. VicForests manages the supply of pulpwood to the Maryvale mill on be half of the Victorian Government.

Mr Northe pressed for information on which forest areas supplied the timber, but Ms Tierney said the spe cific details of VicForests’ supply to the mill, including volumes and prices for supply from different forest man agement areas, were “commercial-inconfidence”.

Queried on the impact a shortfall in supply would have on Maryvale, Ms Tierney said Opal was continuing to liaise closely with many of its suppli ers, including VicForests and Hancock Victorian Plantations, “to successfully maintain its operations”.

Mr Northe pushed for information on the impact of third-party litigation on native timber harvesting over multiple decades.

“Third parties have taken legal action under the Code of Practice for Timber Production 2014 as well as earlier ver sions of the code,” Ms Tierney said.

“In 2021 and 2022, the government

varied the code and the Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987 to create greater certainty regarding the imple mentation of the code. Further public consultation has taken place on addi tional amendments to the code that will come into effect in 2022.”

Queried on what impact the litiga tion was having on direct and indirect jobs for forest contractors, Ms Tierney said contractors experiencing difficul ties with stand-downs due to litigation “are encouraged to contact VicForests regarding the temporary support that is available for their businesses and their workers”.

Ms Tierney acknowledged that Vic Forests successfully appealed against the Federal Court’s May 2020 decision in favour of the Friends of the Lead beater’s Possum action against VicFor ests.

“As other matters are currently be fore the Courts with judgement re served, I will not make any further comment,” she said.

Mr Northe asked what the Govern ment was doing to ensure supply in the face of unsuccessful litigation. Ms Tierney said it was difficult to quantify the impact of unsuccessful legal ac tions, which typically involve tempo rary injunctions that are subsequently lifted.

“VicForests updates its harvesting methods and locations regularly in response to new research findings, bushfires and other events. Legal cas es also consider changes in the har vesting environment,” she said.

“As such, it is difficult to recreate the baseline scenario in which third-party litigation did not occur and coupes were harvested in a substantially dif ferent order over an extended period of time.

VicForests has worked closely with

contractors to minimise employ ment impacts.”

Forest contractors in Gippsland have currently no work and two

mills in East Gippsland are running out of timber due to legal action by environmentalists and decisions by the Supreme Court.

• Loading logs at Opal Australian paper

15% of timber exports illegal

ASTUDY by think tank

Chatham House

found around 15% of all timber exports from 37 exporting countries were il legal, amounting to US$19bn a year, resulting in “tens of millions of dollars in lost rev enues for governments and citizens every year”.

The research said public procurement could have “an important role to play in driv ing change in business prac tices and in markets” – citing the impact of such policies in the UK and the Netherlands but the design and imple mentation of policies “varied significantly between coun tries”, along with the provi sion of training and advice for procurement officials.

“In many countries, the re sources for providing these are limited and, in fact, the public services which provid ed such advice in the Nether lands and the UK have since been cut,” said the report.

The research, based on data from 2000-18, said the bulk of illegal timber came from Chi na, Brazil, Indonesia and Rus sia and it called for increased transparency and coopera tion between sectors.

The study comes as new de forestation rules are adopted by the European Parliament. Research found an area larger than the EU was lost to defor estation between 1990-20, with EU consumption repre senting around 10% of losses.

More than two-thirds of re cent tropical deforestation is estimated to have taken place illegally. China is the largest global importer of illegal timber, both for the manufacture of products for re-export and increasingly, to supply its domestic market.

Policies to control the trade in legal timber, reforming the legal framework, and new systems for timber licensing have been undermined by poor enforcement and imple mentation, as well as corrup tion, the study found.

Recommendations for in creased due diligence includ ed using satellite monitoring tools, field audits, capacity building of suppliers and iso tope testing to check where products come from.

Leitz HeliCut 11 Turnblade Roughing Router

High-performance cutting with carbide cutting edges

WITH the current increased demand on wood construc tion companies globally, manufacturers are calling for machining solutions that save time and costs, while ensuring maximum efficiency and quality. The new Leitz HeliCut 11 roughing router system, featuring 4-fold turn blade knives, helps manufac turers to achieve this.

Always at the forefront of tool technology and solutions for real customer needs, Leitz developed the HeliCut cutting edge concept years ago. Since then, it’s proven success in high quality machining results has seen this as one of our most popular systems for woodworking and plastics processing. The latest design of this tool results in HeliCut 11 routers that are lightweight and energy saving, ensure high cutting rates and are easy to handle and service. The tool can be applied to a mul titude of materials, including glulam, KVH, solid wood, plastics and even foams.

The tool body is made of hardened steel with replaceable carbide cutting edges. This allows for faster machining speeds, while the four-edged and stable turnblades ensure maximum tool life. Once all four blades are worn, new turnblades can be mounted onto the tool, meaning that the tool life of the system is longer than the individual cutting edges.

HeliCut tools generate significantly lower cutting forces than commercially available cutting tools, al lowing users to achieve finish quality straight away, with no need for reworking. The special arrangement of the cutting edges and gullet design ensures excellent chip removal and minimal heat generation, ensuring processing reliability.

HeliCut 11 roughing routers are available in shank designs with diameters ranging from 30-40 millimeters. There are also a range of working lengths from 60-160 millime ters. Individual solutions with HeliCut can also be designed, tailored for the specific use required such as bevel cut terheads, tenon cutterheads or copy-shaping cutters.

Overall, the HeliCut tool systems prove why Leitz simply offers more. With over 140 years’ experience in the tooling industry, Leitz utilizes this extensive knowledge to remain the global tooling technology leader continuing to provide innovative and user-orientated solutions.

LEITZ TOOLING SYSTEMS

PTY LTD

PH: 1300 135 127 www.leitz.com.au

• Introducing the new Leitz HeliCut 11 Turnblade Roughing Router

• The HeliCut-System with tear-free machining results in different materials and various machining processes.

•

edges and surfaces with optimized feed speeds

and

The

Sustainability

Keeping it all safe

MOST forklifts drive around in conven tional warehouses where pallet racking is up to 4 metres high.

In those applications, ware house managers prefer to use short trucks that can be used in narrower aisles, as this op timum use of space helps to improve storage capacity.

If there is space above, they like to extend the racking and utilise trucks with higher masts. However, there are still boundaries for the move ment space required by a counterbalance truck. When the height of a warehouse re ally needs to be utilised, oth er materials handling equip ment will be deployed.

VNA trucks or rail-guided cranes are specialised and highly efficient solutions, but are primarily to be used within the aisle. More flexibil ity is provided by the reach truck, which can often put pallets away at well above 10 metres, but can also be de ployed for transporting pal lets over distances.

Whilst being extremely sta ble, putting pallets away us ing a reach truck causes vis ibility challenges by default. Naturally, to work safely, these machines should be manned by your best trained drivers and obviously your load carriers must be fault less. Nothing is more danger ous than working with dam aged or inferior pallets. Sure, pallet beams in fluorescent colours will help to put the pallet away, but real advan tages are found within the reach truck itself.

KEY POINTS

■ Explore whether you can utilise the warehouse space better by switching to reach trucks. Have a walk through the warehouse with your expert forklift dealer. Find your nearest dealer here.

■ Review retrofit options to enhance productivity.

■ Check whether you can improve operations by only switching the masts and opt for versions with sway control or dampened ‘no knock’ transitions between mast stages.

2. SMART FEATURES

3. SWAY

1. DESIGN

First of all, only use reach trucks with a design that maximises the operator’s view of high loads. Overhead guards should be designed in such a way that they not only protect against falling goods, but also offer an excellent

view through the bars on the fork tips. Pay attention to the design of the mast itself or the fork carriage. Are they slender enough for the opera tor to see through and have good visibility of the load?

Choose a reach truck with well-thought-out features that help put the pallet away safely. In some cases, these may also be available as a retrofit. Ideally, use a reach truck equipped with a cam era/monitor combination and a pre-set height selec tor. Such a selector will help the mast stop at exactly the right height and often the steps will be aligned with the height of the beams in the pallet racks. Automatic cen tring of the fork tilt and side shifting in advance will also improve the safety and re duce cycle times. There is no such thing as too much effort when it comes to minimising risks.

When lifting heavier pallets above 10 metres, gravity and lateral forces come into play. When stopping, a mast might rock back and forth for a mo ment, meaning the operator has to wait for the movement to cease before they can put the pallet away. In materials han dling this is called ‘sway’. Some reach trucks offer features that reduce these mast move ments. For example, reach trucks can be equipped with passive sway control, where the chassis moves slightly to compensate for elevated load motion to dampen it. Active sway control is delivered by software which pro-actively delivers the correct adjustment to counteract the mast’s sway.

Safety Storage Efficiency

Safety Storage Efficiency

Enhance the Safety, Storage and Efficiency of your Timber Storage

Combilift is the perfect fit for the Timber industry. Our multidirectional forklifts and pedestrian reach trucks will allow you to maximise the storage, efficiency and safety of your warehouse & storage facility.

Contact Us Today

combilift.com

To find out how Combilift can help you safely and efficiently load containers

combilift.com

HOW CAN YOU MAKE SURE PALLETS ARE LOADED IN THE SAFEST WAY? HERE ARE 3 FACTORS THAT CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

Wheelchairs should be NO barrier

THERE is no doubt our industry, along with all industries in Australia, are going through an employ ment crisis. No matter where you go, or who you talk to, fabricators and suppliers are struggling to find workers.

We have the lowest unem ployment we have had in half a century, so to attract peo ple, employers need to be more open and look outside the box.

The FTMA Rebuild & Design program is focused on at tracting builders who:

Have been injured and can no longer work on the tools

Are fed up working in the el ements, or;

Are simply looking for a new career

Today, we share the jour ney of two builders who due to their injuries, resulting in them being wheelchair bound and they have both have found new careers in the frame and truss industry as timber systems designers, because an employer gave them a chance.

Scott McKay finished his chippie apprenticeship in 1991 and unfortunately in 1996 he was in a car accident which resulted in him being in a wheelchair.

While in rehab, Scott met a few blokes who got him into wheelchair racing. He was doing 250kms a week in the wheelchair and three gym sessions a week in the hope of reaching the Paralympics. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite make the team, but he was fit and ready to find new work.

In 2001 he saw an advertise ment for a job at Trusswall in Mornington. Given his build ing knowledge, Scott thought he would apply and was super excited when Wilson Bond gave him the job.

Scott said the young blokes are 10 times quicker on the computer, but they haven’t got the building knowledge that he has. Even knowing the components made a huge difference and Scott felt it was the perfect role to put his chippie training to use.

Having building knowledge helps fix problems before they become a problem as he knows how it all goes together.

Scott’s partner picked up a job in Bendigo and they had to relocate, however with Truss plants all around the

country and good designers being hard to get, Scott ap plied for a job with the Bendi go Truss Plant and, again, he was lucky that Geoff Holland looked outside the box and gave him the job.

Scott believes that if you’ve got building knowledge, you have a bright future within the frame and truss industry.

Scott now plays wheelchair Rugby and you could imagine his surprise when talking to one of his fellow players, he found another designer who worked for Alpine Truss in Wangaratta.

Shaun Harper is a young man who also was a chippie until 2014 when he fell off a roof, landing on his head, dam aging his C6 & C7 resulting in him being a quadriplegic.

Shaun was in hospital for seven months before going home to work out what was next.

He found a job as a su pervisor for the local ‘work for the dole’ project, where he had 20 participants who he taught general building, painting, paving and garden ing skills to. He did this for a year before the program was closed by the Government.

Shaun then bought an ex cavator and began working for chippies he used to subcontract to when he was a builder. He would dig foot ings, stump holes, post holes, general demo, cleaning sites and other work.

Shaun had trouble regulat ing his temperature, so when

he got hot, it took longer to cool down and when he got cold, he struggled to get warm and he found it was boring.

He knew he needed to find another job and he had a few mates working at Alpine and the bloke he did his initial ap prenticeship with, knew Ron nie the manager.

Luckily for Shaun, George Prothero is the type of person who will give anyone a go and he gave Shaun the job.

The Alpine team began teaching him the software and Shaun says it seems there was no stupid ques tion and nothing was ever a drama for the team. Shaun admits he wasn’t really tech savvy at all, and says he still isn’t, but he was a blank can vas, with no bad habits, so he could be taught from scratch. However, knowing the ter minology such as hips and jacks, top and bottom chords and what low bearing walls and lintels were helped make the training a lot easier.

Shaun was fortunate to be working with a brilliant oc cupational therapist, who helped do an assessment of the workplace and JobAccess also assisted by installing ramps and electric doors at Alpine Truss.

Both Shaun & Scott are grateful to Wilson, Geoff and George for looking outside the box and for giving them a chance. As Shaun said “as soon as someone gives me an opportunity, they are going to get 110% back from me”.

It is so important for em ployers to know there are options for support but most importantly, that there is no barrier whatsoever for em ploying someone in a wheel chair.

I have no doubt there are many other builders who have either been injured or are in wheelchairs and FTMA wants them to know, that our sector has a great career waiting for them.

Sure, we need people like Shaun and Scott who are ready to rock and roll, but without employers giving them a chance, nothing will change. We encourage all employers to look past the resume, to look past the wheelchair or back injury and get them in for a chat, as they could be your next gun de signer.

FRAME

TRUSS

FTMA Australia is an independent, national organisation representing fabricators of and suppliers to the timber prefabricated truss and wall frame industry in all Australian states

territories providing a unified voice, to protect and advance our multi-billion dollar industry.

FTMA Australia thanks our dedicated supporters and encourages you to support those who support your industry

a full list of the conditions of membership and a downloadable application form visit:

KERSTEN GENTLE Executive Officer FTMA Australia

• Former chippie Scott McKay at the Bendigo Truss Plant

We’re excited to announce our latest partnership with Bacci, innovators of the modern multi axis CNC

Stirling Machinery has partnered with Bacci Italy to provide innovative and customisable multi axis CNC machinery.

Drawing on over a century of industrial production, Bacci offers a comprehensive range of CNC options including 5-axis, multi-axis with a single head or multiple heads, through to cutting machines and copying lathes.

Bacci machines are highly capable of repeating very detailed, complex tasks, meaning businesses can free up highly skilled staff, and generate higher output volume, and every Bacci machine is fully customised to your requirements.

Contact the highly experienced Stirling team today to discover how Bacci and Stirling Group can help your business.

The business of managing public holidays

IT’S not easy to find anyone in Australia who will put their hand up and state boldly they don’t like a public holiday.

We often extend it one way or another just to squeeze that extra down time and value out of it. That said, it does raise some challenges for business and not just the cost, but the human resource management.

The recent declaration of the Queens Day of Mourning as a public holiday raised a series of questions to the TTIA National Timber Employers Hotline on how business deals with the public holiday in general in the workplace. I’ve addressed some of these issues below in an attempt to provide some practical guidance:

Will 22 September 2022 be a public holiday every year?

The Prime Minister has stated it will be a ‘one off’. The formal orders in each State/Territory declaring/ prescribing 22 September 2022 as a public holiday should, however, address this question specifically.

Do staff have a right to be absent on a public holiday?

Once it is formally declared/ prescribed a public holiday in the relevant State/Territory, the day will be considered a public holiday under the National Employment Stand ards of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act).

The FW Act provides that, generally, staff are entitled to be absent on a public holiday and must be paid at the base rate of pay for all ordinary hours for that day. (See below for explanation of base rate of pay.)

If an employee has an unauthorised day before or after a public holiday, can they not be paid for the public holiday?

There is nothing in the Fair Work Act (FWAct) to suggest an employee forfeits their entitlement to payment for a public holiday if they take an unauthorised absence on the working day before or after a public holiday.

Under the FWAct (s116), an employer must pay an employee at the employee’s

BRIAN BEECROFT CEO, TTIA

base rate of pay for the employee’s ordinary hours of work on the day or part-day. Base rate of pay is the em ployee’s ordinary rate of pay excluding incentive-based payments and bonuses, load ings, monetary allowances, overtime or penalty rates or any other separately identifi able amounts. This means if a public holiday falls on a day the employee is regularly ros tered to work, the employee is entitled to payment for that day.

While such a term was common in awards and agreements prior to the introduction of the FWAct, the right of an employer to deduct payment for a public holiday in this circumstance has generally been removed from modern awards. For example, there are no terms in the Timber Industry Award 2020 that would allow the employer to deduct payment for a public holiday where the employee is absent the day before or after a public holiday without reasonable cause.

While an unauthorised absence before or after a public holiday (particularly if there is a pattern of absence) may be grounds for taking disciplinary action against the employee, the employee would still be entitled to pay ment for a public holiday that falls on a day the employee normally works.

Can I require staff to work?

Despite the above, the FW Act also provides that an employer may request an employee to work on public holidays if the request is

reasonable. However, an em ployee may refuse a request if their refusal is reasonable (that is, even if an employer’s request for an employee to work is reasonable, an employee may refuse that request if their refusal is reasonable).

In determining if a request/ refusal is reasonable, the FW Act provides a set of factors that must be taken into con sideration. These factors are:

1. the nature of the employer’s workplace or enterprise (including its operational requirements), and the nature of the work performed by the employee;

2. the employee’s personal circumstances, including family responsibilities;

3. whether the employee could reasonably expect that the employer might request work on the public holiday;

4. whether the employee is entitled to receive overtime payments, penalty rates or other compensation for, or a level of remuneration that reflects an expectation of, work on the public holiday;

5. the type of employment of the employee (for example, whether full-time, part-time, casual or shiftwork);

6. the amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employer when making the request;

7. in relation to the refusal of a request—the amount of notice in advance of the public holiday given by the employee when refusing the request; and

8. any other relevant matter.

What happens if a public holiday occurs and an em ployee is on personal leave - how should it be paid?

Under the National Employ ment Standard (s98), if the period during which an em ployee takes paid personal/ carer’s leave includes a day or part day that is a public holi day, the employee is taken to be on the public holiday and not on a period of paid an nual leave or paid personal/ carer’s leave. In this case, the pay office should regard the day as payment for a public holiday not worked, not an absence on paid personal/ carer’s leave. In this case, the

week’s absence comprises of four day’s paid personal/ carer’s leave and one day’s public holiday.

What happens if a public holiday falls during a pe riod of annual leave?

Under the Fair Work Act (s.89), if during a period of annual leave a public holiday or part-holiday falls, or a period where the employee is eligible for personal/carer’s leave (including compas sionate leave), or a period of community service leave, the employee is taken not to be on annual leave for each day eligible for the other leave or public holiday. The period of annual leave is not extended by any such absence but the employee is to be re-credited annual leave for each day of eligible absence.

Are there special rates for public holiday?

Most Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements contain penalty rates which are applicable for work per vformed on public holidays.

For instance the Federal Tim ber Industry Award states:

“All work performed by weekly employees on public holidays on the instructions of the employer will be paid for at the rate of 250% of the ordinary hourly rate with a minimum payment of 3 hours. This rate includes the ordinary rate of pay where due under clause 20—Mini mum rates for ordinary hours of work”.

Can a business substitute a public holiday for an alternate day?

It is a definite option for businesses in many indus tries to substitute a public holiday for an alternative day where there is agreement with the employee and/or employees. This is often a preferred option when a public holiday falls on any day other than a Monday or a Friday.

TTIA has a national, indus try specific, industrial rela tions unit and enquiry line. If you are not already a Member of the TTIA and would like further details on member ship, please contact the As sociation on (02) 9264 0011.

Looking back

2019

A RECENT regulatory de cision regarding the use of timber cladding on threestorey apartments will have a detrimental impact on the local wood products industry, according to Boris Iskra from Technical Pro motion & Consulting Solu tions from the FWPA.

He said that follow ing the devastating and tragic building façade fires (Lacrosse Building, Mel bourne; Grenfell Tower, London), there has been a public outcry regarding how combustible cladding products have been al lowed to be used on highrise buildings.

2016

EIGHT MONTHS after con struction started on the Brock Commons student residence at the University of British Columbia, Brent Olund signed his name to the last of 648 giant panels of cross-laminated timber as it was secured into place on the 18th floor.

It was more than just a routine topping-out ritual for Olund and his firm, Ur ban One, who are construc tion managers at the UBC tall wood building project. Olund and the workers who signed with him on June 9 had just established a new world record. At 53 metres in height, Brock Commons is now the highest tall wood building on earth. And it was built in record time, thanks to new tech nologies that are trans forming the way the world thinks about wood.

2011

A HOUSING supply boost is desperately needed if Australia is to meet de mand, according to a spe cial report.

The HIA - JELD-WEN Housing to 2020 report, which provides projec tions of the underlying demographic demand for housing and the number of dwellings to be completed over the next nine years at a national, State, and Local Government area, shows just how large the aggre gate housing supply chal lenge facing Australia has become.

Timber product knowledge training

out of Melbourne and complete a field trip. This enables the students to put theory from day 1 into practice.

During the June course, after meet ing at David’s Timber in Dandenong, the first stop on the tour was to A.G Brown. Graeme Brown took everyone on a guided tour of their location. He explained the lengths of timber of Vic Ash and explained how they make the most of every piece of timber. It was a cold and rainy day, so the group rel ished the opportunity to step inside the kiln for a short period of time. There is a staggering amount of tim ber processed by A.G Brown!

The afternoon visit took the group to the purpose-built site of Drouin West Timber and Truss. Keith spoke about the history of the business and ex plained that the business expansion had led them to build the facility the group was at.

Drouin West Timber and Truss has a unique product called Future Fit. It’s a panelised building system that they say, “Saves time, money and worries”. On a tour of the factory floor, the group got to witness the panels being built.

We extend our appreciation to the Hoo Hoo Club for facilitating day 2

of the 3 courses. We also thank our members and those that allow our groups to tour your facilities and grow their knowledge.

After COVID impacted our opportu nities over the last couple of years to run this training, it was wonderful to have the frequency that we did this year (without any sessions being can celled).

Students are asked to complete a survey at the completion of the ses sion and their feedback was wonder ful. It further cements just how impor tant this training is.

We will soon be reviewing the cal endar and planning dates for 2023, so stay tuned to our website mgatma. com.au for the announcement of dates.

MGA TMA Industry Event

After a long hiatus due to COVID, we returned to face-to-face events in June with an industry update and breakfast. We are delighted to an nounce that our next, and final, event of the year will take place on 16 No vember in Melbourne.

We welcome both members and industry friends to attend and will be publishing details on our website for tickets to be booked. Please visit mgatma.com.au

MGA TMA AGM & Industry Break fast

This year MGA TMA will be holding their Annual General Meeting and industry breakfast at Leonda by the Yarra.

Our guest speakers include Gina Cass Gottlieb, ACCC Chair and Doug Jones, Metcash Group CEO.

Date: Friday 25 November 2022

Time: 7.00am for 7.30am (start) to 10.00am (including breakfast)

Venue: Leonda by the Yarra, 2 Wallen Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Register via https://www.trybook ing.com/events/landing?eid=958539&

MARIE-CLAIRE MCKIERNAN NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP MANAGER

Veneer cuts determine appearance

THERE are many species of veneer for specifiers to choose from, ranging from light-coloured ve neers such as American white oak, through to the darker reddish-brown Australian hardwoods such as jarrah.

As well as considering colour there is also the “cut” to consider. Decora tive veneers, as opposed to more utilitarian veneers such as pine, are normally sliced from the log. The way they are sliced relative to the growth rings will determine the appearance of the veneer.

The two principal cuts are crown cut and quarter cut. To produce crown cut veneers, the log is cut in half, and the halved log is then sliced straight across. The cut runs parallel to the growth rings.

Crown cut veneers are sometimes termed cathedral cut because the grain forms a peak, similar to the roof of a cathedral, usually in the centre of the leaf with straight grain either side.

On the other hand, quarter cut ve neers produce a straight-line pattern across the face of the veneer. This is because the veneers are sliced at

PETER LLEWELLYN Technical representative, Timber Veneer Association of Australia

right-angles to the growth rings.

The density of lines varies across a log and among different species.

Some hardwoods, including oak and sometimes maple, have a secondary pattern of flecks, which is referred to as “figure,” which many designers find to be attractive. Quarter cut ve neers are generally more expensive than crown cut.

Members of the Timber Veneer As sociation of Australia (TVAA) stock crown cut and quarter cut veneers in a wide range of species, so it’s just a matter of preference as to the effect

the designer wants to achieve. These factors are explained in more detail on the TVAA website at http://

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timberveneer.asn.au where helpful diagrams and images can be found by clicking on the ‘About Veneer’ tab.

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