Stay up to date with natural refrigerants and what's happening around the world.
The premier half-day conference event for Australia’s HVACR industry professional.
Equipping you with the skills, knowledge and insights you need to guarantee your business’ future success;
and the inspiration needed to make it happen.
Morning, Thursday 24 AUG 2017
SMC Conference & Function Centre
66 Goulburn St, Sydney
Wiring Rules 2017 Roadshow Queensland
The wiring rules are changing – statewide information sessions
The Australian Standard AS/NZS3000 (the wiring rules) is being updated and will be released later this year.
Come along to an information session in your area to find out what the changes will mean for you.
We are hosting 35 events across Queensland, with presentations by:
The Electrical Safety Office
Electrical Trades Union
Master Electricians Australia
National Electrical and Communication Association
Construction Skills Queensland.
General
Author - Phil Wilkinson AIRAH
Funding for new airport in Sydney will be a positive for the construction sector and trade jobs
new Brisbane – Melb train line should have a positive impact on the
refrigerated cold chain – cutting down hours that product is in transit – gets to market quicker/less emmissions used in refrigerated containter cooling.
Mental health spending – good for construction sector – high prevalence of mental health issues.
Budget 2017: Visa-using employers to contribute to skills fund to support apprenticeships
AIRAH comment - Air con and refrigeration mechanic has been on skills shortage list almost every year for the last 15 years.
Industry also employs a lot of overseas engineers – no building services / refrigeration degrees here
Businesses that use the federal government’s new temporary skill shortage visa will be required to contribute to a national skills fund
to support local apprenticeships, under a plan unveiled in the 2017 federal budget.
to create a new temporary skill shortage visa with stricter conditions.
The government said on Tuesday evening that employers hiring foreign workers using the new visa
will be required to make contributions to the government’s new Skilling Australians Fund.
This fund would then be used to support up to 300,000 apprentices, trainees, pre-apprentices and
other categories of local workers, if matched with funding from the states and territories.
The government estimates the fund could raise $1.5 billion, which would be through a levy imposed on the employer.
For businesses with less than $10 million in annual turnover, the levy would be an
upfront payment of $1200 per visa per year for each employee on a Temporary Skill Shortage visa.
If an employee is being sponsored for a permanent Employer Nomination Scheme visa or a permanent Regional Sponsored Migration visa,
the employer would need to pay a once-off payment of $3000 for each employee.
For businesses with more than $10 million in annual turnover, the levy would increase to $1800 and $5000, respectively.
Employment portfolio
Supporting young people to improve employability skills and gain real work
experience through Youth Jobs PaTH which includes employability skills training, internship placements and the Youth Bonus wage subsidy
Delivering effective support to early school leavers through the Transition to Work program and through Empowering YOUth Initiatives
Promoting safer workplaces in the building and construction industry through the Australian Government Building and Construction WHS Accreditation Scheme
which provides mandated accreditation requirements for companies to undertake most Commonwealth-funded building and construction projects
Safe Work Australia
Using our influence and innovative technologies to increase health and safety knowledge and capability
and to integrate work health and safety, including leadership and culture, into normal business practices
Education and Training portfolio
Australian Research Council
Continuing to provide high quality advice to the Minister on research matters
including in areas of Government focus (for example, strengthening linkages between research and business)
Budget includes support for strengthening apprenticeships and traineeships by focussing on skills needed by industry, through:
The new $1.5 billion Skilling Australians Fund, which will underpin a new
partnership with the states and territories and help train Australian workers. The
fund will deliver more apprentices, trainees, pre-apprenticeships and higher level
skilled Australians in occupations in high demand or with future growth
potential, including in regional Australia.
The Australian Government is establishing a Skilling Australians Fund, prioritised towards apprenticeships and traineeships
in occupations in high demand that currently rely on skilled migration, or with future growth potential, including in regional Australia.
Jobs and growth are underpinned by a supply of Australian workers whose skills meet industry demand.
The skills sector makes a significant contribution to Australia’s economic success, future productivity and growth.
In 2015, around four million vocational education and training student enrolments accounted for two thirds of all post-secondary students.
The Skilling Australians Fund is a significant commitment to ongoing Commonwealth funding for skills,
initially providing an estimated $1.5 billion from 2017–18 to 2020–21 to state and territory governments
to implement projects focused on improving apprenticeships and traineeships.
The Skilling Australians Fund will underpin a new partnership with the states and territories. Under the new arrangements,
there will be an emphasis on strong accountability, transparency and the delivery of clear outcomes.
The Commonwealth will agree to projects with the states to commence in 2017–18
$60 million for Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices
The Industry Specialist Mentoring for Australian Apprentices Program introduces a $60 million mentoring service to complement
the existing In-Training Support services available under the Australian Apprenticeships Support Network Program.
The overarching aim of the Industry Specialist Mentoring service is to increase the retention rates of Australian Apprentices
in the first two years of training in order to improve completion rates and support the supply of skilled workers in industries undergoing structural change.
Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarships
($24 million), which will provide 1200 new rural and regional enterprise scholarships for undergraduate, postgraduate and VET students to undertake science, technology, engineering and maths
Environment and energy portfolio
A $265 million energy package in the 2017 Federal Budget will ensure Australia maintains a secure,
reliable and competitive energy system into the future.
Longer-term changes to our energy system are being considered in the context of the
Independent Review into the Future Security of the National Electricity Market being conducted by Australia's Chief Scientist,
Dr Alan Finkel AO, and the 2017 review of climate policies.
Outcome 2: Reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to the impacts of
climate change, contribute to effective global action on climate change, and
support technological innovation in clean and renewable energy, through
developing and implementing a national response to climate change.
Outcome 4: Support the reliable, sustainable and secure operations of energy
markets through improving Australia's energy efficiency, performance and productivity for the community
Industry, Innovation and Science Portfolio
Improving collaboration between and among government, businesses, and the
research community
Building skills and capability to prepare Australia for the jobs and industries of
the future.
More details to come in AIRAH's next edition of their Ecolibrium Journal
End
QLD WAITS FOR DECISION FROM MINISTER
WILL THE HVAC&R TRADE CONTINUE IN QLD OR WILL IT BECOME PLUMBING?
The Refrigeration and Air Conditioning trade are already suffering with an estimated 32 new job vacancies over the next 5 years. The lack of respect given to this trade is a national disgrace, peripheral trades doing dodgy courses to carry out installations of air conditioning systems, disgraceful training outcomes, the list goes on.
To ensure this trade gets back on top they need to sustain a viable business to hire and train apprentices rather than peripheral trades training them. The Montreal and Kyoto protocols, Cop21 are a joke we have seen this industry increase emissions exponentially by many many poor installations and leaks by peripheral trades.
Government must remove the barriers preventing the industry in moving forward now. The scope of illegal works being carried out is yet another slap in the face for the trade qualified fridgy as most never face prosecution, illegal works = no insurance, so what about all the Australian consumers that have been unknowingly ripped off?