Branch update

SA/NT BRANCH

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BRANCH UPDATE

Larry Moore

NECA SA/NT Executive Director

OuR 2022 ROADSHOW SeMInAR SeRIeS ARe COMInG TO A CLOSe, AnD In SPITe OF THe unCeRTAInTIeS WITH COVID-19, I AM PLeASeD TO SAY THAT THe SeMInARS HAVe OnCe AGAIn Been A GReAT SuCCeSS, WITH HunDReDS OF eLeCTRICIAnS ACROSS THe STATe ATTenDInG TO HeAR THe LATeST DeVeLOPMenTS In THe InDuSTRY.

We have received positive feedback regarding this year’s shows and greatly appreciate everyone who took the time to attend and upskill themselves. We again had a variety of important updates from our industry speakers, as well as the great products and services on display from our dedicated sponsors. Our Annual Roadshow 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 their new Service and Installation Rules as well as some other updates, and the Office of the Technical Regulator spoke about all the latest rules and regulation changes. In addition, neCA presented on the new Certified Contractor Program and provided an update on the Dual Apprenticeship pathway. The line-up of presentations was well received by all who attended.

We wish to sincerely thank everyone who attended this year’s seminars and thoroughly enjoyed catching up with members across the regions. While we missed a few locations this year due to COVID-19, we hope to be back to our regular schedule next year.

Last, but certainly not least, we greatly appreciate the dedication and support of our sponsors and presenters because without them it would be extremely difficult to run these seminars. It was great to see a record number of sponsors supporting our seminars this year and we have received fantastic feedback from them all.

If you have any questions or feedback about the Roadshow Seminars, please contact Leah Boyce at the neCA SA/nT office on (08) 8272 2966.

2022 Excellence and Apprentice Awards nominations

Our excellence Awards nominations for 2022 have now closed. It is pleasing to report that there have been some fantastic changes to the Awards this year, including the introduction of a dedicated “Small Business Award” and a new “Innovation” excellence Award category. We have enjoyed seeing all the fantastic projects our members have nominated while we undertake the judging process.

The Apprentice Awards nominations are still open until 8 July and interviews with nominees will be taking place shortly after. The benefits of being nominated are endless for apprentices, including an opportunity to network, win prizes and become an ambassador for the industry. If you have an apprentice who you think is worthy and is within 12 months of completing their

apprenticeship, we encourage you to consider nominating them. See page 63 for further information about nominating your apprentice for this year’s awards.

The excellence and Apprentice Awards celebrations will be held at our Industry Gala Dinner on Friday 9 September 2022 in beautiful Halls C and D at the Adelaide Convention Centre. We certainly hope our members, sponsors and industry representatives will join us for this fantastic event. It will showcase some of the great work being completed in our industry, as well as our highachieving apprentices, and of course provide an opportunity to enjoy an excellent social event with your peers.

If you would like to attend the Industry Gala Dinner, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Leah Boyce, Business Relationship Manager, who will ensure you receive an invitation to the event.

Dual Trade Apprenticeship

The new Dual Trade Apprenticeship pilot program is well underway. At the time of writing this article we have 10 apprentices employed under this project which includes a five-year apprenticeship. At this early stage, apprentices are hosted to electrical contractors and later this year we will be looking to move them to refrigeration and air-conditioning companies to ensure they are receiving training and gain competence in this sector. For those that are not aware, this pilot program delivers a vocation titled electrical and Refrigeration AirConditioning Technician, and has been developed in conjunction with the Department of Innovation and Skills (DIS) with the apprentices achieving both their Certificate III in electrotechnology electrician and Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning.

If you are a refrigeration, air-conditioning or electrical business interested in hosting a dual trade apprentice, please get in touch with neCA Careers & Apprenticeships (nCA) on (08) 8272 0799. Members of neCA and RACCA of course receive cheaper chargeout rates than non-members.

Specialist Contractors Association inaugural business luncheon

On Friday 20 May we held our Inaugural Specialist Contractors Association Business Luncheon at the national Wine Centre, which saw some 150 attendees informed about Security of Payment legislation, project trust accounts, insurance requirements, unfair contracts and other issues affecting subcontractors in the building and construction industry. Our esteemed presenter Bronwyn Weir from Weir Legal and Consulting, gave an outstanding presentation on the muchneeded reforms to our industry. We then heard from a panel of experts including Andrew O’Connor from O’Connor Services, Dr. Jeremy Coggins from the university of South Australia, Michael Hutton from Lynch Meyer Lawyers and our keynote speaker Bronwyn Weir. The event was an outstanding success with all attendees providing fantastic feedback on the quality of the content and the great networking as well. We thank those who attended for taking the time to be there, and sincerely thank our presenters and panel for their invaluable input.

Advocating for the retention of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC)

neCA joins other building and construction industry bodies across the country in requesting the Federal Government not to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and allow it to continue to support the fairness and stability of Australia’s building and construction sector. Fairness, transparency, and lawful activity is critical to Australia’s economic recovery and the future sustainability of the building and construction sector. ensuring greater levels of transparency and enforcing workplace relations, allows for more efficient delivery of projects and the creation of new employment opportunities.

The various levels of government invest billions of dollars in construction work across the country, and need to ensure that work is carried out fairly, efficiently, and productively. electrical contractors expect fair, safe, and transparent workplaces, where the rule of law is upheld. The ABCC delivers on all of these responsibilities and consequently fosters enhanced sector productivity. The ABCC also offers critical support to neCA’s members in the sector on workplace relation matters. This includes, but is not limited to:

½ supporting subcontractors who are owed money, and where security of payment laws have not been complied with; ½ providing education and advice through various industry updates and responding to enquiries for assistance; ½ conducting investigations and audits in regard to alleged contraventions of acts relevant to the building and construction industry; and ½ instituting proceedings for contraventions of acts in relation to wages and entitlements, coercion, industrial action, discrimination, and the like.

neCA has been advocating to both federal and state governments that we remain committed to the ABCC and its functions to deliver critical transparency, probity and business confidence in the already struggling building and construction industry.

The simple fact of the matter is, that if we all believe in operating under the rule of law, which when all said and done is the foundation stone of democracy, then there is nothing to fear from the ABCC.

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

SERIOUS ABOUT IT SECURITY

Cyber-security is a buzz term that causes a lot of excitement, confusion and sometimes dread. It is usually the big names that make the headlines when incidents and breaches happen, and most businesses don’t see themselves on the target level of Sony or Ashley Madison. However, by no means is cyber-security only a big business problem. Smaller businesses and traders increasingly are coming under pressure to improve and protect. It isn’t just your data that is threatened, it’s your clients’ data, supplier and partner data, and your reputation.

In a 2019 Ponemon Institute survey of 1,000 small and medium sized businesses, 78% indicated they had been the target or victim of cyberattacks in the past 12 months. For years, the formula for smaller businesses was less data + less capital = less cyber risk. This isn’t the case, nor has it ever been the case in reality, and it is because of this idea that they are being targeted more and more.

Larger companies are investing more time, money and focus into cyber-security and their defenses are getting stronger, but smaller operations aren’t following suit as readily. This makes the effort ratio for cybercriminals much more favourable.

Gateways

Smaller businesses can act as gateways to larger targets. There is a rise in the number of attacks taking place as a result of supply chain exploitation. What happens to your reputation if a vulnerability in your system results in a breach to your customers environment?

Ransomware is the new organised crime

We live in a time where almost anything can become a business. According to a recent Bleeping Computer report, this is evident with the rise in experienced network intruders and ransomware groups striking up a partnership. This is turning what used to be bragging rights, annoyance and the occasional payout into a symbiotic and fruitful relationship. Cybercriminals are also learning and using a variety of techniques and sources of information to price ransomware at an affordable rate and building a reputation as an attacker who does what they say on payment. Ransomware is a business, and a growing one at that.

Common attacks

½ ransomware; ½ phishing; ½ reputation attacks; ½ business e-mail compromise; ½ malware; ½ password attacks; and ½ distributed denial of service.

The costs of an attack

Financial

In 2018, cybercrime cost Australian companies uS$6.9 million in losses. A study completed by Accenture estimates the risk of cyberattacks over the next five years is uSD $5.2 trillion.

Legal

All businesses are required to comply with the notifiable Data Breaches (nDB) scheme. non-compliance can result in a maximum penalty of $2.1 million.

International

As well as the nDB scheme, if you deal with any european union (eu) country, you can be subject to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which carries penalties of “a fine of up to €20 million or four per cent of the business’ total annual worldwide turnover”.

Reputation

Much of business runs off trust. If a customer or supplier can’t trust that their data is safe and that your processes are secure, they are unlikely to work with you for long. According to PCI Pal (secure payments provider), after a breach, customer numbers show: ½ 43% stop for several months; and ½ 43% never return. For consumers, even the perception that you’re not secure can stop them from doing business with you.

Security Scorecard

 Antivirus with commercial subscription.  e-mail Security filtering.  Firewall with intrusion protection.  Multi-factor Authentication.

 Regular backups (offsite and tested).  up-to-date software and on-time patches.  Acceptable use of IT Policy.  Cyber Incident Management Plan.  Security awareness training for all staff.  Administration rights restrictions. Total: /10

Operations

Losing access to data and systems can mean your business is just a duck sitting in water. A lot of things, if not everything, might come to a standstill— payments, orders, sales, jobs, processes, communications. Ask yourself: “How long could the business survive if it lost all access to its IT?”

People

A breach doesn’t just impact your business, it impacts your customers and employees. Their data is with someone else or out and exposed, and they may become a target themselves as a result.

not sure where you stand? Control Z are offering free cyber security assessments for neCA SA/nT members.

NECA 2022 APPRENTICE AWARDS

THe neCA APPRenTICe AWARDS ReWARD InDIVIDuAL APPRenTICeS ASPIRInG TO MAKe A CAReeR WITHIn THIS DYnAMIC InDuSTRY. THe AWARDS ALSO OFFeR InDIVIDuALS THe OPPORTunITY TO ReCeIVe ACCOLADeS FROM THeIR PeeRS AnD InDuSTRY FOR THeIR OuTSTAnDInG ACHIeVeMenTS AnD COMMITMenT TO THe TRADe.

We know many of our members have some outstanding apprentices working with them, so now is your chance to reward them for their achievements and to also be rewarded for your effort in training them. There are three categories available: ½ electrical – Commercial/Domestic. ½ electrical – Industrial. ½ eLV/Communications.

The Apprentice Awards nominations are open to 4th year apprentices or recently graduated apprentices within 12 months of their completion date.

Applications for the Apprentice Awards are now open and will be due on Friday 8 July 2022. All nominations are now completed online via the Award Force platform:

necaawards.awardsplatform.com

Adam Rossi, employed by ATEC Group Training and hosted by D-STAL Electrical, won the NECA SA/NT Apprentice of the Year Award last year in the Industrial category. Adam also came runner up in the NECA National Apprentice of the Year Awards. Congratulations Adam (pictured with Apprentice Sponsor David Rotellini from Bianco Construction & Industrial Supplies at the NECA SA/NT 2021 Industry Gala Dinner).

Jack Sandland, employed by iElectrical and Communications, won the NECA SA/NT Apprentice of the Year Award last year in the Commercial/Domestic category. Jack was also a finalist in the NECA National Apprentice of the Year Awards. Congratulations Jack (pictured with Apprentice Sponsor David Rotellini from Bianco Construction & Industrial Supplies at the NECA SA/NT 2021 Industry Gala Dinner).

This year’s apprentices will be rewarded at the pinnacle industry event for South Australia and northern Territory’s electrotechnology sector, the neCA Industry Gala Dinner, on Friday 9 September 2022 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

For further information or assistance with your nominations, please contact Leah Boyce, Business Relationship Manager at neCA SA/nT on (08) 8272 2966 or email leah.boyce@necasa.asn.au