The Queensland state government has passed new laws for plumbing and gas fitting that will affect licensing for air conditioning and refrigeration work. The new Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 legislation provides a significant update to several aspects of plumbing and draining and includes the creation of a new licence requirement for mechanical services. The […]
In October 2016, New Zealand, Australia and almost 200 other countries adopted the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down HFCs. Australia started reducing HFC import quotas at the beginning of 2018, and now New Zealand is looking at 2020 to begin the same process. The New Zealand cabinet recently agreed to ratify […]
Standards Australia has announced the 2018-19 participants in its NEXTgen (Young Leaders) program. The program takes emerging industry and technical experts and involves them in the national and international standardisation processes. “The goal of the program is to support the future of standards development through investing in the next generation of standards leaders and experts,” […]
Strata corporations and building owners in NSW must act immediately to avoid fines and even imprisonment as a result of a new ban on combustible cladding with a core of more than 30 per cent polyethylene. The ban came into place on August 15. The ban will affect any form of the combustible building material […]
NSW Health has released the Legionella control regulation to protect the public from Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks caused by cooling towers. The new regulations have introduced significant changes to cooling tower systems management in NSW. Following two outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the Sydney central business district in March and May 2016, the Legionella Taskforce, headed […]
The National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) has launched an Australian-first search engine for green buildings. “This new tool will allow people to find the best examples of sustainable buildings and green businesses in the country,” Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton said. NABERS is a national program, administered by the NSW government, that measures the […]
The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has released draft Plumbing Regulations and a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) for public consultation. The new regulations are the result of the early public consultation phase that occurred in March 2017 and the subsequent targeted consultation process. Key changes proposed include: Additional experience requirements for […]
Important changes to the registration system for household air conditioning units are set to take effect on June 30. Under the Electrical Equipment Safety System, all units must be declared with the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC) and documented to AS/NZS 60335.2.40 with registration before selling. The new rules state that for units that use […]
The Department of the Environment and Energy is running a series of free information sessions around Australia about what the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) phase-down will mean for HFC users including equipment owners and technicians, and other changes to the program to reduce emissions and increase efficiency. The sessions will be held at: Adelaide on June 1 […]
The NSW government has amended the Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) Rule to incorporate the 2017–2018 annual Rule updates. The Energy Savings Scheme (Amendment No.1) Rule 2018 in the NSW Government Gazette was recently published, and a consolidated version of the ESS Rule is available for download. The amendments to the ESS Rule include: updates to […]