Dump the licensing scheme, MEA says

The federal government’s proposed national licensing scheme is “the next insulation disaster” that will cost further lives, Master Electricians Australia (MEA) claims.

The scheme, which has been under development for three years, represents a reduction in professional standards in the electrical industry, claims MEA CEO Malcolm Richards. This will reduce safety levels for electrical contractors and any workers who operate in ceiling spaces and around electrical fittings, Richards said.

“Sadly, we believe this will - if implemented - result in electrical fatalities,” Richards said. “It may not occur immediately, but shonky electrical work is a ticking time bomb. It will remain dangerous until the faults are discovered, most probably through a serious accident.

“This is the next insulation disaster waiting to happen.

“We do not feel we can sit idly by and allow the proposed national licensing scheme for electrical contractors pass into law without registering our strongest possible warning about the likely consequences.

“Indeed, so strong is the industry’s concern that the two national peak bodies for contractors have joined forces with the Electrical Trades Union to express no confidence in the draft scheme.

“The good news is that nothing has yet been enshrined in law, so it is not too late to avoid the danger, and we urge the federal government to move quickly to put the process on hold.”

Richards said the industry felt moved to speak out collectively as it did not feel its views had been considered in the development of the proposed scheme.

“In fact, we believe the industry’s views have been quite deliberately sidelined. The views we expressed during the so-called consultation have been completely ignored in preparation of the draft Regulatory Impact Statement.

“We have supported and engaged with the national licensing program for three years. However, as a result of the factors outlined above, we can no longer continue to support it. We must withdraw our support and we urge the federal government to abandon the national licensing proposal altogether.

“We believe this model is now so badly broken that it cannot be fixed. It should be dumped.”