Master Builder magazine – April-May 2016

MASTER

April/May 2016

Customer focus Appeal to your clients

HOUSING & CONSTRUCTION AWARDS Entries closing soon

PROJECTS ON THE HORIZON

Transforming Queensland

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VOLUME 55 NUMBER 5

46

22 15

35 30

PUBLISHED BY MASTER BUILDERS QUEENSLAND 417 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane Queensland 4000 Phone: 3225 6444 Fax: 3225 6545 Email: ask@mbqld.com.au mbqld.com.au Editor: Christine Buzzard editorial@mbqld.com.au Graphic Design: Keira Samuel keira.samuel@mbqld.com.au Advertising: APN Regional Newspapers, Brooke Gardner, brooke.gardner@apn.com.au, (07) 4690 9309 or 0407 406 518 Print and Distribution: Australian Regional Media Master Builder is the official magazine of Master Builders Queensland. As the go-to peak industry association, Master Builders represents the interests of the building and construction industry in Queensland.

All advertising and editorial adheres to the Master Builders Advertising & Editorial Policy, found at mbqld.com.au Privacy: Master Builders Queensland has adopted the Australian Privacy Principles published by the office of the Australian Information Commissioner and operates in accordance with those principles. A copy of Master Builders privacy policy can be found at mbqld.com.au.

Disclaimer: Any advice or information included in the publication is given in good faith, but strictly on the understanding that neither Master Builders nor the Editor or any other person or organisation contributing to the publication are to incur any responsibility or legal liability whatsoever (including liability for negligence) should the advice or information be incorrect, incomplete, inappropriate or in any other way defective and all liability is therefore disclaimed.

Articles published in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Master Builders, its officers and staff. © This publication is copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, copied, stored on a computer, published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication, or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium without prior permission from the Master Builders Queensland.

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[ 4 ] april /may 16

52 48

Contents News 16 Reports & statistics 18 – 19 Housing & Construction Awards 20 – 33 Customer focus feature 34–35 Tradies corner 36 Building & planning 37 – 39 Laws, codes & regulations 40 – 43 Employment & wages 44 – 45 Health, safety & environment 46 – 47 Projects 48 – 49 Regional profile 50 – 51 Members 52 Community projects 53 Superannuation 54 – 55 Training & licensing 56 – 61 Member benefits & events 62 – 64 People & events 12 – 15

60

Cover photo: Still from Master Builders' 2016 consumer campaign

X

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WATE12550_MBA

Mr And rew Sh ailer Andrew Shailer Ti ling

Opinion

Security of payment with Nick Herron, President Security of payment for building contractors is a fundamental issue for our industry. All parties in the building chain need to be confident they will be paid what is owed.

Master Builders recently added to the government’s consultation sessions on the issue with a submission outlining our response.

We believe it’s critical that solutions to this problem cover the entire building chain, from the owner to the builder, subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and suppliers. Controls and protections should not be introduced for one party at the expense of another, nor should they hinder the efficient delivery of new construction, or impose additional costs.

It also needs to be recognised that a significant cause of the problems in the commercial and housing sectors is the relentless squeezing of margins in recent years.

The discussion paper identifies a number of options for dealing with the problems, some of which can be readily implemented and will make a significant difference, such as improving contractors’ financial management skills.

However, there are several options which would be very disruptive for the industry, adding to the cost and time to deliver new construction.

In stark contrast to other states, Queensland already has a range of measures in place that provide contractors with security of payment. We believe the government should first look to making the existing measures work rather than introducing new measures.

We are concerned that a range of options have been proposed without any analysis of precisely where the problems lie. We are keen to understand how the options under consideration, particularly Project Bank Accounts and the Retention Trust Fund Scheme, would operate.

Several of these options will create enormous disruption for the industry and yet we’ve been provided with no detailed information to make an informed assessment of how they will operate and their likely impact.

We believe that not enough consideration has been given to the existing measures which, with improvements, will fix the problems.

In the meantime, we will await the outcome of our submission and the decisions that come out of it. mb

[ 6 ] april /may 16

Get the recognition you deserve with Grant Galvin, Executive Director It’s my favourite time of year again – when we pause to take the time to recognise the best of the best in our industry. The 2016 Master Builders Housing & Construction Awards have opened for submissions and I encourage all members to submit their entries.

For me, the Awards are more than a trophy to place on your desk. They are a symbol of the blood, sweat and tears that go into making a business, sustaining it and going on to succeed at even greater heights. Submitting an entry gives builders and trade contractors the opportunity to gain unparalleled public and industry recognition for being at the forefront of building innovation and quality craftsmanship.

The Awards were designed to celebrate the industry’s remarkable achievements, with every Award having the potential to transform a winner’s business. It’s no secret that we work in a very competitive industry, and winning an Award in your region, or for the entire state, is a great way to assist in marketing your business to potential clients.

And for home or project owners, being able to label their home or project as “award-winning” is a fantastic tool to set it apart from the crowd.

Each project entered into the Awards is assessed by independent judges who examine key criteria, such as quality of workmanship, degree of construction difficulty, external appeal, siting and aspect, and amenities and aesthetics.

Categories are open to small, medium and large building businesses, plus speciality and trade contractors who have completed projects in the housing and construction industry.

There is a wide variety of categories for entrants, ranging from apprentices to trade contractors, and small family businesses to the biggest names in the building and construction industry.

As well as recognising excellence in various projects, there are Award categories proudly dedicated to outstanding individuals who have made a valuable contribution to the industry.

So if you think you have what it takes, now is the time to enter.

Read more about the Awards on page 18.

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Opinion X

Strong building, strong economy with Wilhelm Harnisch, Chief Executive Officer, Master Builders Australia As we go to print, the media is awash with speculation of an early federal election. The online betting odds suggest the Turnbull government will not go early but in politics you can never say never.

Regardless of when the federal election is called, Master Builders is well placed and ready to make sure that the concerns of the industry are heard by the major parties through a communication strategy that will advocate a range of welldeveloped policies that champion the interests of all our members for the next term of government.

One of our key election messages is Master Builders’ opposition to the call for the abolition of certain negative gearing provisions from 1 July 2017.

Yes, housing affordability is a major challenge, so is the increasing inability of first home buyers to enter home ownership. And yes, fixing the structural budget deficit is also very important, but taxing housing is not the solution.

However, placing restrictions on negative gearing is not the solution to any of these important public policy challenges. Nor is negative gearing the fundamental cause of these problems.

Housing affordability can only be improved by fixing supply, and this demands a different public policy response. Here Master Builders has called for competition payments to the states and territories to permanently remove the blockages that stop the supply of land and approvals for new developments.

For first home buyers let’s also tackle the factors that contribute to the very large deposits that act as a major barrier to them entering the housing market.

Also high on Master Builders’ wish list is for the return of the rule of law on commercial building sites with the return of the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

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Regrettably, the ABCC Bills remain stuck in the Senate with little prospect of passing before the Federal Election is called.

The government’s move to enact changes to the Senate voting system to prevent preference deals between so called ‘micro parties’, which helped them get candidates over the line with only a very small number of primary votes, has further agitated the cross bench senators whose votes are needed to pass the ABCC Bills. Even those who support the return of the ABCC are retaliating by withdrawing their support.

As we rapidly approach dates when the federal election can potentially be called, it is regrettable that none of the major parties have so far put forward any policies for tackling the major economic challenges our nation is facing, such as protecting the Australian economy from worrying global uncertainties, the need to lower our company and personal income tax rates, and polices that stimulate growth and investment. These are important policies to ensure that investment in housing, commercial building and in urban infrastructure continue to flow and for jobs, particularly for apprentices, to be created.

Master Builders Australia will soon be rolling out our Strong Building, Strong Economy 2016, which will be calling for policies from the next federal government that can drive investment, productivity and jobs growth in the building and construction industry.

The campaign will provide a great opportunity for Master Builders in Queensland to participate and make sure your concerns are front and centre during the election campaign.

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Opinion X

Driving Queensland's economy with Mick De Brenni, Minister for Housing and Public Works I am committed to making sure that government works with industry to build confidence in the construction sector so that we can continue to drive economic growth and jobs for Queenslanders.

I thank Grant and his team at Master Builders Queensland for their hard work and open approach to engagement since I have been the Minister. While we won’t always agree on everything, it is crucial that we work together and that your voices are heard.

Rest assured that through Master Builders you have a clear voice – and I am listening.

As Minister for Housing and Public Works, I’m proud to lead a department that not only supports people in the community who need a helping hand, but also hardworking businesses like those in the building and construction industry.

Your sector is a successful driver of jobs and activity in the Queensland economy. It is crucial that we work together to continue to build on this success, making sure that benefits are shared from the top to the bottom of the industry.

The Palaszczuk Government is committed to developing a pipeline for construction activity across the state.

The department’s Building Asset Services will be delivering approximately $800 million worth of capital works and maintenance projects in the 2015-16 financial year. This includes building homes for those in need, upgrading and repairing schools and other government assets, modifying homes for accessibility requirements and upgrading others to provide better amenity for families. The work is spread across a variety of trades and provides further opportunities for local contractors.

We have been working across government to develop packages of planned works that are tendered locally from within each of our regional offices and tailored toward local contractors.

These opportunities will be made available through the Building and Asset Services eTender website. If you are interested in partnering with Building and Asset Services, make sure you go

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[ 10 ] april /may 16

to the department’s website, www.hpw.qld.gov.au, and register.

We will soon be beginning consultation on a new housing strategy. I want this strategy to address more than just the housing needs for Queensland’s most vulnerable families. It’s a chance to look for innovative solutions to the housing challenges of Queenslanders in general, and your input will be crucial to getting the settings and structures right.

It is also vital that we work together to make sure that the community continues to have confidence in the sector.

We are determined to tackle the important issue of building product non-conformity and non-compliance. We have strong checks and balances in place to catch non-conforming building material through the building certification process here in Queensland. One of the big challenges we have as a country is the use of sub-standard products early in the supply chain which involves appropriate border controls. We are working with the Commonwealth and the other states to explore how best to respond to instances of non-conforming building products.

Finally, security of payments for subcontractors has been unaddressed for too long. It’s a complex problem, with no simple solution. The department released a discussion paper in December, followed by 38 consultation sessions in 20 destinations across the state, including regional cities and towns. Finding a sensible, workable solution needs the involvement of everyone in the industry.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to attend a consultation session in your area, go online to www.hpw.qld.gov.au, to read the discussion paper.

Thank you for your ongoing contributions in strengthening the Queensland building industry and all you contribute to the lives of Queenslanders. I look forward to continuing to work with Master Builders on the important challenges ahead.

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News

Don’t fall victim to online fraud

Changes to the new Formwork Code of Practice.

Will they affect you?

The Queensland Government has begun reviewing a number of state-based Codes of Practice relating to the construction industry, including: • Formwork Code of Practice 2006 • Tower Crane Code of Practice 2006 • Concrete Pumping Code of Practice 2005 • Mobile Crane Code of Practice 2006 • Scaffolding Code of Practice 2009

Cyber theft is alive and well and in the past few months we’ve had reports of members being targeted.

Don’t think it won’t happen to you – it has happened to other Master Builders’ members, not to mention many other Australian businesses.

In the past few months, there have been a number of large incidents in Australia where fraudsters were able to access the computer systems of businesses, resulting in significant losses.

In a most recent case, an Australian company was purchasing goods from an overseas supplier. A fraudster hacked into the supplier’s computer system and generated an invoice directed to the Australian company in the amount of US$260,000. The Australian company was expecting an invoice from the supplier in that amount and paid the invoice. All of the details in the invoice were correct except that the fraudsters had inserted their own bank account number.

Fraudsters are good at what they do, so you need to stay vigilant, particularly when taking instructions via email for payments to your contractors or suppliers.

Do you suspect a scam? You can report potential scams to the Queensland Office of Fair Trading and if it’s financial in nature, liaise with your financial institution to solve the problem and safeguard your business.

Visit www.qld.gov.au/law/fair-trading for advice on how to report a scam and to read more about protecting yourself and your business.

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• Tilt Up and Precast Code of Practice 2003 The process of revising the Formwork Code of Practice 2006 has now been finalised, and the revised Formwork Code of Practice 2016 was released on 31 March 2016.

A steering committee of major contractors, formwork contractors, engineering consultants, union officials, Master Builders’ staff and government advisors were selected to undertake this review to ensure the new Formwork Code of Practice 2016 responds to industry needs and concerns, reflects current best practice, and maintains consistency with model work health and safety laws implemented in 2012.

Master Builders will continue to work closely with Worksafe Queensland to advise industry of the changes to the Formwork Code of Practice and other industry codes of practice that are under review.

For more information about the changes, call Master Builders on (07) 3225 6404 or for a copy of the revised Formwork Code of Practice, visit worksafe.qld.gov.au

News

Have your say in licence class review

Notice of special general meeting

The Queensland Government is currently reviewing all classes and grades of occupational and contractor licences issued under the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 and the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002.

In accordance with the Rules of the Queensland Master Builders' Association, Industrial Organisation of Employers, a Special General Meeting will be held on Thursday, 28 April 2016 at Master Builders, 417 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, Queensland commencing at 2pm.

The licensing review is being undertaken by the Department of Housing and Public Works, with the objectives including:

The nature of the business to be transacted at the meeting is to:

• Simplifying licence classes

1. Make a record of those present.

• Modernising the licensing regime

2. Receive apologies for non-attendance.

• Increasing mobility and employability across jurisdictions

3. A pprove an amended constitution which simplifies the election processes and strengthens the representative nature of the Association.

• Saving costs for licensees and home owners whilst maintaining the high standards of competence within the industry.

Consultation on draft legislation is expected to occur later in 2016.

In the interim, the Department of Housing and Public Works will be consulting with peak bodies.

Acting Commissioner of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), Kellie Lowe, said the review was important to ensure the licensing system remained robust and flexible to meet the complex needs of industry.

Enquiries about the licensing review can be directed to Ms Anne Neuendorf, Manager, Building Industry and Policy, on (07) 3008 2543 or anne.neuendorf@hpw.qld.gov.au

Notes: 1. A copy of the proposed Rules will be available on the Master Builders' website; 2. N o business other than the business detailed in this notice may be conducted at this meeting; ll decisions made at this meeting are to be made by a 3. A 2/3rd majority.

If you're a Master Builders' member and want to discuss the nature of the business to be conducted, please contact the Executive Director on (07) 3225 6400.

The Employer’s Lawyer Workplace Health & Safety

Employment Law

Electrical Safety

Commerical Litigation

Work Cover

Public Liability

Q- COMP

Contact Jamie

jamie@kadenborissbrisbane.com.au

BRISBANE SYDNEY NEW DELHI DUBAI

Contact Mark

mark@kadenborissbrisbane.com.au

Brisbane Office

Level 7, 231 George Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 GPO Box 74, Brisbane QLD 4001 T: +61 7 3013 2700 F:+61 7 3003 0788

Contact Andrew

andrew@kadenborissbrisbane.com.au

WWW.KADENBORISSBRISBANE.COM.AU

april / may 16 [ 13 ]

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News

BUSY At Work to deliver Transition to Work service The Australian Government recently announced BUSY At Work as one of the successful organisations that will help young people and early school leavers become work ready under the new Transition to Work service.

As part of the $331 million Youth Employment Strategy, announced in the 2015-16 Budget, Transition to Work will provide young job seekers with intensive one-on-one support from community-based organisations experienced in working with young people who face greater barriers to enter the workforce.

A strong advocate for apprenticeship and youth employment, BUSY At Work CEO, Paul Miles, said he was excited to receive the news that BUSY had secured provider contracts in Wide Bay and the Sunshine Coast. In partnership with Skill360, they will also deliver the service in Townsville.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for BUSY and we look forward to the challenge as this service is essentially our philosophy and the very foundation of our everyday business,” Mr Miles said.

“BUSY is very experienced at working with young people who often face greater barriers to entering the workforce. We have taken a demand-led industry approach, so we’re looking forward to engaging more employers through this service.”

According to Department of Employment research, while the majority of young people successfully transition between school and post-school education or employment, young people who leave school before completing Year 12 (or Certificate III) are more likely to find this transition difficult.

This is particularly the case in the current highly competitive labour market, where there is an average of 18 applicants for each lower skilled vacancy advertised on the internet and/or in newspapers.* Minister for Employment, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said the Government is determined to provide young Australians who face difficulties entering the workforce with the assistance they require to ensure they are work-ready and able to obtain gainful employment.

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[ 14 ] april /may 16

“Young people are the future of our country and we need to ensure we have effective programs in place so that those at risk of longterm welfare dependency can find and keep a job,” Minister Cash said.

“The best form of welfare is a job and the Coalition is committed to making sure those who are able to work have the necessary worklife skills required to enter the workforce.”

Mr Miles acknowledged the heavily industry-backed bid which will place BUSY At Work in an excellent position to deliver the Transition to Work program.

“We have strong links in the community, including employers, industry leaders, community services and schools,” Mr Miles said.

“We understand the real challenges many early school leavers face when looking for a job as we have been working with youth and longterm unemployment for many years and have been involved with some excellent successes.

“Our dedicated teams will deliver the program through individually tailored services to provide assistance with vocational skills development, purchase training, interview training and career advice.”

For more information on Transition to Work visit www.employment.gov.au/youth or call 13 BUSY (13 28 79) *Source: Department of Employment, Survey of Employers’ Recruitment Experiences – combined data for all regions surveyed in the 2013-2014 financial year. This research can be found online (lmip.gov.au).

Display villages

Retreat to Coomera It’s only a matter of weeks before the latest Master Builders' display village, Coomera Retreat, opens to the public.

It’s set to be one of our most exciting villages yet, with an idyllic location in the heart of the Brisbane-Gold Coast growth corridor. This positioning makes Coomera Retreat a drawcard for families, couples and singles looking to build their dream home and settle in Queensland’s south east corner.

45mins (53km) Brisbane CBD

The 25 homes, which are all in their final construction stages, have been built by 12 of our renowned Master Builders’ display village builders. Visitors will see a variety of innovative, luxury and open-plan homes designed by Newstart Homes, Ignite Homes Pty Ltd, Clarendon Homes, Bella Properties, Fresh Homes, Burbank Homes, McDonald Jones Homes, Ownit Homes, Coral Homes, Metricon Homes Qld, Perry Homes and Simonds Queensland Constructions.

The elevated estate, which has been developed by QM Properties, is close to private and public schools, theme parks and the Coomera Rail Station. To make life even easier for commuters, it’s only two minutes’ from the M1, Coomera Exit 54.

Conveniently located opposite Woolworths and Coomera city centre, Coomera Retreat is within walking distance of a newsagency, medical centre, chemist and specialty shops, and is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the beach and the Gold Coast hinterland.

Coomera Retreat can be found on the corner of Days Road and Old Coach Road, Upper Coomera, with the village expected to open to the public in late April.

30mins (27km) Mount Tamborine

Coomera Retreat

20mins (19km) Nerang 30mins (26km) Surfers Paradise

april / may 16 [ 15 ]

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Reports & statistics

At a glance $17.8B

Queensland construction work done, 12 month total, original

20.0 18.0 16.0 14.0

6.8%

$B

12.0 10.0 8.0

$16.6B

6.0 4.0 2.0

Total Building work

Queensland Dwelling Completions 12 month rolling total (original) Sept 2015, 35 979

45,000 40,000

Dec 15

Jun 15

Sep 15

Dec 14

Mar 15

Jun 14

Alterations & Additions

Sep 14

Dec 13

Mar 14

Jun 13

Sep 13

Dec 12

New Residential

Mar 13

Jun 12

Sep 12

Dec 11

Mar 12

Jun 11

Sep 11

Mar 11

Dec 10

Jun 10

Sep 10

Mar 10

There was an increase of 6.8% in the total building work done – up to $17.8B from $16.6B during the year.

0.0

Nonresidential

The largest increase was

MULTI-UNIT DWELLINGS up 25.9% in

35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 Jun 00 Dec 00 Jun 01 Dec 01 Jun 02 Dec 02 Jun 03 Dec 03 Jun 04 Dec 04 Jun 05 Dec 05 Jun 06 Dec 06 Jun 07 Dec 07 Jun 08 Dec 08 Jun 09 Dec 09 Jun 10 Dec 10 Jun 11 Dec 11 Jun 12 Dec 12 Jun 13 Dec 13 Jun 14 Dec 14 Jun 15

0

All dwellings

FOUR out of FIVE properties financed in Queensland ARE FOR RENT OR RESALE.

Houses

12 months.

Units

Percentage of Queensland construction finance for dwellings for rent/resale 80% 70% 60%

While THREE out of FIVE new dwellings ARE FOR RENT OR RESALE.

50% 40% 30%

Jan 00 Jul 00 Jan 01 Jul 01 Jan 02 Jul 02 Jan 03 Jul 03 Jan 04 Jul 04 Jan 05 Jul 05 Jan 06 Jul 06 Jan 07 Jul 07 Jan 08 Jul 08 Jan 09 Jul 09 Jan 10 Jul 10 Jan 11 Jul 11 Jan 12 Jul 12 Jan 13 Jul 13 Jan 14 Jul 14 Jan 15 Jul 15

20%

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XHousing & Construction Awards

Make 2016 your year to shine Hurry...don’t miss out. Entries for the 2016 Housing & Construction Awards are closing soon.

The final closing deadline for the 2016 Housing & Construction Award entries is fast approaching. Make sure you get your entries in soon to avoid missing out.

Categories are open to small, medium and large building businesses, plus specialty and trade contractors who have completed projects in the housing and construction industry.

Start thinking about people and projects to enter today – don’t leave it to your competitors to win all of the Awards.

Why enter?

The Awards program is a great way for members to gain public and industry recognition for their achievements and quality projects.

Entry fees Category

Entry fee

Trade Contractor of the Year & Specialty Awards

$295

Housing

$395

• Gain industry and public recognition

Construction

$495

•D rive business sales and catch the attention of potential clients

Rising Star, Women in Building and Apprentice of the Year

FREE

Winning an award has many benefits:

• Set your business apart from competitors •A ccess unrivalled media coverage and promotion across a range of publications • Boost staff morale.

Throughout the year, winners will be published in the Master Builder magazine, on Master Builders’ website and in the official Awards publication.

These are just some of the many reasons why the Master Builders' Housing & Construction Awards program is a highly effective marketing tool for your business.

Entry forms are available at mbqld.com.au/hcawards so download yours and enter today.

mb

[ 18 ] april /may 16

Housing & Construction Awards X

Judging process Once all the entries have been received, the judging process can begin.

First, you will be allocated a judging time – Master Builders will contact you to advise your allocated inspection time.

We receive lots of entries and only have a short period of time to view them all, so we appreciate your cooperation. Flexibility around judges’ inspection dates and times is limited; however, we will endeavour to give as much notice as possible to allow for arrangements with staff and building/home owners.

Next, our independent judges will inspect and judge your entry according to Master Builders’ judging criteria, before deliberating and choosing a winner for each category.

From July through to August, the regional winners will be announced at each regional Award ceremony. Don’t forget to purchase tickets to your regional awards ceremony, where you can enjoy a night of great food, entertainment and atmosphere, celebrating the successes of your industry.

Regional winners will then be short-listed by a panel of judges and re-evaluated against all other regional winners for the State Awards.

State winners will be announced at the State Housing & Construction Awards at the Royal International Convention Centre on Friday, 14 October.

A selection of state winners will be chosen to compete at a national level, with winners announced at the National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards in November.

Award ceremonies Even if you don’t enter into this year’s Awards, you are still welcome to come along to the Award ceremonies held across the state.

These glamorous evenings are a great opportunity to catch up with your industry peers, whilst being impressed by the calibre of Queensland projects.

For more information about the Housing & Construction Awards, visit mbqld.com.au/hcawards or call 1300 30 50 10.

Award dates Region

Final entry closing date

Award ceremony event date

Venue

Brisbane

15 April

Friday, 8 July

Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane

Downs & Western

15 April

Saturday, 16 July

Armitage Centre and Heritage Bank Auditorium, Toowoomba

Gold Coast

15 April

Saturday, 30 July

Jupiters Hotel & Casino, Gold Coast

Sunshine Coast

22 April

Friday, 5 August

The Events Centre, Caloundra

Wide Bay Burnett

22 April

Saturday, 6 August

Beach House Hotel, Hervey Bay

North Queensland

29 April

Friday, 12 August

The Ville, Townsville

Far North Queensland

29 April

Saturday, 13 August

Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns

Central Queensland

29 April

Friday, 19 August

Rockhampton Leagues Club, Rockhampton

Mackay & Whitsunday

29 April

Saturday, 20 August Mackay Convention Centre, Mackay

State

N/A

Friday, 14 October

Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane april / may 16 [ 19 ]

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Customer focus

Welcome to our Customer Focus feature We’re here to be the mentor on your team.

That’s why we’ve taken the time out in this edition of Master Builder to focus on what you can do within your business to take it to new levels and succeed.

Our Customer Focus feature will give you tips on how and why to market your business, how to handle the media, how to plan ahead, and how to turn tough times around.

We’ve also teamed up with some industry professionals to bring you a range of useful information around using social media in your business, how to get the best results with your marketing efforts, and advertising mistakes you need to avoid to achieve success.

Plus, we’ll give you the rundown on how you can use Master Builders’ products and services, like Buildcentre and our training courses, to help your business run more efficiently.

Master Builders aims to be your number one source of practical and relevant information – it’s what we exist to do – and we hope this feature will help you with your business planning now, and into the future.

Can your customers find you easily?

We recently launched a multi-media advertising campaign urging home owners and renovators to use a Master Builders’ member when building or renovating.

The campaign includes print, digital and TV advertising across Queensland and encourages consumers to use our revamped Find a Master Builder search.

The new search is a lot simpler for your customers to use – all they need to do is search for the job and postcode they’re after, and if you fit the criteria, they’ll be led directly to you.

But for them to be able to find you, you’ll need to make sure you’re listed.

If you work in the residential space and you haven’t already signed up, now is the time to ensure your profile is complete. It’s your ticket to connect with future customers, so don't miss your opportunity.

Already on the ball and registered?

It’s a good time to check your profile to ensure you are registered for the right categories of work and add in extra details to your profile – the more complete your profile, the higher ranking your listing will achieve.

We’ve improved the search with some new features, including the option for you to:

• Upload photo examples of your work

• Write a short blurb about your business

• Add in links to your company social media pages.

Creating or updating your profile is simple Register or update your Find a Master Builder details on our website by following the prompts – mbqld.com.au in the member login area

egister for free! It’s all part of your membership subscription. But you do R need to opt-in – you were not registered automatically when you joined.

Having problems? Give us a call on 1300 30 50 10.

Happy reading!

To find out more, or view our current TV commercial, visit homeofbuilding.com.au mb

[ 20 ] april /may 16

Customer focus

Marketing made easy with Teena Jameson, Managing Director, Media Circus Network You may have noticed that the marketing, advertising and media world has undergone a dramatic change in the last decade – and it’s continuing to evolve at an increasingly rapid pace.

Fuelled by advances in technology, mass communication vehicles, such as television and newspapers, are being challenged by digital solutions, making now the time to act in this space.

Which medium to choose?

With the increased competition in the media market, advertisers need to consider multi-media platforms when advertising their business.

A multi-media campaign (a campaign that uses more than one form of communication at the same time) enables you to reach a wider audience in a variety of ways. Multi-screening is now the norm, with people watching television while simultaneously checking their smartphone or tablet.

The right message

You need to consider who you are trying to reach (your target audience) and choose mediums that reach them. Don’t be afraid to experiment with new media you haven’t previously used.

While the competition for consumer attention and the communication channels through which the advertising message can be distributed is at an all-time high, the fundamental principles of marketing have not really changed. It’s always been about “right message, right place, right time.” Content is still king.

Digital advertising is a great way to supplement mainstream media and adds an easy and accessible call to action (for example; 'phone now' or 'click through' to your website for more information).

Whether you are using television, print or digital media, understanding your point of difference is paramount. Why would a consumer use you over your competitor?

Having a basic website with current information on it, or even a Facebook page set up for your business is important in today’s modern media world, especially if you want to promote your business.

Fortunately, Master Builders' members have an immediate and marketable benefit – the credibility of brand association with Queensland's peak-industry association. Using the Master Builders’ Proud Member logo adds real credibility in the eyes of consumers.

The good news is that as digital technology evolves, we will have the ability to localise, personalise and change our message more frequently, at a lower cost and with scale.

But importantly, you need to ensure you can deliver on what you say. If you promote “fast turnaround on quotes” or make any other promises, make sure you deliver on this when dealing with potential customers.

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Customer focus

Seven advertising mistakes to avoid with Greg Morris and Chris Hodda, Nexus Innovation The secret to business improvement comes down to one fundamental truth – and it’s really very simple.

Your customers have your money. If you want to make more of it, find out what your customers really want and then give it to them.

Yet to transcend the status of being a ‘good business’ to become a ‘truly extraordinary business,’ you need to go a step further.

You must find out what your customer’s emotional needs, wants and desires are and where they are currently not being met.

With this information you can create more emotional and meaningful connections with your customers that’s hard to break. You’ll create true customer loyalty.

Yet many business owners profess to know best or presume to know what their customers really want.

And perhaps at one point in time this may have been true, but if business is getting tougher or your business is performing below your expectations the reality is, things have changed. Customer expectations are constantly changing and evolving.

What is cutting edge or ground-breaking today will be the industry norm, standard or even passé tomorrow. And while you rest on your laurels doing what you have always done, your competitors are plotting and scheming how they are going to change the game and revolutionise the business you’re in to lure your customers away from you without you even realising it. mb

[ 22 ] april /may 16

Doing business in today’s economy isn’t as easy as it used to be. Customers are spending less. They’re holding on to their wallets and being more selective about who and what they spend their hard earned money on. Just to make the same money you used to make means you’ve got to work twice as hard or you need to get smarter and do something different.

about stimulating positive emotional responses from your customers.

In fact the biggest threat that most businesses face today is falling in to the ‘me too’ category. Having no point of difference, or Unique Selling Proposition (USP), means your business will fade into the background and be one of the many forced to compete solely on price.

1. They don’t know the numbers

With 80 per cent of businesses going out of business within five years and 96 per cent of all businesses failing within 10 years, just being one of the herd means it’s only a matter of time before you’re out of business too.

So, what are your options to begin on your business improvement journey? Well, you can use trial and error and waste further time, effort and money with the hope you get lucky.

Or you can delve into your customers’ subconscious mind and identify real emotional drivers to truly innovate new products and services that they won’t even know they want yet. Then you can provide a blueprint to create entirely new market niches for you to completely dominate. It’s what’s commonly referred to as the wow factor – something many business owners talk about but only a select few ever truly achieve. The starting point to achieving the wow factor faster is to be more deliberate

It all starts with many businesses believing the only or best way to connect emotionally with customers and prospective customers is to advertise.

Let’s discuss the mistakes you can easily make.

By knowing how much the lifetime value of a customer is worth to you, you know what you can afford to spend or give away to generate a new customer.

Most business owners never figure this out, and therefore, never know what they should or could be spending on generating new business. When you know the numbers, it radically changes the ball game for you.

2. A dvertising for the wrong reason Most businesses try to generate an immediate sale through their advertising.

It’s been estimated, at any point in time, less than three per cent of your market is looking to purchase. The numbers for success are really stacked against you in this equation.

Instead (in most cases), your advertising should be done to generate a list of potential

customers who you can educate, over time, to the benefits of using you to solve their problems, or improve their situation.

Consider a ‘give away’ item or ‘lead magnet’ to gain their contact details, so you can continually and cheaply market to them until they buy, die or tell you to go away.

3. Copying other businesses’ ads The trouble with this is, if 95 per cent of people do it poorly, as most ads are normally poorly structured and poorly written, the chances are you’ll generate the same poor results and waste your money. And then say advertising doesn’t work.

4. N ot usuing emotionally-driven “benefits” or “problems solved” in ads to stir a response Just as in business, our ads need to emotionally connect and stimulate our target audience.

Using emotional benefits, highlighting the problems you solve in headlines and strong sales copy will dramatically increase your response.

5. Ignoring proven tactics

6. Wrong ad placement In order to target their ideal customer they need to understand where they are and what they read.

In many cases they have not defined who their ideal customer is so how do they know the best media?

Through our customer connections program you should gain deep insight into your customer, and where they hangout, so you can better target them through more effective media placement.

7. Failing to effectively use the internet to maximise leads Internet technology and related processes are changing rapidly.

If you’re doing what you did six months ago, chances are you’re out-of-date, and not generating the level of inquiries you should be achieving from the internet. This includes lead generation, websites, squeeze pages, sales funnels, product launches, webinars, SEO, adwords and social media strategies.

This article first appeared in CCIQ’s online newsletter “The Week” on 11 February, 2016.

Tactics such as offers, creating urgency or ‘prove it’ principles in ads, help prompt an immediate response.

When it comes to construction it’s it’s When it comes to construction it’s what’s When it comes to construction what’s underneath that counts underneath that counts what’s underneath that counts

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p: (07) 5537 8167 e: info@idealcorp.com.au www.idealcorp.com.au april / may 16 [ 23 ]

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Customer focus

Get the right marketing results with Vickie Magic, Business Matters magazine Award-winning, Sunshine Coast-based Business Matters magazine is passionate about making a difference to business and it does this through education, motivation, connection and celebration.

We believe that business should be fun. It should be about connecting with fellow business owners and celebrating your successes along the way.

ONE THING WE KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT PEOPLE BUY A PRODUCT OR SERVICE FROM SOMEONE THEY KNOW, SOMEONE THEY LIKE AND SOMEONE THEY TRUST. How does that someone become you?

If you ask these five vital marketing questions before embarking on any marketing campaign, your results will most definitely skyrocket.

1. Who am I speaking to?

This is so important – so many people put their advertising out there to everyone.

I’ll ask them the question, “Who are you speaking to you?” And they mostly answer, “Oh that’s easy – anyone with a pulse.” Wrong answer.

Instead ask yourself: “If someone could give me a hundred of one client, who would I want that to be? How old are they? Are they female? Male? Where do they live? What do they do?”

When answering think about it seriously from a few different angles. Who do I make good money from? Who do I love doing business with?

Maybe you could consider your best client right now: Why do you love them? Would you want to duplicate them? Maybe the answer is a combination of a few of your clients. Create that perfect client in your mind. Now write it down.

2. What is their problem?

So what exactly is your client’s problem – the one that you can solve? If you are not sure, think about the biggest problem that your business solves.

You need to be absolutely sure about the problem that you solve.

And you need to be sure that you don’t solve a hundred problems.

If you are making an ad, you need one ad per problem. mb

[ 24 ] april /may 16

If you do happen to solve lots of problems, they should each be in a different ad.

3. How do you help them solve this problem?

Be very careful when answering this one. It is not: “How does one help the client solve their problem?” It is: “How do you help them?”

So this is your absolute point of difference – the thing that you do, that no one else does, or if they do, they don’t do it the way you do because (insert reason).

What exactly is your USP (Unique Selling Point)? That one thing that makes people choose you over the next person doing a similar thing to you. Please don’t tell me it’s your customer service or anything else that I actually expect from anyone doing what you do.

Make sure that it is something that is really going to impress me.

And if you don’t have something, then think of something that you can become famous for.

4. Why should I believe you?

award for what you do? Maybe you and your team have done what you do for a very long time and so have amazing experience. Or maybe you can tell me about some amazing testimonials that you have from some of your previous clients.

But you have to give me a reason to believe that you are going to be able to live up to your promise that you can deliver what you say you are going to.

5. How do you want me to feel?

So when I look at your ad, what feeling would you like me to get?

Happy? Relief? Trust? Fear? That dealing with you will be easy? Get results?

You must have a plan in place for the feeling you want the person seeing your ad to have. For instance, take the well-known AAMI ad. We know before we even pick up the phone that they promise that dealing with them is going to be easy. Or the Insurance ads that make us scared that our family won’t be looked after when we are gone. They most definitely want us to feel fear.

What is your credibility? You have to have some credibility if I am going to believe you.

So whether you are putting something on Facebook, onto a website, into a print advertisement, or even on a brochure or business card, make sure you have been through the five vital marketing questions first to ensure that you maximise your dollar.

It might be your experience? Maybe you have won some kind of

This article first appeared in CCIQ’s online newsletter “The Week” on 25 February, 2015.

Q MAKES BUSS SUPERSTREAM EASY. ACT NOW! All employers with 20 or more employees should now be SuperStream compliant.

Employers with less than 20 employees should now be working to comply with the Government’s SuperStream legislation before the deadline. Don’t delay, take action now.

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Customer focus SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GREAT PLATFORM FOR:

Social media basics for small business Thinking about a social media presence for your business, but don’t know where to start? Our tips for builders and tradies on setting up a social media presence will have you online in no time.

Whether you are a corporate icon or small business, social media is an increasingly important medium that can allow you to quickly, cost effectively and easily boost your profile and engage with customers, without requiring specialist skills or equipment.

Home owners and renovators are notorious for using word of mouth to find a builder or tradie, so creating a social media presence is a great way to take advantage of this.

There are some obvious risks involved with using social media, but it’s easy to avoid or manage these by having the right strategies and processes in place.

And whether you are currently ‘on’ social media or not, your customers may already be talking about you – so you might as well join the conversation.

If you are thinking about dipping your toes in the social media pool, it’s important to choose the right platform and develop a basic social media plan to ensure you manage the opportunities, risks and your online reputation.

Have a plan Be clear on what you want to achieve with a social media presence, your target audience and the kind of page you want to create. Get some inspiration from like-minded businesses or your competitors – see who is doing it well and try to emulate.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all.

Which platform is best?

Managing a large presence across multiple platforms could end up taking a lot of time with not a lot of return, so choose the right platform for you and your business. A good place to start is to consider your customers and join the platform they are using.

In 2016, Facebook remains one of the strongest social media platforms in Australia, so, if you have limited resources, it is a logical place to start.

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[ 26 ] april /may 16



Building stronger relationships with potential and existing customers

  

Attracting new customers Promoting the kind of work you do Finding out what your customers think.

Set up your pages properly Most platforms offer online assistance when setting up your social media presence. If choosing Facebook, ensure you are setting up a company page – don’t create a personal page for your business. You should also have some clear guidelines and Terms & Conditions for users of your page – set these up before you go live.

What to post The research is very clear – social media users do not want an obvious sales pitch, so you need to ensure your posts are interesting, with lots of photographs, tips, stories and humour. Don’t flood your customers’ feeds with just sales campaigns – it’s a sure way to lose followers.

Managing your online reputation Unless you are running a multi-million dollar business, it’s unlikely you’ll need multiple staff to manage your presence. However, you do need to dedicate some time each day to checking in once you’ve set up your page. You should also ensure you have clear social media policies in place for your staff (read more about this in the next edition of Master Builder).

Customer service and support Your customer service approach should extend to your social media platforms and in an online environment, you need to be particularly mindful of responding in a timely fashion to customer feedback (both positive and negative). Negative feedback isn’t always bad.

You can demonstrate to all of your customers how quick you are to respond and offer solutions to problems.

There are plenty of online resources you can access to assist you. The Queensland Government’s website offers tips for getting started with social media, creating a digital strategy for your business and some great case studies to learn from.

Visit www.business.qld.gov.au

Customer focus

Dealing with the media Running a business often means that you will need to contact the media for publicity, or you may even be asked to comment on a specific issue.

In either instance, the key is to be prepared.

If you are contacting the media because you would like some publicity then make sure you have a strong, newsworthy angle.

Just calling them to ask if they would like to “write a story” on your business is not enough.

Items that are newsworthy need to be relevant to the majority of people and the current issues of the day. They also need to be timely, with an element of human interest and something that is unusual or quirky.

It will help if you can offer a photo opportunity to go along with the story.

Do all of the hard work for the journalist

– give them a complete, ready-to-use takeaway story. They will be more likely to use it and you will be able to control the message as much as possible.

If you are drawn into an unfortunate crisis situation and are contacted by the media for comment, there are certain ways in which you should go about dealing with the media so that the situation is not inflamed.

Don’t forget – you cannot say something controversial and then expect to retract it. Decide what it is you want to say and then call them back. But make sure you do so promptly within the allotted timeframe.

Timing is everything.

Always return reporters calls as soon as possible. Getting back to them early gives you a chance to shape the story.

The key to a successful media interview is to control it. This means knowing exactly what you want to say. It also means being prepared. So if a journalist calls you, firstly find out their name, organisation and contact details. Then find out why they have rung you. This will help you understand their motivation and what kind of information they are looking for or want you to say.

Above all, don’t be rude, angry, defensive, or repeat negative emotive language. Don’t get pressured into talking about issues you do not wish to discuss. And don’t say “no comment” – always elaborate on why you can’t comment – for example: “The matter is before the courts,” or “That’s not my area of expertise”.

If they have called you, and you know nothing about the issue or need to do some research first, ask if you can take 10 minutes to collect your thoughts.

Negative media or PR can cost your business, but with a bit of planning and thought, it is easy to manage most scenarios.

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Customer focus

Plan not to fail with Brett Kean, Senior Manager, William Buck Ever laid awake at night thinking about that unpaid debt? Ever wondered why the boss is taking so long to pay you? It is an unfortunate fact for building and construction businesses and contractors that at some point they will almost certainly be impacted by personal cash flow issues, business failure or the failure of a client.

The State Government recently released a discussion paper on Security of Payment. The paper considers potential options to improve the chances of subcontractors being paid following the collapse of the primary contractor.

The aim is to reduce the “ripple effect” that the collapse of prominent companies, like Walton Construction and Carmichael Builders, have previously had on subcontractors; where healthy businesses suffer because of the poor business practices of others.

Why do construction businesses fail? The causes of business failure are diverse and can’t be attributed to any one single factor. The most common causes for business failure include: • Poor financial management and record keeping • Inadequate business cash flows and poor debtor management • Poor economic conditions • The absence of a strategic plan for the business.

When considering the factors around business failure, one of the most significant is the absence of a strategic plan.

Like building a house, you can’t successfully operate a business without a plan. Without a plan, your advisors do not know how to assist you, your staff do not work to their full potential and the positioning of your business in the market place is unclear.

The starting point when creating a strategic plan is to set the vision. This is your medium to long-term goal for the business. Your vision is your flag on the hill – where you would like your business to be.

A strong business needs a clear vision, which is known by the staff, owner and advisors.

For the vision to be relevant, it needs to consider the environment your business operates in. The Queensland building industry is currently enjoying unprecedented levels of dwelling approvals. This should translate to buoyant times for the industry.

Even during such times, businesses need to constantly assess the position of their business and consider: • Opportunities and ways to capitalise upon them • Threats to the business, known and potential •T he strengths of the business, its assets, skill sets and point of difference to competitors • Weaknesses of the business that need to be addressed.

Establishing a vision and considering the environment provides clarity around the operation of your business for you and your advisors.

William Buck is a business advisory firm working in conjunction with Master Builders to assist clients and members in the construction industry to implement systems, formulate plans and monitor their success.

All Master Builders members are entitled to a free consultation to discuss how we can assist with providing clarity to your business and financial affairs. To take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Brett Kean or Richie Hayes on (07) 3229 5100. mb

[ 28 ] april /may 16

Master Builder

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UNDER BUDGET...

Master Builders' members.

Call your nearest Master Builders' Insurance office on 1300 13 13 26, or email insurance@mbqld.com.au A DIVISION OF QUEENSLAND MASTER BUILDERS ASSOCIATION Australian Financial Services Licence No 246834

mbqld.com.au/insurance

Fast turnaround for all documents and claims.

Discounted premiums for

Customer focus

Are your skills up to scratch?

Want to run a better and more profitable business? We offer training courses that can help you with a range of areas within your business.

Here’s a few to get you thinking: 1. Short courses to help you work better with clients: • Resolving Disputes – Learn how to resolve business disputes so you don’t end up in court.

•C onflict Resolution – fine-tune your conflict resolution skills to meet the day-to-day challenges involved with any building project.

• Negotiation Skills – Turn face-to-face confrontation into side-by-side problem solving.

•P ractical Communication Skills – Improve your communication skills to get the most out of your interactions with people.

2. Short courses to help you with the financial side of your business: •M anaging Small Business Finances – Learn how to manage the day-to-day financial requirements of a small business.

• Business Planning for Small Businesses – Get the skills and knowledge to develop financial plans and integrated business plans for your business.

3. Short courses to help you with the operational side of your business: •B usiness Operations and Continuous Improvement – Learn how to operate a small business and set up systems so you don’t make the same mistakes twice.

• Project Quality and Risk – Learn how to assess risk right across your business, and how to get better project outcomes through a holistic approach to decision making.

•P reparing Tenders and Specifications – Learn how to write accurate and detailed tenders and specifications so you get what you want at a real price.

4. Short courses to help you with the technical skills you need to run your business: •E stimating Essentials – Learn how to estimate materials, labour and time requirements so you don’t lose money on a job.

• OH&S Obligations for Builders – Learn how to conduct an OHS risk analysis and inspect workplaces for hazards, to avoid penalties and fines.

•C ontract Management for Builders – Get better at administering contracts for residential and commercial projects to make sure you meet your legal obligations and get paid.

•B uilding Applications and Approvals – Learn how to navigate your way through the building approvals process.

5. Courses to get you the licences you need to operate the different facets of your business: • Business Management for Trade Contractors – The course you need to apply for your trade contractor licence.

•C ertificate IV in Building and Construction (Building) – The course you need to become a low-rise builder.

• Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) – The course you need to become a medium-rise builder.

• Certificate III in Construction Waterproofing – Diversify your income stream, provide better supervision of waterproofing work and reduce risk.

Get the skills to run a better business and enrol in one of these courses by visiting mbqld.com.au/training or by calling our training team on 1300 136 002. mb

[ 30 ] april /may 16

Customer focus

Run a better business with Buildcentre Buildcentre is the latest innovative, web-based job management system that allows builders and tradies to work through the end-to-end build process.

Buildcentre understands the balance between simplicity and functionality – we’ve developed it to help you save time on paperwork and admin, and importantly, improve your professional image to clients.

Here’s the top five ways you can use Buildcentre to make your business run better:

1. Manage opportunities With Buildcentre you can keep everything related to a particular client, all in the one spot. Manage your opportunities seamlessly by gathering client requirements easily, creating preliminary estimates, keeping track of notes and activities and keeping an up-to-date trail of all communications.

Managing all of your opportunities in one spot will give you a birds’ eye view of processing the opportunity and winning a job. It will also keep you across where you need to be spending your time.

2. Increase your brand reach Customise all of your quotes and contracts to reinforce your brand.

Once you’ve uploaded your business logo to your Buildcentre account, you can automatically populate all of the documents you present to your clients with your logo and branding, ensuring your name and brand stays top-of-mind.

3. Manage your entire job, all in one place Manage your processes and systems better, all in the one place.

Buildcentre is a great system for businesses who don’t have an allround system currently in place, and offers a visual and manageable snapshot of your workload.

4. Quotes made simple and easy Buildcentre allows multiple control options when converting an estimate to a client quote, meaning the finished product you’re sending them looks polished and professional.

Plus, prime cost items and provisional sums can be clearly displayed separately, giving your clients greater clarity and understanding.

5. Save time Buildcentre’s simple copy function to create and send multiple quotes for a client means you don’t ever need to start from scratch.

Plus, all of your estimates and contracts can be templated, saving you time and money in the long run.

Buildcentre has been developed by Master Builders, and while it's not the only resource of its kind on the market, it's the only one that's built and backed by an industry association. It gives your documents and processes inferred quality and assurance that customers value.

Developed by industry, for industry, Buildcentre speaks your language and help is never too far away. Our exclusive local support team is on hand, Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm, to provide extensive assistance.

Log on today to see why everyone is talking about Buildcentre and to start your 30-day free trial, at buildcentre.com.au

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Customer focus

The upside of a downturn with Sue Hirst, Director, CFO On-Call If you can ‘keep your cool’ when all around is panic and mayhem you can set up your business not just for survival, but greater profit and cash flow when things improve.

It’s all over the news that business and consumer confidence is low and that Australia and other western economies are having tough times. Money is tight and many business sales are falling.

This is not good news for small to medium enterprises, but it can present a chance to take stock and even get the edge over competitors who don’t treat the situation as an opportunity.

Business owners need to show leadership and retain the confidence of staff and other stakeholders.

Staff morale can be extremely sensitive in tough times, so it’s important to focus on managing the business as well as possible and be honest with staff.

Good staff members can be your best ally in troubled times, if you trust them and get their help in decision making.

SMEs often have an advantage over larger businesses because they are able to act more quickly and decisively. Larger businesses often have office politics and various departments trying to protect their own ‘turf’, whereas SMEs are often more ‘down to earth’.

Having said this though, it can be detrimental to employ ‘slash and burn’ tactics to survive a downturn. By slash and burn tactics I mean indiscriminately cutting costs without really thinking about it strategically and how this might impact the future of the business.

The best place to begin preparing for a downturn is to work towards where you want to be when things pick up again.

Ask yourself these questions: ow do you want to be running your business? E.g. in the •H traditional way you have in the past, or in some other way, perhaps taking advantage of technology or the changing market?

• Is it the right ‘business model’? That is, are there better ways to structure the business?

• What type of customers do you want to work with?

• How will you market your product or service?

• How will you sell your product or service?

•W hat resources will you need to deliver products and services and how will you deliver them?

(Resources include human as well as equipment.)

• Where will you operate your business from?

• What price and cost structure will exist?

• How will your business be funded? Will external funding be required or will it be self-funding?

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[ 32 ] april /may 16

Once you have a picture of your ideal business you can begin to look at the cost of running such a business. A great place to start is with a serious review of your Profit and Loss Statement for a prior period, such as for the year ended 30 June 2015.

When times are good most business owners spend little time worrying about every cent that gets spent. When sales start to fall though, this is the very best place to start.

Begin by looking at direct costs. For example, the cost of products for sale and labour costs. Are there alternatives or better methods of delivering your product or service? How are other businesses doing it?

Perhaps do some online research to see how other businesses are doing things.

How we saved $250,000 per annum Next, work your way through every line item on the Profit and Loss Statement. Time put aside to focus on this issue can be some of the most profitable time you will spend in your business. It may seem tedious, but when every cent is coming out of your pocket as a business owner, believe me, it’s worthwhile.

I went through this exercise myself a couple of years ago and came up with approximately $250,000 per annum worth of savings. I looked at every single item and thought “How can we do this better, more efficiently and more cost effectively?” Lots of self-discipline is necessary and a little sensible ruthlessness as well.

One terrific example is telephone and communication costs. I discovered we were paying eight different service providers.

During analysis I discovered there was a lot of wastage and unnecessary phone lines being paid for. I did some investigation and found a better and cheaper method of communication through a ‘VOIP’ phone system. We needed only a small amount of new equipment costing approximately $700 and the savings have been approximately $1,000 per month.

We did have to shed some staff and this caused a little rockiness for a short while amongst the remaining staff. The staff soon realised though, we were serious about the future survival and profitability of the business. I know they prefer to work for a profitable business, rather than one that is struggling to pay its way with unmotivated management.

The important point to realise in relation to cost savings, is that every dollar saved is a dollar straight onto the bottom line. Whereas every dollar of extra sales may only be a matter of cents onto the bottom line, because a sale carries with it direct costs and overheads.

terms you could get a double whammy of reduced sales and collections at the same time as paying for stock that is taking longer to sell.

All of the above may sound like doomsday stuff, but if you can be realistic and make the tough decisions now, your business will be in a much better position when a downturn ends. Your business will also be in a much better position than competitors who haven’t properly managed the downturn or indeed survived it. When the upturn arrives your business could be even more profitable and valuable.

CFO On-Call are a team of business financial performance advisors throughout Australia and New Zealand, providing significant improvements to business profitability, finding ways to cut costs or streamline systems, and help business owners achieve their personal and wealth goals.

Cash flow also needs serious attention during a downturn. When sales fall it can take a little while for the effects to be felt. If a business is slow to collect payment from customers, the effect of reduced sales may not be felt until actual payment is received.

Stock needs to be more closely managed to ensure only the stock that is required is purchased. If you are purchasing stock on credit

april / may 16 [ 33 ]

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Tradies corner X

Ask an expert with Phil Breeze, Manager of Housing Services Phil works for Master Builders as our Housing Services Manager and is a registered builder.

Since his appointment at Master Builders in 2001, he has assisted countless members in resolving issues of technical and/or contractual related matters.

Here are some common questions he’s been getting from tradies this year: What contract could I use in these instances?

Scenario : I’m renovating a home which involves adding a room on the back of the dwelling with a contract price of $180,000.

Solution : We would recommend a Residential Renovation Contract – Level 2. This contract addresses the issue of site safety for resident owners. It limits owner access to designated construction areas at the site and requires owners to be either supervised by the contractor or their representative at all times.

Scenario: My client wants to add a deck onto the rear of a house with a contract price of $24,000.

Solution: We would recommend the use of a Basic Works Contract. This contract was specifically developed for contractors who undertake work up to the value of $80,000 and do not want to spend a lot of time filling out a huge contract.

Nevertheless don't forget when using this contract (or any other Level 2 contract) if the work is $20,000 or more you must give the owner a Consumer Building Guide before signing the contract and a Commencement Notice within 10 business days of commencing the work on site.

Feedback so far indicates clients like a small contract that is written in plain English and is easy to read and comprehend.

Scenario: Engaging subcontractors on an hourly rate basis.

Solution: Given there is no fixed price or lump sum amount involved and payment will be based on the number of hours worked for an agreed hourly rate we would recommend a Period Subcontract be used.

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[ 34 ] february / march 16

The Period Subcontract with the use of Work Orders offers both parties a greater deal of contractual flexibility and can also assist in lowering contract administration costs. A Work Order signed by the builder can be issued during the term of the Period Subcontract agreement for each separate project the trade contractor performs and includes their agreed schedule of rates e.g. hourly rate and project specific details.

Why do I have to give an owner a commencement notice for residential work where the contract price is $20,000 or more?

Simply put, the new legislation that came into effect in July 2015 requires it. The requirement was seen as a means of helping keep consumers better informed about the progress of the works.

Issues involving timeframes are central to a lot of building disputes. Therefore, the commencement notice can also serve as a basis to help consumers make decisions on extensions of time claims, liquidated damages claims, and ascertaining a date for practical completion.

As we all know time is money in the building industry, keeping clients informed about the progress of the works is also beneficial to contractors because informed clients make timelier decisions.

Got a question for Phil?

Email: askanexpert@mbqld.com.au and you could see the answer in the next Tradies corner.

Firstly, members can contact Master Builders to arrange a “Without Prejudice Meeting” (WPM). WPMs are commonly held at a Master Builders' office convenient to both parties. These meetings are free to members and their clients.

Alternatively, the contractor can lodge an Early Dispute Resolution notice with the QBCC and have them mediate on the matter.

How do I get my money if a home owner will not pay?

Finally, if these options fail, a contractor can apply to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) to have their matter heard. Master Builders can also arrange for members to receive some initial free legal advice from our expert panel of construction lawyers.

Contractors involved in a residential building payment dispute have several options available to them.

Members wanting more information about the WPM process and the free legal advice service should contact their nearest Master Builders' office.

Tradies corner X

Tradie profile BRAD NAIRN – MANLY CONCRETE I love my job because… Every day is a challenge and the harder I work the more rewarding the outcomes can be.

Some of my favourite/most recent projects include… Brisbane Supreme Courts, the University of Queensland Oral Health facilities, QEII Hospital in Brisbane and Hervey Bay Shopping Centre.

What sets me apart from my

I currently work as…

Managing Director and Shareholder of Manly Concrete in Brisbane.

competitors is… We establish exactly what the client expects from the finished product.

My first job was…A two-way radio

If I wasn’t a concretor I would be….

mechanic. I realised very quickly there was no money in fixing radios. I finished my apprenticeship and left the industry after six months of being a tradesman.

A very poor golfer. With a handicap of 12 I don’t think I would make any money.

In my spare time… I spend time with my family and play bad golf.

I am a Master Builders'member because…They can assist our business in

every manner – everything from marketing to contractual matters.

The benefits of being a member that I use include… I have found over the

years that the insurance provided by Master Builders is the best and most affordable in the industry. We have checked the pricing on many occasions and Master Builders always has the best policies and pricing.

The assistance they have provided over the years in regards to HR and IR matters has also been invaluable to our business.

I would spend my last $100 on…

My darling wife and family (I know, pretty corny). I would ask for their permission to have $50 each way on the last top weight in Brisbane.

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Building & planning

Using the right external wall cladding?

In November 2014 a fire broke out in the 23-storey Lacrosse building in Melbourne, which spread so rapidly it required the evacuation of all residents from the building.

The Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade, working with the CSIRO, subsequently identified that the rapid spread of the fire was attributed to the non-compliant use of the building’s external cladding material.

The Victorian Building Authority went on to undertake an audit of the external cladding material in 170 high rise residential and public buildings in central Melbourne and surrounds.

The findings from the audit were:  The level of non-compliance identified (51 per cent) was too high. T he process for determining whether a specific external cladding product is fit-for-purpose is not always properly understood by architects, designers, engineers, building surveyors and builders. T he BCA requirements for external walls are inconsistently applied and poorly understood.

The National Building Ministers’ Forum, concerned by the audit’s findings, have tasked the ABCB with the job of looking at “measures to address the risks associated with cladding in high-rise buildings”.

Further, the Ministers requested the ABCB to develop additional actions to address the misuse of building products more generally, specifically a review of the National Construction Code related to highrisk building products.

What should you do?

1. R ead the Victorian Building Authority’s Industry Alert for External walls which clarifies where aluminium composite materials (ACP’s) and other combustible material may be used in the construction of external walls.

Visit www.vba.vic.gov.au to access the alert.

2. C heck your systems and processes to ensure that you are seeking appropriate ‘evidence of suitability’ for building products and materials, that the evidence is both current and relevant to how and where you intend to use the product and is appropriately recorded.

Visit www.mbqld.com.au/nonconformingproducts to check for evidence of suitability.

3. R efer to the Guidelines: For inspection of class 2 to 9 buildings for a risk assessment approach to scheduling and documenting inspections to best ensure compliance with the NCC, enabling the certifier to meet their responsibilities under Building Act. Visit www.hpw.qld.gov.au to read the guidelines.

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Problems with your window gaskets?

Did you know that Australian Standard AS 2047 – 2014 Windows and External Glazed Doors in Buildings provides window designers and manufacturers with a generic requirement for windows in buildings?

All materials used must be compatible with components and hardware, and associated materials and finishes. They must also be durable and suitable for the environmental conditions of the site.

Window gaskets used to seal glazing are available in a variety of material compositions, such as, but not limited to, PVC, neoprene and santoprene. Weathering of these materials may occur in atmospheric environments when they are incompatible with the environment or other window assembly materials.

Unfortunately AS 2047 does not provide any guidance for the material properties and use of window gaskets.

Master Builders has noted that window gasket failures can occur when used in an exposed external location. Rectifying extensive water ingress to buildings is expensive and the consequential damage claims are substantial.

We suggest contractors always seek confirmation in writing from the window manufacturer, supplier and/or installation subcontractor to confirm that a suitable gasket material will be used for the project.

There should be a clear understanding that the proposed gasket material will be resilient, durable and fit for purpose for each project, dependent on the exposure and atmospheric conditions.

For more information call Master Builders’ technical team on (07) 3225 6419 or email technical@mbqld.com.au

Laws, codes & regulations

Is your two-way radio an outlaw?

Two-way radios can be found on most construction sites around Australia. The vital communications they provide help keep you and your workers safe but they need to be operated legally.

It’s your responsibility to understand and meet the restrictions of the licence you’re operating the two-way radio under. Otherwise you run the risk of operating a two-way radio in a manner that is not authorised by the licence.

The consequences of operating an unlicensed two-way radio may be serious. There’s a risk that another radiocommunications service could interfere with that two-way radio, meaning your two-way radio might not always work the way you want. This can also affect safety on worksites.

As an employer, you should ensure that your radios are legally operated. By doing this you could stop a serious workplace accident or even save someone’s life.

Under the Radiocommunications Act 1992 (the Act), every radiocommunications device must be authorised for operation by a spectrum licence, an apparatus licence, or a class licence.

acma acma

You could also interfere with someone else’s radio or another radiocommunications service. This could significantly impact their operations.

IS YOUR IS YOUR A two-way radio must be authorised to be operated under:

TWO-WAY RADIO The consequences for operating an unlicensed two-wayacma.gov.au radio may be serious. This is because there is a range of civil and criminal penalties under the Act that could apply in relation to the operation of an unlicensed radiocommunications device, or possessing an unlicensed radiocommunications device. You may also be subject to civil liability or litigation from a third-party where your possession or operation of the unlicensed two-way radio causes loss or interferes with that party’s radio or a radiocommunications service.

 A class licence for the citizen band (more commonly known as CB radio)  A land mobile licence belonging to your company

AN AN OUTLAW? OUTLAW?

IS YOUR

 Someone’s land mobile licence where that person has provided you with written authorisation.

TWO-WAY RADIO

Your Your use use of of the the frequency frequency (channel) (channel) on on your your two-way two-way radio radio must must licensed licensed … … it’s it’s the the Iflaw! law! you don’t know the details, don’tAN risk it.

Check with your radio OUTLAW?

So, no matter how you intend to buy your two-way radios, you must have the necessary licensing requirements sorted when you are purchasing or renting two-way radios. It’s the law.

supplier or contact the ACMA on 1300 850 115.

Communication companies who supplyYour two-way radios on bought(channel) If use you’ve orthis rented aadvice radio with the frequencies pre-programmed use of for the frequency on your two-way radio must be If you’ve bought or rented a radio the frequencies pre-programmed Disclaimer: is not legal and with should not be relied upon as such.

Independent worksites will often have pre-programmed frequencies into theseto use intend the supplier’s licence to operate the radio, you legal advice pertaining to your individual circumstances should be sought where licensed … it’s the law! intendand to use the supplier’s licence to operate the radio, you MUST MUST have have radios. These frequencies are generally licensed to that supplier required or appropriate. written authorisation. cannot be operated under any class licence issued by thewritten Australianauthorisation.

If you’ve bought or rented a radio with the frequencies pre-programmed and Communications and Media Authority. intend to use the supplier’s licence to operate the radio, you MUST have their

You know: written authorisation.

You should should know:

If you’ve bought or rented a radio with the frequencies pre-programmed and intend to use the supplier’s licence operateknow: the radio, you MUST have their written authorisation.

Youtoshould

YOU SHOULD KNOW:

The frequencies frequencies The you’re allowed The frequencies you’re allowed to to use use you’re allowed to use

The The duration duration of of the the

Any The Any other other conditi conditi The location location you’re you’re that must be m Any other to in to operate operate inconditions that must be m

authorisation The duration of the The locationallowed you’re authorisation allowed authorisation allowed to operate in

that must be met

IF YOU DON’T KNOW DETAILS, DON’T IF YOU KNOW THE THE DETAILS, DON’T RISK IT, RISK IF YOUDON’T DON’T KNOW THE DETAILS, DON’T RISK IT, IT, SUPPLIER. ASK YOUR ASK YOUR YOUR SUPPLIER. ASK As well as damaging your reputation, unlicensed operation means your

As well damaging your reputation, unlicensed company could be fined or taken to court. More importantly,operation using an means As well as as damaging your reputation, unlicensed operation means your your unlicensed radio may be dangerous to you and those around you. company could be fined or taken to court.

More importantly, company could be fined or taken to court. More importantly, using using an an unlicensed unlicensed radio radio may may be be dangerous dangerous to to you you and and those those around around you. you.

IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP YOU IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO AND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU SAFE. IT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP KEEP

YOU YOU

AND THE PEOPLE AROUND SAFE. AND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU Check with the radio supplier YOU or contact the ACMA 1300 850 115

@

info@acma.gov.au

mb Check ACM Check with with the the radio radio supplier supplier or or contact contact the the ACM april / may 16 [ 37 ]

Laws, codes & regulations

Fairer contracts for small business Late last year, the Federal Government passed the Treasury Legislation Amendment (Small Business and Unfair Contract Terms) Bill 2015, which amends both Australian Consumer Law and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act 2001 (Cth) to extend unfair contract term protections to small businesses.

These reforms are set to have a significant practical impact on the way in which businesses contract with each other when one or more of the contracting parties is, or might be considered to be, a small business.

The new laws will take effect in November 2016, and the Consumer and Competition Commission will be reviewing contracts to make sure they are compliant during the transition period leading up to this.

Unfair contract protections for small business people The new laws ban unfair contract clauses for small businesses, with a contract considered a small business contract if: a) A t the time the contract is entered into, at least one party to the contract is a business that employs fewer than 20 persons; and b) E ither of the following applies:

i. T he upfront price payable under the contract does not exceed $300,000;

ii. T he contract has a duration of more than 12 months and the upfront price payable under the contract does not exceed $1,000,000.

The laws embed or codify the ‘structural’ principles of commercial contract in statute. They ensure that standard form contracts have a measure of power balance, such that they engender contract trust. Basically, the contracts have integrity.

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[ 38 ] april /may 16

The laws make it clear that a contract is unfair if it gives one party, but not the other, the ability to:  Avoid or limit the performance of the contract.  Terminate the contract.  A pply penalties against the other party for a breach or termination of the contract.  Vary the terms of the contract.  Renew or not renew the contract.  V ary the price payable under the contract without the right of the other party to terminate the contract.  U nilaterally vary the characteristics of the goods or services to be supplied under the contract.  U nilaterally determine whether the contract has been breached or to interpret its meaning. imit one party’s vicarious liability for its agents.  L  P ermit one party to assign the contract to the other party’s detriment without their consent.  L imit one party’s right to sue the other party.  L imit the evidence one party can adduce in legal proceedings in respect to the contract.  I mpose the evidential burden on one party in legal proceedings in respect to the contract.

If a standard form contract has clauses like this the clauses are ‘null and void’ and have no force at law.

Note: The laws do not cover the price of a contract or the actual tasks to be done under a contract.

For more information call Master Builders’ technical team on (07) 3225 6419 or email technical@mbqld.com.au

Laws, codes & regulations

QBCC legislative amendments Amendments, which were expected to come into effect on 1 April 2016, aim to simplify a number of licensing requirements for QBCC licensees.

The amendments include: A pplicants for trade licence classes (other than for building design, hydraulic services design and fire classes) will no longer be required to demonstrate experience. Applicants for builder classes of licence will still need to meet experience requirements. P rovisional plumbers and drainers no longer need to complete additional post-trade courses to upgrade to an open plumber or drainer licence. To upgrade, the licensee will simply have to demonstrate they have completed 12 months’ of relevant trade experience. The post-trade courses will still be required to obtain a trade contractor or nominee supervisor licence. B uilder Restricted to Swimming Pool class will be omitted from the legislation. Current licensees will be transitioned to a full Swimming Pool Construction, Installation and Maintenance (SPIM) licence class upon renewal. All new applicants, and applications underway, will get the full SPIM class.

SWITCH

M anagement qualification for trade licence classes will be replaced by the one unit – BSBSMB401.  Technical requirements for licensing will be removed from the QBCC Regulation and placed in a Technical Qualifications Document which will be administered by the Department of Housing and Public Works.

The QBCC Acting Commissioner, Kellie Lowe, said a further amendment that recently came into effect allows pool owners to replace a pool fence without building approval, provided that a pool safety inspector is engaged prior to work commencing.

“An exception is when other building assessment provisions apply, for example, where the pool barrier is also a balustrade or supports another structure,” she said.

For more information call the QBCC 24/7 on 139 333 or visit qbcc.qld.gov.au

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Employment & wages

Don’t hire to fire with Mikki Richardson, Senior Advisor Workplace Relations Most of us don’t employ someone with the intention of firing them. However, unfortunately for a myriad of reasons an employment relationship may become untenable and you may have to make a decision regarding an employee’s future with your business.

Before you make that decision, keep reading.

Who can make an unfair dismissal application?

A person who: 

Has completed their minimum employment period (six months for employers with more than 15 workers or 12 months for employers with less than 15 workers); and



 I s covered by an Enterprise Agreement; or

Is covered by a Modern Award; or



as an annual salary less than the H high income threshold (currently $136,700)

Then the person will be protected from unfair dismissal and can make an application to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for a remedy (either reinstatement or financial compensation) should they believe they have been unfairly terminated.

follow in the lead up to the termination is just as important as your reason for making the decision.

Master Builders’ workplace relations team deals with performance management and termination queries on a daily basis.

What should I do if I have an employee who is not performing and I want to terminate them?

Every scenario can be different so please contact us on (07) 3225 6407 or workplacerelations@mbqld.com.au to discuss any questions or concerns you may have unique to your business.

If an employee is being terminated for poor performance the FWC will consider whether the employee had received prior warning(s) regarding their performance, including specific areas for improvement. Any such warning should be in writing and make the employee aware that future unsatisfactory performance may potentially result in the termination of their employment.

There is no legislative requirement regarding the number of warnings that must be issued prior to termination, however an employer must be able to illustrate that the employee was made aware of performance concerns and was provided a reasonable opportunity to improve.

If you’re going to terminate an employee, make sure you’ve ticked the following things off first: 

When is a dismissal unfair?

A dismissal is deemed ‘unfair’ if: 

The person has been dismissed



The dismissal was harsh, unjust

OR unreasonable



he dismissal was not consistent with T the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code, and



he dismissal was not a case of genuine T redundancy.

There must always be a valid reason for termination, however this must be able to be defended based on a robust investigation process and evidence gathered, not just ‘gut feel’ or perception.

It is important to remember that whilst there may be a valid reason for termination, it does not necessarily mean that the termination was fair, so the process that you mb

[ 40 ] april /may 16

A n employee must be made aware of any issues/allegations regarding their performance and be provided an opportunity to respond PRIOR to a decision being made

 A n employee has a right to bring a support person to any meeting that may result in their termination and/or disciplinary action In most circumstances an employee must  be provided an opportunity to improve their performance (some exceptions for serious misconduct) Before taking action consideration  should be given to how other employees have been treated in similar circumstances, the employee’s work history and prior warnings 

Ensure the punishment ‘fits’ the crime.

Where can I go for more help?

Get the info from the horse’s mouth Master Builders' workplace relations team is running a series of member workshops on Managing Poor Performance and Terminations across Queensland during April and May. The workshop will help you understand your obligations in relation to addressing performance issues, operational changes and/or terminations and will provide a practical overview of current legislation and your obligations as an employer.

We'll cover:       

ffectively managing E probationary periods Addressing performance

issues with your staff Dealing with terminations

Consultation obligations with regard to workplace change Redundancy

Unfair dismissal applications

General protections/adverse

action applications.

For further information or to enrol in this workshop call 1300 136 002 or visit mbqld.com.au/training to register online.

Employment & wages

Drug and alcohol testing on Federal Code projects with Martin Belfield, Manager Workplace Relations If you deliver Commonwealthfunded projects, here’s what you need to know about mandatory drug and alcohol testing and your obligations.

Changes have been made to the Building Code 2013 that now require contractors to have a comprehensive policy for managing drug and alcohol issues in the workplace.

This now includes mandatory drug and alcohol testing on Commonwealth-funded projects that fall under the Building Code.* In line with the amendments, from 1 February 2016, all contractors on Code projects* are required to commence and implement a workplace health and safety management plan that incorporates drug and alcohol testing. The Code does not apply to any private projects or state government projects that are not funded by the Commonwealth Government.

A few things to remember:

After analysis of documentation and any interviews undertaken during the site audit, FWBC investigators will write to the company with the audit outcome.

•A ny policy you put in place must include arrangements for training and education, counselling and employee assistance.

•T he Code fitness for work policy and testing standards should be consistently enforced on-site through contract condition.

•T he policy must outline the use of objective testing methods to detect the presence of drugs or alcohol in a worker's system and outline which detection method is to be used on the project (i.e. oral and/or urine testing).

Thresholds – positive tests The thresholds for a positive test are as follows: Alcohol

Zero-reading

Designated drugs

Impairment levels under the relevant Australian Standard

In the event that issues/breaches are identified, correspondence will be sent to the company outlining the issues or alleged breaches and seeking the company’s response with an opportunity (where possible) for the matter to be rectified (FWBC has advised that on some occasions breaches that are considered to be of a serious nature cannot be voluntarily rectified).

Master Builders has prepared a Fitness for Work – Drug and Alcohol Management Policy that complies with the Code and is available for members. Call (07) 3225 6407 for more information or to request a copy.

For more information on drug and alcohol testing under the Building Code, visit FWBC’s website at www.fwbc.gov.au/ building-code/drug-and-alcohol-testingunder-building-code-2013

On Code projects, principal contractors must have a fitness for work policy to manage alcohol and drugs in the workplace, which includes random (at least monthly) self and for-cause testing.

Policy auditing

Anyone engaged to perform building work on site is subject to testing. This includes employees of the principal contractor, employees of the subcontractors and ‘other persons’ who are on the site in order to perform building work.

Fair Work Building & Construction (FWBC) have advised that investigators will also take a copy of the fitness for work policy and will check the substance of the plan against the requirements of the Building Code.

*The Code applies to government construction projects that receive more than $10 million in Federal Government funding (or if partially federally funded, at least $5 million where this represents at least 50 per cent of the total construction project value.)

WE UNDERSTAND YOU BUSINESS ADVISORS YOU CAN COUNT ON IN THE BUILDING & CONTRUCTION INDUSTRY CONTACT WILLIAM BUCK FOR A CONFIDENTIAL & COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION

(07) 3229 5100 Brett.Kean@williambuck.com Richie.Hayes@williambuck.com

- Strategic Business Planning - Personal/ Business Tax Services - QBCC Reporting Requirements - Cloud Accounting - Investment Structures - Retirement Planning

april / may 16 [ 41 ]

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Employment & wages

Know who is a ‘worker’ for WorkCover

WorkCover use the ATO guidelines and tools to determine who should be covered for workers’ compensation.

After using the online tool, employers MUST keep a copy of the determination as a record.

with Dean Cameron, Workplace Relations Principle Advisor It is important to fully understand who is a ‘worker’ for the workers compensation and rehabilitation scheme in Queensland.

The current definition, introduced in 2013, was a significant improvement for the industry and aligned with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) definition of employee/contractor. The definition of worker is: “A person who works under a contract and, in relation to the work, is an employee for the purpose of assessment for PAYG withholding under the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (Cwlth), schedule 1, part 2–5.”

This applies to a person for whom PAYG (pay as you go) tax installments are required or would be required to be withheld by their employer.

ATO guidelines & tools The ATO website provides guidelines for determining employee/ contractor status. WorkCover will use the ATO guidelines and tools to determine who should be covered for workers’ compensation.

After using the online tool, employers MUST keep a copy of the determination as a record.

You should take reasonable care when using the ATO decision tools to identify who is/is not a worker. For example, the relationship between an employer and an individual may change over time and accordingly, care needs to be taken that any changes are reflected in the wages declared to WorkCover.

The ATO decision tool – building and construction industry – employee/contractor decision tool – is a complex decision tool with significant anomalies. As such, we encourage members to maintain a default minimum policy with WorkCover Queensland at all times to prevent being uninsured.

Examples for working on-site in the building and construction industry include: Examples for working on-site in the building and construction industry Bricklayer on $32 an hour, labour only, on ABN, without a contract.

Included as a worker subject to the ATO decision tool check Included

Bricklayer gang of three workers organised by a person in business on a rate per thousand blocks, with a contract.

A carpenter working directly for a builder may charge $38 per hour for majority labour only and no contract.

Excluded not as a worker subject to the ATO decision tool check

Excluded Included

A carpenter in business with an apprentice and a contract.

Excluded

Excavator or concrete pump operators are in business supplying labour and machinery.

Excluded

Two tilers in partnership working for a builder are in business with a contract.

Excluded

A cleaner working for a builder under an ABN to clean new homes, with no contract and not working for others.

Included

A building consultant providing inspection services to many builders who are in business.

Excluded

A sediment control barrier installer supplying labour, machinery and materials, who are in business.

Excluded

A plasterer or painter working under an ABN for a plastering or painting contractor on labour only with no quotes or contracts.

Included

A concreter or steelfixer working under an ABN for a subcontractor on labour only as part of a gang.

Included

For more information, contact Master Builders on (07) 3225 6407 or email workplacerelations@mbqld.com.au mb

[ 42 ] april /may 16

Employment & wages

IR made easy, with Mikki The workplace relations landscape can be very complex and Master Builders’ workplace relations team answers thousands of members’ questions each year.

Here are some of the more common ones, answered by our in-house expert, Senior Workplace Relations Advisor, Mikki Richardson.

My employee wants to work on an upcoming public holiday. What should I know?

An employer and employee can agree to substitute public holidays in lieu of an alternate day off, however there are a couple of things you should know before deciding if this is appropriate for your business.

Under the Trading (Allowable Hours) Act 1990 there are certain days known as ‘closed days’ where work is not permitted to be undertaken. These days include Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day, Labour Day and Christmas Day. Work on public holidays other than these days can be undertaken upon agreement, however your local council may enforce noise restrictions – for example, no audible noise may be made on a public holiday in the Brisbane city council area.

Do I have to pay an employee leave loading?

Can I engage/provide unpaid work experience during school holidays?

Leaving loading is an additional benefit under Modern Awards that full-time and part-time employees receive when taking a period of annual leave.

School or government-sponsored programs are an acceptable way for students to get work experience, but outside of that all work undertaken by school-aged students or any other person must be paid work.

An employer and an individual employee may agree through an individual flexibility agreement to incorporate the 17.5 per cent leave loading into an above award hourly rate, however the effect of this agreement must result in the employee being ‘better off overall’ when compared to his/her entitlements prior to entering the arrangement.

Award-free employees do not have an entitlement to leave loading unless it is expressly noted as a term of their employment contract.

Unless the work experience is through a structured and approved training program, or organised through a school, TAFE or university, every worker must be paid the correct wages and allowances under the relevant Award for the work that they do.

As every scenario is different, please contact the workplace relations team on (07) 3225 6407 or workplacerelations@mbqld.com.au to discuss any questions or concerns you may have unique to your business.

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february april / march / may 16 [ 43 ]

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Health, safety & environment

Jason’s Story

encourages construction workers to speak up A recently released work safety film named Jason’s Story aims to encourage all workers, especially younger and less experienced ones, to speak up if they feel something is not right or unsafe at their workplace.

Jason’s Story recounts the events leading up to and following the tragic electrocution of easy going, fun-loving, 20-year-old, Jason Garrels, at a Clermont construction site in 2012. The story delves into the impact his death has had on his family, friends and work mates.

Jason’s parents, Michael and Lee Garrels, have worked tirelessly campaigning to prevent further workplace tragedies. Not only are they lending support to those affected by these workplace tragedies, they’re raising the issue with key stakeholders and decision makers.

Produced by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, the short film targets young workers and their employers in a bid to cut deaths and injuries on construction sites, and was recently launched by the Minister for Industrial Relations, Grace Grace.

Michael still can’t believe Jason had only been on the job for nine days when tragedy struck.

“Jason’s Story takes a confronting, very honest look into the heartache of losing a son and a mate to a preventable workplace incident,” Ms Grace said.

“It raises awareness about the importance of work safety and the need for effective communication between the various subcontractors on construction sites.”

It’s hoped this film will go a long way to preventing deaths and injuries at construction worksites not only in this state, but also much further afield.

“It looks at why there has to be appropriate supervision and supportive mentoring for young workers in any industry,” she said.

“This tragedy could’ve easily been avoided, but instead it’s impacted on the lives of Jason’s family, friends and colleagues.”

“It’s hard to get a break mentally, you can’t stop thinking about the “what ifs.” He never even got a pay cheque,” Michael said.

A senior nurse educator at Clermont at the time, Lee was called to the hospital following the accident only to find out the person who had been electrocuted was her son, Jason.

“I had said to Jason prior to the tragedy that if it’s dodgy it is not worth your life and he said ‘it’s going to be ok, Mum, they’re gonna fix it up.’

But they never did,” Lee emotionally recalls.

Michael has since become a driving force in the Interim Consultative Committee for Work-related Fatalities and Serious Incidents which was established to ensure an ongoing forum for injured workers and families affected by workplace tragedies.

“I joined this group to empower and give other people affected by workplace tragedy a voice and help them through the path to reach the right government departments,” he said.

The people on the committee have all experienced firsthand the added anguish that comes from dealing with the authorities and the court system while grappling with the trauma of losing a loved one.

“Through this Committee, we are seeking to make the aftermath of these tragic incidents as least harrowing as is possible under the circumstances,” Ms Grace said.

“But it would be far better that nobody has to go through this heartache in the first place, so we are also working with the construction industry to prevent these injuries and fatalities.

“This means targeting site supervisors and managers because they are best placed to influence the development of positive safety attitudes and behaviours in young workers.”

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland statistics show there are more than 16,000 young workers aged 15-24 in the Queensland construction industry alone – and they are the state’s future.

According to WHSQ’s stats, on average about 600 suffer a serious work-related injury annually, and tragically some will lose their life in incidents that could easily have been avoided.

Jason’s Story has already made a huge impact, not only in Queensland but Australiawide, and as far afield as Canada and Spain.

In fact, in the 48 hours following the launch, Jason’s Story had been viewed more than 11,500 times and received many positive comments on social media.

View Jason’s Story at worksafe.qld. gov.au/forms-and-resources/films/ jasons-story Jason’s Story is also available on DVD. Order your copy by sending your details to safe@justice.qld.gov.au mb

[ 44 ] april /may 16

Health, safety & environment

Dangers of vibrating tools and machinery Vibration from using power tools and other vibrating machinery can lead to the dangerous condition of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) which, if left untreated, can potentially require the amputation of the fingers or hand.

Reducing vibration exposure and/ or duration of use reduces the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

What is hand–arm vibration?

Hand–arm vibration (HAV) is vibration transmitted to the hand and arm during the operation of hand-held power tools and hand-guided equipment, or holding materials being processed by machines.

According to Safe Work Australia, hand– arm vibration is commonly experienced by workers who regularly use tools such as jackhammers, chainsaws, grinders, drills, riveters and impact wrenches. The longer a worker using tools is exposed to HAV, the greater the risk of developing HAVS. HAVS is a grouping of specific disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, ‘tennis elbow’ and painful ‘vibration white finger’ – when the fingers go white, usually triggered by years of exposure to vibration and prompted by cold conditions. Symptoms may include tingling and numbness in the fingers, loss of strength or pain in the hands or arms.

Safe Work Australia states that these symptoms occur because exposure to vibration can cause “disrupted circulation in the hand and forearm and/or damage to nerves and tendons, muscles, bones and joints of the hand and arm.”

Damage caused by excessive exposure to vibration is irreversible, but is preventable with simple and cost effective measures.

Eliminating or reducing exposure to vibration is the most efficient and effective way of controlling exposure, while health surveillance is vital to detect and respond to early signs of damage. Inaction can potentially result in significant costs to both employers and employees.

While there are no mandatory exposure levels in Australia, workers and their

employers can be led by European mandatory requirements recommending that daily vibration exposure should remain below 2.5 m/s2 averaged over an eight hour day and never more than 5 m/s2 over an 8 hour day.

Reducing harmful exposure For best practice risk management, elimination of the use of vibrating tools and machinery in the workplace is the best way to control the risk of HAV. However; it is unlikely that in most cases this can occur, in such situations working down the hierarchy of control will allow the most suitable controls to be implemented.

These measures need to be accompanied by training, education and supervision including advice on good work practices and tool maintenance, the effects of individual factors (e.g. smoking and some medications may impact on circulation and vibration white finger), as well as recognising and reporting symptoms of HAVS.

Minimising exposure to HAV usually involves isolating or cushioning methods.

Workers should be consulted and involved in setting priorities and identifying solutions, including the selection and trialling of new powered hand-tools.

Successful HAV exposure reduction usually requires a combination of control measures.

Such measures, listed in order of priority include: •U sing alternative methods or processes to eliminate the need to use vibrating hand-held tools •S ubstituting tools with low vibration emission levels to minimise exposure to vibration • Modifying existing tools to engineer change to either minimise the vibration or prevent the vibration from moving into the handle of the tool •D irecting cold air away from the worker’s hand aintaining equipment regularly to •M minimise vibration •M odifying work methods to reduce exposure to vibration ltering work practices and the way •A work is organised to reduce exposure to vibration april / may 16 [ 45 ]

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Projects

New Sunshine Coast CBD to deliver major jobs boost expansion of the Sunshine Coast Airport, the Construction has officially begun new city centre at Maroochydore will ensure on a new central business district we are rising to the challenge of growth, with for the Sunshine Coast, which a clear focus on jobs. is forecast to create more than 30,000 permanent jobs in the region “The Sunshine Coast population has risen from 65,000 to 335,800 in the past 40 years by 2040 and provide a $5.9 billion and by 2040, well over half a million people boost to the Queensland economy are likely to call the region home.” over the project’s 20-year life.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk turned the first sod on the prime 53-hectare SunCentral Maroochydore development site, which promises to showcase excellence in urban design, technology and innovation, including some Australian firsts, such as automatic waste collection.

SunCentral Maroochydore’s Chief Executive Officer, John Knaggs, said the unique development represented a coming of age for the region.

“The Sunshine Coast is already the second highest performing regional economy in Queensland and the fifth highest nationally,” Mr Knaggs said.

“With the $1.8 billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital due for completion at the end of this year, along with the planned mb

[ 46 ] april /may 16

The Council-owned land would deliver more than $300 million in public space and infrastructure to the people of the Sunshine Coast.

Sunshine Coast Mayor, Mark Jamieson, said the site on the former Horton Park Golf Club would be transformed over the next two decades to include commercial buildings, destination retail outlets, a premium hotel, civic facilities and an exhibition, convention and entertainment centre, with 40 per cent of the new city centre site dedicated to waterways and parkland.

“Applying our smart city framework – which includes digital solutions for the management of street lighting, car parking, water, power and signage that is detected by smartphones and other technologies, and where rubbish bins are emptied via automated underground tubes means SunCentral Maroochydore will become a nation-leading destination for innovative businesses.

“Importantly, given its significance to the Sunshine Coast, this is a project owned by the community. Independent expert analysis suggests our new city centre will grow our local economy by $4.4 billion over the life of the project.”

SunCentral Maroochydore’s CEO said the project was vital to preventing urban sprawl on the Sunshine Coast and would deliver a viable commercial hub, public recreational facilities and an interconnected city.

“This is Australia’s only greenfield CBD within “Urban sprawl has been a challenge on the an existing urban area, which provides us Sunshine Coast for decades and SunCentral with the opportunity to build from scratch, Maroochydore is about consolidating future a city centre that is able to meet the needs development and delivering an outstanding of people both now and in the future,” Mayor city centre, ” Mr Knaggs said.

Jamieson said.

SunCentral Maroochydore

Fast facts

BACKGROUND •S unCentral Maroochydore Pty Ltd was established by the Sunshine Coast Council in March 2015.

•T he 53-hectare site was declared a Priority Development Area by the State Government in July 2013.

•T he Council established SunCentral Maroochydore Pty Ltd to oversee development of the site.

•T he new city centre is needed to meet the demands of Australia’s fastest growing region.

• It is located 10 minutes from Sunshine Coast Airport.

URBAN DESIGN

“The State Government has already designated a rail corridor into the heart of Maroochydore which would improve transport to the city, and light rail proposals by Council will service the city centre in future years.

“There will also be a focus on active transport in the new city – walking and cycling – and public transport, rather than private vehicles.”

One of the first local businesses to benefit from the project is Shadforth Civil Contractors, who was awarded the seven figure tender for the first phase of bulk earthworks on the northern end of the site.

“We are no doubt the first of many local business people to feel the uplift SunCentral Maroochydore will bring to the region,” Director Ray Shadforth said.

Economic and Employment Benefits

•P rime commercial office space, exclusive retail, an entertainment and convention centre, a premium hotel and recreational spaces.

• More than 40 per cent of the site will be parklands and waterways.

•A rail corridor into Maroochydore is already designated by the State Government.

• Potential for light rail to connect Caloundra, Kawana and Mooloolaba with Maroochydore’s new CBD. • 150,000m² commercial gross floor area, 65,000m² retail gross floor area and 1,950 residential apartments.

• Preliminary construction on stage 1 started February 2016.

Creating 5,000 jobs by 2020, 15,000 jobs by 2025 and more than 30,000 jobs by 2040.

TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Expected to value-add more than $350 million to the state’s economy in the next five years.

•A range of “smart city” innovations, such as smart lighting and signage and technology that assists parking, traffic management and provides real time information for public transport.

Provide an estimated $4.4 billion boost to the Sunshine Coast economy and $5.9 billion boost to the Queensland economy over the life of the project.

lans for Australia’s first underground •P pneumatic waste system.

•H igh-speed fibre optic digital connections.

•E nvironmentally sustainable building design.

april / may 16 [ 47 ]

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X Regional profile

$1,863 per month

MEDIAN MORTGAGE REPAYMENT

North Queensland Boasting reef and outback, rainforest and grasslands, North Queensland is the northern part of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland.

Its distinctive regional character and identity is epitomised in its largest urban centre, Townsville, which is regarded as its unofficial capital. It is home to a major seaport, which handles exports from mines in Mount Isa and cattle exports from coastal and inland areas.

$345,000

MEDIAN DWELLING PRICE

$397,500

MEDIAN NEW HOUSE PRICE

$33,115

MEDIAN PERSONAL INCOME

$79,528

Extending as far south as Ayr and Burdekin, north to Ingham, and west to Charters Towers, Mt Isa and Cloncurry, North Queensland is home to an active base of more than 500 Master Builders’ members.

MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME

Number of new dwellings approved – North Queensland

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE REGION

8.2%

10,067

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS EMPLOYED IN REGION

970

NEW HOUSES APPROVED IN THE REGION OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS mb

[ 48 ] april /may 16

Source: Queensland Government Statistician’s Office

Melissa Coulter North Queensland Regional Manager

economy with a $1.49 billion investment and 139 construction jobs created.

Despite a struggle with the investment mining downturn and reduced government spending, along with the western areas of the region continuing to battle the effects of drought, in the longer – term confidence could be bolstered with several projects the region has on the horizon.

The exciting Townsville City Waterfront Priority Development Area (PDA) will bring a breath of fresh air to the city, while the Townsville Port Expansion, if approved, would be a significant shot in the arm for the

Following on from the success of last year’s NRL Grand Final win by the North Queensland Cowboys, the Queensland Government has earmarked up to $100 million to support the development of the proposed North Queensland Stadium in Townsville.

A 25,000 seat best-practice regional stadium has been identified as the preferred option. This design is considered to offer significant potential for catalytic development in Townsville, and importantly meets stakeholder expectations, and will potentially include an entertainment centre component at a future date.

Refurbishments to the Townsville Airport ($40 million), Mater Hospital ($70 million)

and The “Ville” Casino ($30 million) will also inject some much needed investment into the local economy.

The construction phase of Rio Tinto’s Amrun (South of Embley Projects), at an estimated cost of $2.6 billion, will also be a good boost for the local economy.

On the housing front, Wingate Properties are set to go ahead with their $500 million development at Beck Road, Rasmussen, which will evolve into a 1,400 lot housing development – a welcomed project for the residential sector.

Despite the patchy times we’re facing now and into the future, these projects show that some exciting times lie ahead which the building and construction industry will be very much a part of.

Graeme Bolton

Townsville City Council’s Director of Planning and Development

Townsville’s waterfront renaissance

the private sector to develop residential, commercial, retail and tourism projects.

Along with council’s streamlined planning processes and the ongoing Jobs and Investment Package, Townsville City Council is working to bring forward jobs and investment that will underpin Townsville’s growth in the coming decades.

Supporting active travel and accessibility, As the city celebrates 150 years The Waterfront Promenade – a series of since being named as a municipality, pathways and recreation spaces along Townsville is embracing its the water’s edge – will create an engaging historical links with the water’s day and night environment that offers a edge as it evolves as the ‘Capital of wide range of recreation and living choices.

Tenders are now closed for the design Northern Australia.’

Townsville City Council‘s vision for The Waterfront will encourage the community and visitors to recognise and enjoy Ross Creek as a central element of our cityscape, and acknowledge the rich maritime history of the city as a port.

The Waterfront project is the largest urban renewal project in Queensland, and the 97 hectares of land along Ross Creek in the CBD has been named as a Priority Development Area to make it easier for

of Stage 1 of The Waterfront Promenade, on the northern side of Ross Creek from Wickham Street to Denham Street, with construction to commence in December 2016.

A key component to any major global city is a vibrant CBD, and council is working with local businesses and community groups to deliver a series of events and activities for Townsville residents, workers and visitors. Along with this year’s anniversary celebrations, Townsville’s city heart will

come alive with a number of activities, including The Percival Portrait Painting Prize, Townsville 400 Super Welcome, Luxlumin – Lighting in the City, T150 Embedded at Umbrella Studio and Chinese New Year Celebrations.

Council’s initiatives and continuing private investment and activity is transforming the city centre.

Council is actively pursuing initiatives and partnerships that will help set economic conditions conducive to the healthy and sustained growth of our city and our CBD. We are seeking to build local and tourist visitation rates that will attract a wider range of businesses, retailers and professional service providers to the CBD, as we strive to position Townsville as a modern, contemporary city. A city that is recognised as a leader in innovation and lifestyle As Townsville is increasingly positioned as a global city and the Capital of Northern Australia, it’s an exciting time to be part of this evolution. april / may 16 [ 49 ]

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Members

Making a mark It’s a challenge that Mark and his company are willing to tackle wholeheartedly.

“I have always wanted to travel Australia – travel and the countryside has always been a passion of mine. The benefit that we can work with Variety to help the kids and bring further awareness is awesome,” Mark commented.

“I’m really looking forward to the adventure, meeting new people and seeing parts of our beautiful country that many of us will never get to see. And also to be able to experience it with the experienced team from Variety, their mapping and organisiation that goes into the trip is second to none.

“I can see it possibly being a yearly event for myself and my company to be involved with.

Working in an industry that changes so rapidly means Mark Sinfield of On the Mark Constructions is no stranger to a challenge – but he may be just about to face his biggest one yet.

Mark is set to embark on the Variety 4wd Explorer Bash, which will see him traversing outback Australia, all in the name of charity.

Variety Queensland is a national not-for-profit organisation committed to empowering Australian children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs, to live, laugh and learn.

The Variety 4wd Explorer Bash is renowned for navigating people to exciting and out of the way places and 2016 will be no exception, as drivers make their way from Charleville, through the Simpson Desert’s spectacular sand dunes and then south into the gorgeous Barossa Valley, all while raising money for kids in need.

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[ 50 ] april /may 16

Mark has been in the building and construction industry for well over a decade now, originally working for Archibalds Pty Ltd, a design and drafting company based on the Sunshine Coast. He started up On the Mark Constructions in 2010 as a custom home construction company and over the last six years, he has grown it from building three homes a year to now completing 15 – 20 homes a year.

Some of his biggest projects have included a home on Kawana Island Estate two years ago, which saw him completing finishes and fittings that were second to none, and working with the client to bring materials from all over Australia and the world.

Mark also built an investment home for couple in Buderim on a block that looked like a mountain side. Large machines were on site for a week just to clear and cut access to the site, presenting one of his biggest challenges yet.

Mark describes the opportunity to help clients realise their dreams as the most satisfying part of the job, and it’s something he tries to do every day since starting out.

Some of the projects Mark has worked on recently.

“I have grown up with design and construction in my blood, and having the opportunity to work under my dad in both has really cemented this,” Mark said.

“Starting my own company was a natural transition for me. My first job was drafting in dad's office as well as helping on site, while completing studies to a full-time position as a carpenter. I had always wanted to build and design.”

Once Mark has completed the Variety Bash, he plans to continue learning, to work more on the management of the company and to free up time to be more available to his contractors and clients.

“The company is in a good place – I have worked hard to build a reputation of affordable quality and keeping to timeframes,” Mark explained.

How can you get involved?

“We are looking to raise as much money as we can to support Variety. To do this we’re asking people and businesses to give what they can to support us on this journey,” Mark explained.

“Businesses who donate through my Everyday Hero page will get advertising space on my vehicle for the duration of the event and the time leading up to it as well.”

To donate or find out more, visit Mark’s Everyday Hero page at 20164wdexplorer.everydayhero.com/ au/mark-sinfield

“The company works off a phrase that I came up with when I started originally, and that is “Impossible Just Takes Longer”.”

Mark will embark on the Variety Bash in May 2016 with a goal to raise $10,000.

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Community projects

Builders back member in need Mackay’s building industry is a close knit one, so when the opportunity comes to help a community member in need, many of them are willing to jump in and lend a hand.

Brad and Kathy Lindenberg were the owners of B & K Lindenberg Builders for 25 years and together built more than 60 homes within the Mackay region.

However, two-and-a-half years ago Kathy lost the ability to speak and move her foot, making it difficult for her to move about their house as the halls and doorways weren’t wide enough.

This is when Roebuck Designer Homes’ builder, Bede Roebuck, stepped in and turned to the Master Builders Foundation for help.

The Master Builders Foundation donated $15,000, which was used for much-needed renovations to Kathy’s cramped and hard to access bathroom and hallways.

Together with almost 20 businesses and suppliers including builders, technical experts, electricians, plumbers, tilers, plasterers, painters, cabinetmakers and floor sanders, they transformed her home, bringing a whole new lease of life to the house.

The Master Builders Foundation was specifically designed to look out for those who need help and who are a part of the building community, and this good news story out of Mackay is no exception.

A big shout out to the following trades and suppliers who made the renovation possible: • Builder – Roebuck Designer Homes PL • Building designer – Tempus Design Studio PL • Soil test – Cardno Engineering • Engineering – STP Consultants • Certifier – Pro Approvals • Electrical – G & H Electrical • Plumbing – O’Brien Plumbing Service • Plastering –Steve Mau • Tiling – John McDougall • Painting – Neville Lowman • Floor sanding – Darryl Townsend Floor Sanding • Cabinetry – R & R Cabinetry • Water proofing – Salisbury Services • Steel fabrication – Faulkner Engineering • Mackay building supplies – CSR Gyprock Sheets • Bathroom accessories – Porters Building Supplies • Windows, Roof Sheeting & Building Materials – Woodman’s Mitre 10 • Tiles – Concept Tiles • Tile glue – CTA Tile Adhesive.

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[ 52 ] april /may 16

Photo credit: Louise Starkey of the Daily Mercury

Superannuation

BUSSQ makes SuperStream easy for employers An industry super fund for the building, construction and civil industries, BUSSQ is also a SuperStream complying fund and provides employers with the tools they need to meet their super obligations.

If you have 20 or more employees, you should now be SuperStream compliant.

If you have 19 or less employees, BUSSQ can assist you to make the changes necessary to become compliant with the government’s SuperStream Legislation, which comes into effect from 1 July.

What is SuperStream?

SuperStream is a package of reforms the government has introduced to improve the processing of everyday superannuation transactions. To comply with the new laws, if you are still paying your employees’ contributions to any super fund by cheque, you will soon be required to switch to payments in electronic format, such as EFT, BPay or authorised bank transfer (ABT).

SCH Online can be accessed by employers who select BUSSQ as their default fund at no extra cost, and allows payment of super contributions to multiple funds from one central location.

Using it is easy. All you have to do is enter the details and super fund for each of your non-BUSSQ employees – this is a one off process. Then it’s simply a matter of making a single payment each superannuation cycle and the clearing house does the rest. A payment and remittance advice will be provided on your behalf to each of the super funds you have made payments to.

Why wait until the last minute to start using a SuperStream compliant payment system, when you could be saving time and money now?

Let BUSSQ help you get compliant today!

For more information call one of their friendly Employer Representatives on (07) 3369 1111 or visit bussq.com.au

Choosing BUSSQ as your default fund, means not only will you be SuperStream compliant, but you also have access to a wide range of benefits and personalised service for you and your employees. As a default employer you can expect: •N o fees for the contribution and administration services BUSSQ provides •R egular communication to keep you up-to-date with changes that may affect you or your employees in relation to super • Site visits by your dedicated Employer Representative, and • Flexible and easy payment options.

BUSSQ offers two different SuperStream payment portals to help you become compliant.

1. E mployerAccess – where you can pay contributions for BUSSQ employees only.

2. SCH Online – a clearing house which allows you to pay to multiple super funds in one payment.

april / may 16 [ 53 ]

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Training & licensing

Must-have knowledge for builders and tradies So you’ve made it as a trade contractor or builder, have your licence and are ready to go.

What about those aspects of running a business that you didn’t learn about in your course or onsite?

The sorts of things that will make sure that you get paid and keep you out of trouble.

Master Builders is running three new workshops that will help you reduce your risk and run a better and more profitable business.

(one-day workshop)

Resolving Disputes

(one-day workshop)

Estimating Essentials

Contract Management for Builders

CPCCBC4024A Resolve business disputes

CPCCCM2003B Calculate and cost construction work

(two-day workshop)

Regardless of how airtight agreements or contracts are, disputes or disagreements can still arise, leading to delayed payment, poor references and, in some cases, litigation.

Having the skills and knowledge to estimate materials, labour and time are fundamental to any trade contracting business, and are vital in ensuring you don’t lose money on a job.

This one-day workshop will help you gain the skills and knowledge required to resolve business disputes that may arise in residential and commercial contracting projects, helping you avoid having to take disputes to court.

Estimating Essentials provides the skills and knowledge required to estimate materials, labour and time requirements and establish costs for provision of services or products.

CPCCBC4003A Select and prepare a construction contract CPCCBC4016A Administer a Construction Contract A thorough knowledge and understanding of the application of current legal, regulatory and contractual requirements is essential to ensure you meet all of your legal obligations for every building and construction project. It’s also vital for ensuring you get paid.

In this course you will learn how to select, prepare and administer building contracts for residential and commercial projects.

Find out when these courses are running at mbqld.com.au/training or by calling our training team on 1300 136 002.

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Training & licensing

Upcoming courses RESIDENTIAL SECTOR Course

Why enrol

Region/s

Business Management for Trade Contractors (BMC)

Apply for your trade contractor licence. All regions

Courses run frequently – call for the next enrolment in your region

Certificate III *

Become a tradesperson

Enrol any time

All regions Mackay

Certificate IV in Building & Construction (Building) *

Become a low-rise builder

Brisbane Sunshine Coast

Dates

Mackay course info night 28 April – Course starts 21 May Brisbane course info night 25 May – Midweek course starts 6 June / Weekend course starts 11 June Sunshine Coast course info night 7 June – Course starts 20 June

Completed Residential Building Inspectors Course

Become a residential building inspector

Cert III in Construction Waterproofing*

Toowoomba Brisbane Get the skills and knowledge to ensure Cairns building projects are waterproofed Townsville correctly Mackay Rockhampton

Toowoomba – 12 May Brisbane – 15 June Cairns – 14 July Townsville – 19 July Mackay – 22 August Rockhampton – 27 August

Asbestos Awareness

Understand your legal obligations around asbestos

Brisbane

20 June

Asbestos Workers Program *

Legally remove non-friable asbestos

Rockhampton

16 June

Electrical Testing & Tagging

Test and tag your own electrical equipment.

All regions

Courses run frequently – call for the next enrolment in your region

Managing Poor Performance & Terminations

Learn how to manage poor performance and terminate employees the right way.

Sunshine Coast Brisbane

Sunshine Coast – 12 April Brisbane – 16 May

Managing Poor Performance & Terminations / Understanding Modern Awards (combined workshop)

Learn how to effectively manage your people.

Mackay Cairns

Mackay – 19 April Cairns – 10 May

Course

Why enrol

Region/s

Dates

Asbestos Awareness

Understand your legal obligations around asbestos

Brisbane

20 June

Asbestos Workers Program *

Legally remove non-friable asbestos

Rockhampton

16 June

Electrical Testing & Tagging

Test and tag your own electrical equipment

All regions

Courses run frequently – call for the next enrolment in your region

Managing Poor Performance & Terminations

Learn how to manage poor performance and terminate employees the right way.

Sunshine Coast Brisbane

Sunshine Coast – 12 April Brisbane – 17 May

Managing Poor Performance & Terminations / Understanding Modern Awards (combined workshop)

Learn how to effectively manage your people.

Mackay Cairns

Mackay – 19 April Cairns – 10 May

Brisbane Sunshine Coast

Brisbane – 18 April Sunshine Coast – 28 April

COMMERCIAL SECTOR

* Nationally Accredited For complete course names and titles, specific course dates and further information visit mbqld.com.au/training or call 1300 136 002. april / may 16 [ 55 ]

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Partner profiles

RAMS make construction loans easy Whether you’re buying your first home, upsizing, dipping your toes into the investment market or building a brand new home, Principal of RAMS Home Loan Centre Toowoomba, Leon Owen, believes securing a home loan that suits your individual needs is essential in ensuring your purchase is a complete success.

“With RAMS, you enjoy a range of flexible home loans that work for you – no matter what your borrowing needs. At RAMS, we pride ourselves on offering easy access, expert advice and local service,” Leon said.

“We know that buying a home is an exciting time in your life. There is nothing better than buying or building the home of your dreams, and we are committed to making the home loan application process as hassle-free and easy as possible.”

One particular area Leon is skilled in is understanding your needs when you’re building your dream home from the ground up. Leon knows it is an entirely different process to buying an established home.

“The RAMS Construction Option can be adopted on many RAMS home loans, and allows you to pay your builder progress payments

at each major stage of the building or renovation process and at completion of the project,” he said.

Features of the RAMS Construction Option include: •P rogress payments are made to builders throughout the construction process.

• Loan repayments are interest only during the construction phase.

• After land settlement, we provide you with flexibility on the commencement of construction of your new home, so you can build on a timeline that works for you.

“These features can be incredibly useful if you’re looking to build your dream home. If you’re renovating your home, the RAMS Construction Option can also be used for improvements or additions, such as a new kitchen, bathroom or a pool,” Leon said.

“Borrowers should feel confident their home loan provider is there to answer their questions. We welcome our clients to drop in anytime or we can visit the client at their home if they prefer.”

For more information, advice or assistance, contact RAMS on 13 RAMS (13 7267) or go to RAMS.com.au

Spire Law is on your team Spire Law is a commercial, construction and litigation law firm, based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Their senior lawyers have real ties to and comprehensive experience in the building and construction industry.

Directors Glen Carpenter, Grant Cunning and Kerian McNamara, bring a wealth of experience to the table and form the tight knit team at Spire Law. Glen worked as an in-house lawyer for a major infrastructure developer and his father is a builder and nominee supervisor.

Grant previously worked as an in-house lawyer for Australia’s largest franchisor and Kerian has been, and continues to be, actively involved in a number of residential and commercial projects.

The construction industry is heavily regulated and is overwhelmed with

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[ 56 ] april /may 16

variables and uncertainty. It requires its members to design and carry out work to a timeline, for a certain sum and with the highest regard to safety.

Their lawyers have experience in: • Contract review, administration and enforcement

The legal industry does not need to be any different. Spire Law provides detailed matter plans, and offer retainers and fixed fee arrangements across all of their practice areas, no matter your circumstances.

•M atters under the Subcontractors’ Charges Act

We have provided advice to subcontractors, builders and developers on residential builds, multi-level residential developments and major commercial and infrastructure projects, including: • • • •

Curtis Island GLNG Plant, Gladstone H&M Flagship Store, Brisbane Mixed use service stations ixed use commercial and residential M developments • Hire-rise apartments.

• Matters under the Building and Construction Industry Payments Act

• QBCC, WHSQ and ESO compliance, complaints and prosecutions, including investigations and prosecutions by:

BCC for incomplete works, -Q defective works and licencing issues

-W HSQ and ESO involving asbestos, near misses, serious injuries and fatalities.

Spire Law provides one hour of free advice to Master Builders’ members.

Visit spirelaw.com.au

Member benefits

Connect to more As a Master Builders' member, you're right to expect we'll bring you more of the good stuff. That's why we've launched Master Builders Connect – a service that connects you to more exclusive offers and mates' rates from Telstra.

No gimmicks. No confusion. Just straight-talking, no-nonsense deals that give you all the features you want. More talk and text. More data.

More flexibility. And more coverage.

So why accept less when you can connect to more? Our Full Monty plan is packed with all the features you want, including unlimited talk and text, access to a range of handsets and a massive 5GB of data, for just $80 a month.

Plus, take advantage of data pooling, a free powerbank on sign-up and free 2 months’ credit when switching from another provider.

Our top five reasons to connect with us 1. Master Builders Connect specialises in plans for your industry, 4.

2.

so you can rest assured that what you’re getting is tailored specifically to you.

et connected right from the comfort of your home or office G – you don’t even need to leave your desk. Set up your plan over the phone and we’ll deliver it straight to your door.

3. W ith Master Builders Connect you get access to a dedicated

Australian-based Helpdesk. When you ring you’ll be talking to someone located in Queensland and chances are, you’ll get to speak to the same person every time.

eing with Telstra means you’ll get the widest coverage B available in Australia, allowing you to stay connected while on the job.

5. We deliver tailored, end-to-end solutions for businesses of

all sizes – from small and medium businesses, right through to large-scale enterprise operations – scaling up or down to meet your key objectives.

Call 1300 88 13 72 or visit mbconnect.com.au and connect to more.

april / may 16 [ 57 ]

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X

Member benefits Master Builders strives to secure a range of exclusive benefits to add value to your membership and save you money.

Trailers 2000

Caltex Star Card

OfficeMax

Totally Workwear

Receive 10% off any outright purchase or “Rent then Buy” offer.

Get 3.5c/l off the pump price of unleaded fuel and 4c/l off the pump price for diesel. Reduced monthly fees and ATO compliant tax invoices provided.

Special pricing on a range of stationery items, office supplies, and office equipment plus free delivery on orders over $50.

15% discount vouchers available on Hard Yakka, Stubbies and King Gee clothing, and Oliver steel cap boots. Call us for a voucher.

Europcar

Telstra

Two special offers:

1. A fixed rate program with low damage liability fees, inclusive kilometre allowance, prestige vehicles, and 30+ day rates for longer-term rentals.

2. 15% off the best retail rate of the day for passenger cars.

Kennards Hire Members who open an account receive at least 10% discount on equipment hire. Other exclusive promotional offers available.

Golden Elite As a member, you can exclusively source direct at lower than wholesale pricing on a range of flooring products, including laminate, bamboo, timber, WPC, tiles and stone kitchen bench tops.

We’ve teamed up with Telstra to bring you more of the good stuff at exclusive mates’ rates.

Save on a wide range of mobile, landline and internet products, with the most reliable coverage in Australia.

Beaurepaires Enviropest / Flick

Quest Newspapers

APN Newspapers

Members receive an exclusive 25% off when booking any general residential pest control service. New customers to Enviropest will also receive 25% off their first preconstruction booking.

Advertise in the Trades & Services section for a minimum of 4 weeks, include the Master Builders member logo and receive 40% discount (must reference the deal when booking)

Get a 10% discount off all Trades and Services advertising. Members who include their logo in a border style advertisement are eligible for the discount (must reference the deal when booking with APN).

Save 15% on Goodyear and Dunlop passenger, 4WD or light truck tyres.

Call us for a voucher.

Toyota, Mitsubishi and Isuzu Save thousands on your next vehicle with some great fleet discounts.

To find out more contact hub@mbqld.com.au or call (07) 3225 6528 Conditions apply. Visit mbqld.com.au/memberbenefits for full terms and conditions. mb

[ 58 ] february / march 16

Events X

Countdown is on for Roadshow 2016 Running across Queensland from 26 April - 12 May 2016, Roadshow connects builders and tradies with industry experts to hear first-hand about the important changes happening in our industry.

WIN

a Trailers 200 0 trailer valued at $4,000! *

Where you’ll find us Region

Venue

Time

Date

RSVP

Gold Coast

Southport Sharks

4.30pm – 7pm

Tuesday, 26 April

19 April

Downs & Western

City Golf Club

4.30pm – 7pm

Wednesday, 27 April

20 April

Sunshine Coast

Maroochy RSL

4.30pm – 7pm

Tuesday, 3 May

26 April

Wide Bay Burnett – Hervey Bay

Beach House Hotel

4.30pm – 7pm

Wednesday, 4 May

27 April

Wide Bay Burnett – Bundaberg

Across The Waves

4.30pm – 7pm

Thursday, 5 May

28 April

Central Queensland

Rockhampton Leagues Club

4.30pm – 7pm

Monday, 9 May

2 May

Mackay & Whitsunday

Magpies Mackay

4.30pm – 7pm

Tuesday, 10 May

3 May

North Queensland

Townsville RSL

4.30pm – 7pm

Wednesday, 11 May

4 May

Far North Queensland

Shangri-La Cairns

4.30pm – 7pm

Thursday, 12 May

5 May

Register now – it’s free!

Secure your place at mbqld.com.au/roadshow or call 1300 30 50 10. Registration is free and is open to Master Builders' members and up to three guests.

Proudly supported by: *Terms and conditions apply.

qbcc april / may 16 [ 59 ]

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Events

Industry consultants recognised Building consultants, builders and tradies descended on Sea World Resort & Water Park on the Gold Coast in March for the 2016 Institute of Building Consultants Conference.

The event saw speakers from all corners of the industry, focusing on pertinent topics like external waterproofing and how to avoid disasters in extreme events, which Queensland is so known for.

Delegates heard all about the implications and requirements of building in floodprone areas and the current legislative requirements around this.

Waterproofing also proved a popular topic, with attendees given the lowdown on the best products to use and to how avoid defects.

Guests then had the chance to mingle and network among an impressive array of trade displays, which were all targeted towards their businesses.

The event culminated in an amazing dinner at Dolphin Cove, where guests were treated to an exclusive dolphin show that both excited and intrigued.

Dolphins aside, the highlight of the night was the presentation of the Institute of Building Consultants Awards, which recognised four individuals and businesses who are doing great things in the industry.

2016 IBC Award winners.

Congratulations to the following Award winners: •B uilding Services Consultancy of the Year (five employees or less) – Bob Sternberg from Homeworthy Inspection Services • Building Services Consultancy of the Year (five employees or more) – ICPS Australia, Building Consultancy Division • Excellence in Client Service – Donald Dixon from D & D Dixon Pty Ltd • Woman in Consulting – Helen Armstrong from House of Stars

2016 IBC Conference by numbers

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Delegates who attended the conference

Attendees who enjoyed the seafood buffet

Lucky door prizes given out on the day

Speakers at the conference

Dolphins to put on a spectacular show

Awards given out on the night

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[ 60 ] april /may 16

W hat’s on

What’s on SUNDAY

3

MONDAY

4

5

Mackay Industry Update

10

TUESDAY

11 18

12

25

THURSDAY

1

FRIDAY

8

SATURDAY

2

6

7

13

14 15 Rockhampton

16

21

22

23

29

30

Sunshine Coast Welcome Evening

19 Gold Coast Welcome Evening

24

WEDNESDAY

9

Airlie Beach Industry Insight

Toowoomba Welcome Evening

17

APRIL

26 Gold Coast Roadshow

20 Brisbane North Industry Insight

27 Downs & Western Roadshow

Welcome Evening Bundaberg Welcome Evening

Gold Coast Economic Breakfast Bundaberg Golf Day

Hervey Bay Welcome Evening

28 Mackay Cert IV info session

MAY

1

SUNDAY

8

2

MONDAY

9 Central Queensland Roadshow

15

16

3

TUESDAY

Sunshine Coast Roadshow

10

Mackay & Whitsunday Roadshow Sunshine Coast Com. Builders Forum

17

Central Queensland Women in Building

22

23

24

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

SATURDAY

4 Hervey Bay

5

11

12

13

14

18

19

20

21

25

26

27

28

Roadshow Rockhampton Social Dinner

North Queensland Roadshow

Brisbane West Welcome Evening

Bundaberg Roadshow

Far North Queensland Roadshow

6

FRIDAY Beaudesert Golf Day

7

Brisbane Cert IV info session

29

30

Cairns Industry Insight

31

Register online at mbqld.com.au/events april / may 16 [ 61 ]

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People & events

North Queensland Graduation Ceremony Congrats to our latest round of North Queensland Cert IV and Diploma in Building graduates who were recognised at our recent Townsville Graduation Ceremony.

L-R back – Bill Piper, Regional Manager for QBCC North Queensland with Certificate IV graduates, Matthew Harvey, Brett Williams, Allen Wheeler, Aaron Caruso, Peter Foster and Peter Lewis L-R seated – Diploma of Building graduates, Bernie Travers, Kiall Franzmann and Chris Fisher.

Gold Coast Golf Day Our annual Gold Coast Master Builders BUSSQ Golf Day at Palm Meadows Golf Club in Carrara was another great success. A big thanks to the sponsors of the day, BUSSQ, Enviropest and Earthfleet.

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People & events

Brisbane South Industry Insight The Colmslie Hotel in Morningside played host to our recent Brisbane South Industry Insight in March, where members heard all about BCIPA, warranties, defects and subcontractor accountability.

Behind the scenes on our TV commercial We had a lot of fun behind the scenes shooting our brand new TV commercial…and we think the actors did too! After all, there was ice-cream involved!

april / may 16 [ 63 ]

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People & events

Brisbane South New Member Welcome Evening Our recent New Member Welcome Evening at The Colmslie Hotel was a great chance for new members to hear about the great benefits of being a Master Builders’ member.

Brisbane Golf Day Virginia Golf Club provided the perfect setting for our recent Brisbane Master Builders BUSSQ Golf Day.

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[ 64 ] april /may 16

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Product profile W H AT ’ S N E W

Master Builders

office locations BRISBANE

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

417 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, QLD 4000 Ph: 3225 6444 | Fax: 3225 6545 ask@mbqld.com.au

Dennis Bryant - Regional Manager 35 Derby Street PO Box 631 Rockhampton, QLD 4700 Ph: 4923 1900 | Fax: 4303 6104 cq@mbqld.com.au

GOLD COAST

THE BAYER PROTECTION YOUR HOME IS PROGRAM OFFERS PROTECTED BY BAYER HOMEOWNERS TOTAL TERMITE Bayer offers PROTECTION Australia’s most comprehensive termite protection system – the Bayer If you choose to the AProtection first for theProgram. termite industry in Australia, activate and be covered by the Bayer Bayer Protection Program offers homeowners Protection Program you will be protected by total termite protection -- a combination of an exclusive $1 million warranty! regular termite inspections (e.g. annually) easy!the Thepresence Bayer Protection Warranty toIt’s detect of termites; and a starts with an (Kordon®) inspection of homeentry by a physical barrier to the prevent Bayer Accredited Timber Pest Inspector. via areas that can’t be inspected.

If the home is termite-free, and possible conditions which may be conducive to The Bayer Protection Warranty starts with termite attack are addressed, your Bayer an inspection of the home by a Bayer Protection Warranty can be renewed.

Accredited Timber Pest Inspector. If the The same inspection takes place each home is termite-free, and possible conditions year to give the homeowner total termite which may be conducive to termite attack are protection. This warranty can be renewed addressed, your Bayer for Protection Warranty annually (fee applies) the life of the can be renewed.

The same inspection takes structure. place each year to give the homeowner total The Bayer Protection Warranty covers termite protection. This warranty can be homeowners for up to $1 million worth of renewed annually (fee applies) for the life of termite damage due to product failure or the structure.

any other means of termite entry.

Activate your Bayer Protection Warranty by

The Bayer Protection Warranty covers visiting www.kordonwarrantycentre.com.au. homeowners for up to $1 million worth of termite damage due to product failure or Forother further information on the Kordon any means of termite entry.

John Duncalfe - Regional Manager Master Builders House 18 Central Park Ave Ashmore, QLD 4214 Ph: 5582 7100 | Fax 5609 6054 gc@mbqld.com.au DOWNS & WESTERN Linda Rosengreen - Regional Manager 166 Hume Street, Toowoomba, QLD 4350 Ph: 4659 4200 | Fax: 4641 7854 dw@mbqld.com.au SUNSHINE COAST Will Wilson - Regional Manager Level 1, 91 King Street PO Box 1458, Buderim, QLD 4556 Ph: 5456 9800 | Fax: 5453 4670 ssc@mbqld.com.au WIDE BAY BURNETT Will Wilson - Regional Manager 162 Boat Harbour Drive Hervey Bay, QLD 4655 Ph: 4303 2400 | Fax: 4124 7235 wbb@mbqld.com.au

MACKAY & WHITSUNDAY Malcolm Hull - Regional Manager Suite 2, 40 Evans Avenue PO Box 3188 North Mackay, QLD 4740 Ph: 4969 4500 | Fax: 4829 4184 mw@mbqld.com.au NORTH QUEENSLAND Melissa Coulter - Regional Manager Master Builders House Unit 1(B), 316 Sturt Street Townsville, QLD 4810 Ph: 4417 1800 | Fax: 4422 0094 nq@mbqld.com.au FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND Ron Bannah - Regional Manager 310–314 Gatton Street Manunda, QLD 4870 PO Box 806, Earlville, QLD 4870 Ph: 4042 8800 | Fax: 4027 9214 fnq@mbqld.com.au

Termite Barrier, Bayer Protection Warranty and Frequently visit To activate yourAsked BayerQuestions Protection Warranty www.kordonwarrantycentre.com.au or or visit www.kordonwarrantycentre.com.au contact theinformation Bayer Protection team for further contact theon Bayer 1800 552 802.

Protection team on 1800 552 802.

april / may 16 [ 65 ]

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Better training, better industry outcomes.

AS INDUSTRY LEADERS, WE DESIGN AND DELIVER RELEVANT AND PRACTICAL COURSES THAT MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE INDUSTRY STANDARDS. Here are a few good reasons to study with us: • You’ll learn more. With credible courses that have been developed in consultation with industry leaders, we teach you what the industry expects you to know.

• Our trainers are industry experts with years of relevant on-the-job and training experience.

RTO 30097

• We offer flexible study options across the state.

• We offer more than just training. Our courses are open to everyone, but members enjoy the added value of support when applying for licences, help with career planning and value pricing.

SEE OUR RANGE OF COURSES AT MBQLD.COM.AU/TRAINING OR CALL US ON 1300 136 002.

More mobile for your money.

As a Master Builders member, you’re right to expect we’ll bring you more of the good stuff.

That’s why we’ve launched Master Builders Connect, a service that connects you to more exclusive offers and mates’ rates from Telstra.

Samsung Galaxy S5 – other handsets also available*.

Call 1300 88Unlimited 13 72 -and connect to more. standard national calls, SMS & MMS and Voicemail retrievals in Australia . mbconnect.com.au *

5GB data.

More flexibility with data sharing between connected devices.

More support with local helpdesk.

The Full Monty for just $80 a month More value

2 months port in credit when moving over from another provider.

Bonus universal power bank with every Full Monty plan.

Our Full Monty plan is packed with all the features you want – such as unlimited talk & text and loads of data, for just $80 a month. Here’s a few ways you can connect to more: Samsung Galaxy S5 – other handsets also available*.

Unlimited - standard national calls, SMS & MMS and Voicemail retrievals in Australia*.

*

More

5GB data.

Data

More flexibility with data sharing between connected devices.

Local

More support with local helpdesk.

More value

2 months port in credit when moving over from another provider.

Bonus universal power bank with every Full Monty plan.

CONNECT TO MORE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: Minimum total cost is $1,920 ($80/mth) over 24 months. Monthly repayment options (MRO) for the handset vary in price depending on handset and plan chosen. If you cancel early the remaining handset payments will be higher as you’ll no longer receive a discount to offset your handset cost. Full Monty plan: Some usage is excluded; such as calls/text/MMS to Premium numbers (e.g. 19xx numbers). 1234, 12455, 12345 numbers and to some satellite numbers, content changes and use overseas. Unused allowances expire monthly. For new connections the total of your minimum monthly fee (excluding any * device payments) and charges are eligible calls over your included calls/texts/ MMS allowance will not exceed $80 per month. Android, Google Play and other marks are trademarks of Google Inc. The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created

Choose from a range of handsets .

trade marks of Telstra Corporation Limited, ABN 33 051 775 556

Unlimited - standard national calls, SMS & MMS *