MEA protests terrace housing red tape

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has come out strongly against what it believes is an unnecessary extra requirement for connecting electricity to terrace homes in Queensland.

The extra measure, imposed by government-owned energy corporation Energy Queensland Limited (EQL), now requires a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) to provide a written letter stating that a freehold terrace house meets EQL’s requirements at least 10 business days before an Electrical Works Request (EWR) submission.

MEA said that prior to this decision, it had been liaising with EQL over its delays in connecting electricity to terrace homes.

MEA CEO Kate Raymond added that it was disappointing that EQL continued to add unnecessary red tape when Queensland was in desperate need of new housing. “No other state or territory has these requirements when connecting electricity to a terrace home,” she said.

“It is not a requirement of the Queensland electricity regulator (the Electrical Safety Office), so we’re really unclear why EQL is requiring this engineering report.

“MEA has been working with both EQL and the Electrical Safety Office for months to try and resolve the EQL connection issues. It’s disappointing that EQL has pressed ahead with the requirement for an engineer’s report, rather than pausing until the matter can be resolved,” Raymond said.

“We’re advising all MEA members to contact their builder clients as soon as possible regarding this latest requirement.”

Raymond said MEA would be lobbying the new state government on the issue.

“MEA will be advocating this matter to the new energy minister with a view to obtaining a resolution as soon as possible. Housing is a key issue facing all governments at present; now is not the time to add unnecessary red tape that only slows the construction of new terrace homes,” she said.

“MEA members experiencing issues with connections for terrace houses should contact us for advice.”

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