The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) and the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment have created free “tech-packs” on R32 refrigerant for licensed technicians and authorised businesses. The packs contain information on refrigerant characteristics and properties, equipment requirements, safety, relationship to R410A, and more. They also include refrigerant safety stickers to help technicians identify the […]
The Board of the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) re-elected Michael Bennett as chairman at the ARC Annual General Meeting on November 25. Bennett has successfully led the ARC through a challenging year with consistent results, says the ARC. The Council also welcomed Greg Picker and Scott Williams to the Board after directors Mark Padwick and Sumit Oberoi […]
The updated UEE Electrotechnology Training Package, which includes many refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) qualifications, has now been endorsed by the skills ministers. Key components of the updated package relate to changes to UEE32220 Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration to ensure it includes the latest refrigerants, technologies, standards, codes, and work health and […]
Training group Construction Industry Training Australia (CITA) has had its RTO status cancelled for short course advertising and poor recognition of prior learning (RPL) assessments by training industry regulator Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) originally reported CITA to ASQA for advertising unduly brief short courses, and also for concerns regarding […]
For the past week the HVAC&R and wider building industry has been scrambling to assess the impacts that stricter COVID-19 restrictions will have on businesses and employees. On August 2, the Victorian government declared a state of disaster and imposed new Stage 4 lockdown measures. Rules around workplaces, which extend to construction sites, were further […]
Technical services company Grosvenor Engineering Group has introduced a dedicated natural refrigerant technology service for HVAC&R systems. Through the service, the company hopes to help the Australian commercial office market reduce its carbon footprint by providing a green alternative. “The opportunity for the use of natural refrigerants is broad within the commercial market,” says Grosvenor […]
HyChill General Manager Mario Balen, Affil.AIRAH, shares his views on national HVAC&R licensing in Australia. The HVAC&R trade is widely regarded to be under-recognised, poorly regulated and, on average, inadequately trained. Attempts have been made for many years to address some, if not all, of those shortcomings, with little success so far. The end result […]
The government has extended the instant asset write-off scheme until December 31, 2020, a move that has been applauded by The Australian Refrigeration Association (ARC). The ARC says that giving businesses six more months to immediately claim on purchases up to $150,000 represents a win for refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) contractors. The instant asset […]
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment has fined a Victorian-based importer and manufacturer of air conditioning equipment $12,600 for importing bulk hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) without a controlled substances licence. Importing HCFC without a licence is an offence under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989, which is in place to protect […]
Earlier this year, the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) ran an online survey to collect input on its position statement for HVAC&R licensing in Australia. The position statement, developed by AIRAH’s Refrigeration Special Technical Group, will define the Institute’s stance on HVAC&R licensing in Australia, and will serve as an advocacy tool for […]