A voice for the industry and its people

Master Electricians Australia
Tuesday, 30 October, 2012


Master Electricians Australia (MEA) is, and always has been, a voice and firm advocate for the wellbeing of electrical contractors and their workers. Which is why we have continually taken a strong stand and lobbied against issues that adversely affect the electrical contracting industry and the people who work within it.

Not long ago, the Queensland Building Services Authority (QBSA) issued fines to electricians for performing work they were qualified and authorised to do. Due to a technical loophole, sparkies had been fined $2000 by the QBSA after hiring a fully licensed plumber with the appropriate QBSA licence to complete the plumbing component for installing hot water systems, and issuing their customers a single invoice.

Following months of strenuous lobbying from MEA urging for an immediate review of the QBSA licensing system, the Minister for Housing and Public Works Dr Bruce Flegg has announced regulatory amendments that allow licensed electrical contractors to enter into contracts to carry out solar panel and hot water system installations without the need for a QBSA contractor’s licence.

This is a key win for electrical contractors and an important step forward in ending a restrictive trade practice plaguing our industry.

More recently, MEA also spoke out in support of small contracting businesses in WA which have been left millions of dollars out of pocket through the federal school building scheme.

The federal government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) stimulus program was initially thought to be a lifeline for subbies in WA. But many of them have been strangled to the brink of bankruptcy because of it. Large numbers of WA subcontractors have yet to be paid for work completed under the BER program despite assurances by the WA Building, Management and Work (BMW) office that the BER required signed statutory declarations showing subbies had been paid before they received their cheques.

This is why MEA has stepped in on behalf of subbies across the nation. The BMW office has continually withheld funds from builders in the fear that work would not be completed, leading to subbies being left with accounts of over $200,000 each, due to builders having gone into liquidation.

Small businesses in WA have been crippled by this issue, and are at risk of losing their life’s work and their homes. The BMW office has thus far taken no action to right wrongs or honour legitimate invoices despite numerous requests for rightful federal BER payments.

Recently, MEA called on the federal and state governments to begin taking responsibility for their role in the collapse of numerous small businesses, and asked for an official investigation into fraudulently signed statutory declarations by builders promising payments to subbies.

We are pleased to say that, after MEA WA state manager Tony Mancini brought this issue to light, we began to see small steps being taken in the right direction toward helping subbies who are on their last legs. Recently, WA Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien announced a number of positive initiatives to help protect subcontractors, including appointing Commissioner for Small Business David Eaton to appoint an independent investigator to look into the issue of fraudulently signed statutory declarations.

This is a positive step in the right direction for not only our subbies, but for the future of contracting businesses in WA and across the nation. Our next step is to push for further protocols to be put in place for our subbies to protect their businesses and their homes, so that subcontractors get paid as promised for work that they have completed.

These wins prove that, with the right push and a strong representative voice, changes can be made that will better both the industry and the people who work within it. MEA will continue to work hard and lobby for the rights and wellbeing of all electrical contractors and our members to ensure our industry continues to flourish.

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