The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is offering new arrangements for mechanical services workers who apply for their occupational licence ahead of the January 1, 2022 deadline. Employees who perform mechanical services work for a licensed contractor, including refrigeration and air conditioning, have until January 1, 2022 to hold the relevant occupational licence. Normally, […]
The Northern Territory government is considering adopting Section J of the National Construction Code (NCC), which will set out new energy efficiency requirements for commercial buildings. The National Construction Code prescribes the minimum standard for buildings in Australia. Although it is a national code, each state and territory may decide whether or not to adopt […]
The federal government has taken the next step towards automatic mutual recognition of occupational licences across states and territories by releasing draft legislation for public comment. Automatic mutual recognition (AMR) will allow a person who is licenced or registered for an occupation in one jurisdiction to perform the same activities in another, without having to […]
The consultation on NSW’s draft Design and Building Practitioners Regulation – which introduces professional registration of engineers – closes on January 11. The regulation includes the details of registration schemes for design and building practitioners and engineers who work on multistorey, multi-unit residential apartment buildings. Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson has described […]
The Victorian government has set new targets for the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, and is expanding the range of technologies that households and businesses can access. The VEU program allows households and businesses to access discounts on energy-efficient products and services. This already includes reverse-cycle air conditioners for households, as well as a wider […]
AIRAH, the AMCA, FMA and FPA Australia have written to certifying organisations to provide guidance on selecting fire safety practitioners in New South Wales. New requirements have been introduced for fire safety practitioners in NSW. The previously named competent fire safety practitioners (CFSP) are now called Accredited Practitioners (Fire Safety), or APFS, and must be […]
A proposal for automatic mutual recognition of state and territory occupational licences, which had been announced to commence on January 1, 2021, has been pushed out to July 1, 2021 after a meeting of the National Cabinet. Automatic mutual recognition is intended to improve labour mobility across jurisdictions by allowing individuals who hold an occupational […]
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) is alerting employees who perform air conditioning and refrigeration work for a licensed contractor that they must hold the relevant mechanical services occupational licence by January 1, 2022. Contractors who hold a mechanical services licence and have employees who perform mechanical services work are encouraged to discuss licensing […]
The votes are set to be counted on an updated international safety standard that would allow increased charge sizes of flammable refrigerants in household air conditioners, heat pumps and dehumidifiers. The proposal has sparked discussion in the world of HVAC&R. Although it would apply to A2, A2L and A3 refrigerants, the proposal has been framed […]
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has confirmed that the adoption of the next version of the National Construction Code – NCC 2022 – has been pushed back by four months. “Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has presented a variety of significant challenges for the building industry, regulators and consumers, Building Ministers […]