Around the nation

Tasmanian news

Our new Centre of Excellence is on track for completion in March 2023

Welcome Tasmanian Members

Business continues to boom in Tasmania with high work demand throughout the state. To meet this demand, we have been working with key stakeholders to address workforce shortages for the immediate future. These discussions have resulted in the rollout of a fully funded TasTAFE Certificate 2 in Plumbing for 100 participants.

Our new Centre of Excellence for Water, Energy and Trades is on track for completion in March 2023. Hansen and Yuncken are doing a tremendous job in realising the dream of a state-of-the-art facility for plumbing training in Tasmania. To support our members and the wider plumbing community we have released 20 new CPD Courses on industrial relations for employers. These courses were built by MPAT, Master Plumbers Association of Queensland (MPAQ) and Pointsbuild, and are now available on our CPD Toolbox platform. Courses are subsidised by Keystone Tasmania. MPAT has also been busy consulting with CBOS on some key reforms. Just released are the new Occupational Licensing Supervision of Prescribed Work Code of Practice (CoP) 2022. The new CoP provides more flexibility in the supervision of apprentices whilst maintaining quality safeguards and work health and safety obligations. The new CoP can be found here at cbos.tas.gov.au We have also launched ERIC, an exciting on-line, plumbing-industry specific business reporting and management dashboard that helps tradespeople manage their business with the same understanding, professionalism, and confidence that they manage projects. It’s real-time, structured business management tool to help manage the impact of the volatility of the market, increasing material costs, the cost and retention of staff and other day-to-day challenges.

Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association of Australia (Victoria) T (03) 9329 9622 Master Plumbers Association of Tasmania T (03) 6272 2199 Master Plumbers Association of Queensland T (07) 3273 0800 Master Plumbers & Gasfitters Association of Western Australia T (08) 9471 6661

Master Plumbers Association ACT Inc T (02) 6112 8630 Master Plumbers Association of South Australia T (08) 8292 4000

Master Plumbers & Mechanical Contractors Association of New South Wales T (02) 8789 7000

We are currently trialling ERIC for three months with a group of members before rolling it out to the broader industry. A final reminder to members that we have a range of resources and services available including access to AS 3500 (heavily discounted), contract templates, employment contracts and IR/HR support to help our people run successful businesses. We pride ourselves on being responsive to member and industry needs in Tasmania and we thank our members for working with us to achieve this outcome.

Anthony Balik President, Master Plumbers of Tasmania

Special deals and savings for members

What happens when two iconic Tasmanian businesses join forces? The answer is a partnership between Master Plumbers Association of Tasmania and MyState Bank – and amazing deals and savings for Master Plumbers members.

“MyState is a proud Tasmanian bank, and we are heavily involved in the Tasmanian community,” says Jackie Green, Area Manager Home Lending – North at MyState Bank. MyState offers a range of services including award-winning home loan and savings accounts, general insurance through CGU and referred health insurance through an agreement with St Luke’s Health. Through its TPT Wealth arm, which has been part of the financial landscape in Tasmania for 134 years, the bank offers managed funds, trustee services (such as Wills and estate planning, estate administration and charitable trusts) and commercial lending. MyState Bank is offering a range of discounts and special offers for Master Plumbers members, including: • Award-winning accounts:

Open a Glide transaction account or Bonus Saver Account and enjoy no monthly account fees • Lower interest rates: .10 basis point discount off advertised Basic Variable rate – new home loans only • Earn more interest: 0.05% p.a. additional interest on term deposits • 100% discount on TPT

Wealth Will preparation fees with TPT Wealth as your

Executor (Tasmania only) • 10% Discount on general insurance policies:

Car, Home, Contents, Landlord • Discount on St. Luke’s Health insurance: Enjoy the benefits of discounted health insurance premiums when your direct debit is withdrawn from a

MyState Bank account MyState Bank also supports a range of Tasmanian companies including Football Tasmania, Tasmania JackJumpers (NBL), Layne Beachley’s Awake Academy and is a naming rights sponsor of the MyState Bank Student Film Festival. With a new partnership with Master Plumbers Association of Tasmania, there has never been a better time for members to join MyState Bank and take advantage of the range of benefits and specials. To learn more about how MyState Bank can help you, call Jackie on 0484 140 009, email jacqueline.green@mystate. com.au or visit the MyState Bank website at www.mystate.com.au

Tasmanian news

Flipping good partnership

When they met as teenagers at their part-time job at Hungry Jack’s, Kaylee and Scott Coppleman couldn’t have predicted that their relationship would take them from flipping burgers to managing Tasmania’s largest dedicated commercial and industrial roofing contractor.

“When we met, I was working part-time while I was at uni(versity), and Scott was in Year 12. My parents had established Skyline Roofing & Sheetmetal in 1984, so I had a lot of exposure to the construction industry when I was growing up and for as long as I could remember, it was always something I knew I wanted to move into,” recalls Kaylee. “I remember when I was younger, Dad was always busy and Mum did the accounts and admin for the business, so it was great for me to see how their jobs worked and how they were able to support the family while managing the business.” Skyline Roofing & Sheetmetal was established to provide contractors with specialised expertise in metal cladding and went on to become one of Tasmania’s largest commercial and industrial roofing and cladding companies. After he finished university, Scott ended up working in in civil construction drafting and in 2013, he joined Kaylee at Skyline Roofing & Sheetmetal. Two years later, the pair took over the business. While the transition to ownership was smooth, it wasn’t without trepidation. “We started the wheels in motion of taking over from Mum and Dad when Scott came on board in 2013, but the scariest part of it happening was the amount of financial risk we were taking on, which we probably didn’t understand earlier on,” says Kaylee. Participating in business training was also an important part of Kaylee and Scott developing the skills and confidence to take over the thriving business.

Skyline Sheds is a rapidly growing part of the business I had a lot of exposure to the construction industry when I was growing up

“It was really beneficial; I’d recommend it to anyone. It gives you the building blocks and the key foundational skills to go to the next level,” says Scott. These days, the pair also manage the day-to-day operations of Frank Hill Roofing in Southern Tasmania and Skyline Sheds in Northern Tasmania from their Launceston base. Over time, all brands will come under the one banner of Roofing Group Tasmania.

“We have a team of about 65 people all up across the three businesses. We’ve expanded in the last year or two which has been great because before that it was Kaylee and I doing bulk management tasks ourselves. Now, we have a guy who started doing sheet metal for us who has become our GM of Operations Support,” says Scott. “We have three young kids, so it’s resulted in a better work-life balance for us.”

Skyline Roofing & Sheetmetal also has more than 10 roof plumbers and apprentices, two sheet metal workers with welding backgrounds and three project managers as part of the team.

The business has completed major projects for clients including Woolworths, Launceston Airport and the University of Tasmania, as well as re-roofing two sheds at the Inspection Head Wharf in Beauty Point for the Tasmanian Ports Corporation, where the original roofs constructed in the 1950s and 1960s were badly corroded due to exposure to salt water. Skyline Sheds, which distributes industrial sheds, garages, carports and barns, is a rapidly growing part of the business that has boomed during COVID as more and more people looked to make improvements at home. “We’ve seen a lot of increased demand, and we’re probably selling two and a half to three times more sheds than pre-COVID, so we’ve had to put on a few extra crews,” says Scott. With the entire Tasmanian construction industry going from strength to strength, Kaylee and Scott say things couldn’t be going better for Roofing Group Tasmania. “We’re actually booked through to July next year, which is fantastic for us. We expect things will normalize a bit after that, but we will continue to tick along and allow us to keep doing what we love.”

Victorian news

Know the new wage rules

The Fair Work Commission has increased the award wages in accordance with the Annual Wage Review Decision 2022. The decision provided for an increase of:

• $40.00 to the National Minimum

Wage (the new National Minimum

Wage will be $812.60 per week or $21.38 per hour); or • $40.00 per week for award minimum wage rates below $869.60 per week; or • 4.6% for award minimum wage rates above $869.60 per week. The increase took effect in July 2022. Employers who are paying their employees above the minimum rates may absorb the increase into the minimum rates payable under the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award 2020 (PFS Award). For classifications covered by the PFS Award, the hourly rates are inclusive of allowances payable under the PFS Award.

What about apprentices?

The hourly rates for a 1st Year Apprentice, 2nd Year Apprentice, 3rd Year Apprentice, 4th Year Apprentice and/or a 4th Year Adult Apprentice are inclusive of the allowances payable under the PFS Award. The hourly rate includes the federal minimum wage plus the industry allowance. Where an employer requires an apprentice to provide tools, other than basic consumables, the employer will be required to either reimburse the employee the cost of providing the tools or pay the employee the tool allowance to compensate for the purchase and maintenance in efficient working order of tools required for the performance of work.

How does it work with allowances?

In many cases, the allowances payable under the PFS Award have also been increased. It should be noted that neither the Tool Allowance, nor the Compensation for Tools and Clothes Allowance, have been increased.

For more information, contact Phil Eberhard, Master Plumbers Senior Workplace Relations Adviser on phil.eberhard@plumber.com.au or call 0425 790 722.

The award wages increase took effect in July 2022 Employers who are paying above the minimum rates may absorb the increase

Understand new workplace changes

The Commonwealth Building Code

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke, announced that the Commonwealth Government was amending the Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work. The amendments to the Building Code took effect from 26 July 2022. The amendments were contained in the Code for the Tendering and Performance of Building Work Amendment Instrument 2022 (Interim Building Code). As a result of the Interim Building Code, entities will no longer be required to have an ABCC Letter of Compliance to work on Commonwealth-funded building work. Following on from that the ABCC have advised that they will no longer issue a Letter of Compliance. Additionally, there will no longer be a requirement to submit and have approved a Workplace Relations Management Plan. The Interim Building Code repeals certain compliance monitoring and enforcement powers of the ABCC. The Minister has separately announced that the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Federal Safety Commissioner will now be tasked with enforcing the Fair Work Act 2009 (C’th) and certain safety measures provided for in the Building Code in the building and construction industry.

National Employment Standards – Family and Domestic Violence Leave

The Minister also introduced into Federal Parliament that, if passed, would entitle all employees to take up to 10 days (per annum) of family/ domestic violence leave. The Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2022 (Paid FDV Bill) seeks to introduce into the National Employment Standards a non-accumulating entitlement. Under the Bill, the changes will take effect from 1 February 2023. However, for a small business employer (that is an entity that employs fewer than 15 employees) the changes will take effect from 1 August 2023. Master Plumbers will provide further details if the Paid FDV Bill becomes legislation.

For more information, contact Phil Eberhard, Master Plumbers Senior Workplace Relations Adviser on phil.eberhard@plumber.com.au or call 0425 790 722.

fast facts

from around the state 70,463

New residential building approvals in Victoria in 2020-21

64,785

Works completed in Victoria in 2020-21, despite the pandemic

$25.7 billion

Victorian news

Flouting laws doesn’t pay

The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) penalised plumbing practitioners and individuals impersonating plumbers more than $40,000 for breaching regulations.

The VBA fined six people $44,855.79 for offences, including: • Conducting plumbing work without a registration or licence; • Carrying out gasfitting and mechanical services when not licensed to do so;

• Carrying out drainage work and gasfitting that did not comply with the Building Act and

Regulations; • Failing to book an inspection for sanitary drainage; and • Lodging a Compliance

Certificate, which contained a misstatement of fact.

The offending occurred at sites across Victoria, including in Kew, Epping, Dallas, Burnside Heights, Truganina and Wheelers Hill. The VBA’s Executive Director of Regulatory Operations David Brockman said most plumbing work had to be done by a qualified professional. “Plumbing work is vital and carries with it safety risks if the person does not know what they are doing, which is why it’s important you only engage a registered or licensed professional.” “Anyone found to be working without qualification, or not abiding by the Building Act and Regulations, will face the consequences,” Mr Brockman said.