WorkCover NSW Safety Alert for working on electrical circuits in conduits
12 April, 2012WorkCover NSW has issued a Safety Alert for working on electrical circuits in conduits, reminding electrical workers of the dangers of cutting electrical conduits that are in service as the conduits may contain multiple circuits.
USU: Endeavour's outsourcing puts scores of jobs at risk
26 March, 2012Endeavour Energy plans to outsource electricity connection and disconnection field officer positions, according to the United Services Union (USU). The Union group claims this will put scores of jobs at risk and affect supply reliability for NSW residents.
Businesses should review energy contracts before carbon tax hits, says Energy Action
23 March, 2012Independent energy management company, Energy Action, said that energy retailers are likely to process a carbon adjustment to clients’ bills by either increasing contract energy rates or introducing a new line item to bills. Most existing retail electricity contracts do not charge for carbon, but do contain clauses allowing for adjusted prices in response to the carbon tax.
Jemena: smart meters sabotaged
22 March, 2012Jemena has announced that the failure of 21 smart meters was the result of sabotage “by an unknown person or persons”. The company said that the sabotage was confirmed by independent chemical testing and that each meter failed safely.
Legislation passed to abolish the ABCC
21 March, 2012The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) is to be abolished after the Building and Construction Industry (Transition to Fair Work) Bill was passed in the Senate on 20 March. The Office of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate will replace the ABCC.
Industry bodies disagree with IPART’s ‘fair and reasonable’ solar price
16 March, 2012The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s (IPART’s) recommendations for solar power pricing have caused quite the industry stir.
Unions to take legal action over energy privatisation
14 March, 2012Unions NSW said it will take action in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) in response to the state government’s move to privatise electricity generators.
Coalition introduces Bill to reinstate solar hot water rebate
14 March, 2012The Coalition’s Greg Hunt gave notice on 13 March to introduce a Private Members’ Bill to restore the solar hot water rebate. The Bill will demand the government commit to the remaining $64.5 million of funding it had allocated for the solar hot water rebate scheme for 2011-2012.
Visa changes welcomed by industry
13 March, 2012Changes to the visa program for skilled migrants have been welcomed by industry groups as a solution to the skills shortage that’s being experienced - particularly in the resources sector, such as in engineering and the skilled trades.
NBN Co and Telstra Definitive Agreements commence
07 March, 2012The Definitive Agreements between NBN Co and Telstra come into force on 7 March 2012, allowing NBN Co to increase construction activity.
New code guidelines show no tolerance for illegal practices
06 March, 2012New implementation guidelines for the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry will make the process of tendering for government-funded building works much simpler, Bill Shorten, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, said.
ACA criticises amendments to building industry legislation
21 February, 2012The latest amendments to the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Amendment (Transition to Fair Work) Bill 2011 have been criticised by the Australian Constructors Association (ACA).
ABCC initiates inquiry into evidence errors
17 February, 2012The Australian Building and Construction Commissioner, Leigh Johns, has called for an inquiry into the ABCC’s deficient management of evidence in a 2009 committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Call for sham contracting research tenders: ABCC
14 February, 2012The Australian Building and Construction Commissioner is requesting tender submissions to conduct research into sham contracting in the building and construction industry.
ISO/IEC plug-and-play standard enables seamless technology
23 January, 2012The newest parts of an International Standard for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) will help devices to seamlessly cross multivendor and multitechnology networks - another step forward for intelligent homes and offices. UPnP technology together with enabling home automation technologies such as KNX (ISO/IEC 14543-3) or Echonet (ISO/IEC 14543-4) makes this possible, because it allows devices to connect and work together, facilitating multiple applications like entertainment, energy efficiency, security and building control, through data and resource sharing, communications, the internet and simplified network establishment.
