master electrician magazine winter 2009

themaster

MOTOR RACINGWhat’s in it for the sponsors?

THE INTERVIEWGreen Building Council of Australia

IMPORTED PRODUCTSAre they worth the risk?

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the master electrician : WINTER 09 3

With the ever increasing talk of the need for energy efficiency solutions it’s no wonder a multitude of new renewable energy technologies are emerging. With this hot topic in mind The Master Electrician will now include a Renewable

Energy Spotlight to uncover these new technologies. Our first Spotlight focuses on the power of geothermal energy, or “hot rocks”, currently being harnessed in the Cooper Basin.

The market has seen an increase in imported electrical products, prompting contractors to question their purchasing decisions. On page 14 we speak to Jim Johnson, General Sales Manager for HPM Legrand on his thoughts on the subject.

In this issue we also speak to Romilly Madew, Chief Executive for the Green Building Council of Australia. Our interview highlights the important role this organisation has played in developing a sustainable property industry for Australia through the green building practices program.

Finally, I would like to farewell readers of The Master Electrician. I am soon to move on to new pastures. I have enjoyed bringing you a broad spectrum of industry topics and interviews within the covers of a high quality publication.

Until we meet again...

Jessie BadgerAssociAte editor

Editor’snotEWelcome to the Winter 2009 issue of The Master Electrician.

Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are offered solely in pursuance of the objects of the electrical and communications association and master electricians australia to provide an informative service to contractors in the electrical industry on legal, commercial and other issues and problems related to the industry. The electrical and communications association and master electricians australia are not aware that any person intends to act or rely upon such statements and opinions contained in this publication or the manner in which it might be possible to do so. The electrical and communications association and master electricians australia issues no invitation to any member or other persons to act or rely upon such statements or opinions or any of them and it accepts no responsibility for any of them. it intends by this provision to exclude, to the extent permitted by law, all liability for any such statements and opinions. The master electrician magazine can be viewed online at www.masterelectricians.com.au

Editorial Contacts & Contributors

General EnquiriesmasTer elecTricians ausTralia

57 Berwick Street, Fortitude Valley

PO Box 2438, Fortitude Valley BC

Queensland 4006

phone 1300 889 198

fax 07 3251 2400

email [email protected]

web www.masterelectricians.com.au

abn 97 131 416 183

ediTor Malcolm Richards

associaTe ediTor Jessie Badger

adverTising enquiries Glenn Stevens

phone 07 3252 4860

email [email protected]

design and prinT POMO 07 3844 3873

kEEpup-to-datE

yEarly subscriptions

(4 issuEs) just $38.50

09WIN

TER

ReneWABLe eneRGY

sPOTLiGHTTHE GREAT

GEOTHERMAl RACEREAD MORE PAGe 8

MOTOR RACinG

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE SPONSORS?

READ MORE PAGe 16

THe inTeRVieW

GREEN BUIlDING COUNCIl OF AUSTRAlIA

READ MORE PAGe 32

www.masterelectricians.com.auor call 1300 889 198

contents04 up front with the regulators

12 building the best team for your business

14 imported products

20 watts new

23 meet a master electrician

24 letter of the law

26 news from distributors

30 the buzz

36 technical talk

38 workplace relations

42 news from head office

45 gadget guide

46 test drive

48 events calendar

49 your best (or worst) day on the job

49 techno biz

50 last word

THE MASTER ElECTRICIAN MAGAzINE CAN BE VIEWED ONlINE AT

www.masterelectricians.com.au


victoria

Energy Safe Victoriadamien’s plea to all electricians: never work “live”

Twenty-five year old A grade electrician

Damien is living proof – but only just – of the

terrible consequences that can be suffered when

a switchboard explodes because something goes

wrong while working “live”.

It took the “slip of a screwdriver” and just two

seconds for Damien to suffer dreadful injuries

in an incident which happened just before

last Christmas.

He admits he’s “pretty lucky” as he could so

easily have been killed.

Mainly because he’s a young man his injuries

are healing well – better than expected in fact –

but he says he’s been through hell and back and

the recovery process will take many months and

possibly years.

“What I have been through has been

just dreadful.”

Damien’s plea to all other electricians is quite

simple: “Never work live, it’s just not worth it.

Most would not be aware of the repercussions of

what can happen.

“Fortunately my mates who are electricians

have told me they will never do it because of

what they have seen me go through,” he told

Energy Safe Victoria (ESV).

“It’s worrying when ambulance paramedics

tell me they see more electrically related burns

than any other.”

Damien received burns to his hands, arms, legs

and abdomen during the incident.

The incident and recovery has involved among

other things, the following:n Being placed in an induced coma for three days

n Being heavily sedated and almost suffering a

heart attackn Suffering severe hallucinationsn Spending four weeks in the Victorian Adult

Burns Service at the Alfred hospital, before

undergoing six weeks of rehabilitation at the

Epworth Hospitaln Suffering excruciating pain each day early on

in recovery when the bandages on his arms

were being changed

regulatorsup front with the

IT Took ThE “SlIP of A ScREWdRIVER” ANd juST

TWo SEcoNdS foR dAmIEN To SuffER dREAdful

INjuRIES

up front w

ith the regulators : STATE

NE

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5the master electrician : WINTER 09

n Use of skin grafts from his legs to help repair

his arms – with the result that two areas of

the body now need healingn Causing distress for his girlfriend, family and

work colleaguesn Being unable to go out in the sun without

being covered up for the foreseeable futuren Losing muscle strength after being in bed for

such a long time. He needed a walking frame

to walk 20 metres and effectively had to learn

to walk againn Barely having enough strength to tighten the

screw of a power pointn Possibly needing another operation as the

recovery continuesn The need to wear compression bandages on

his arms and legs.

Damien has no recollection of the incident up

to about a week before the incident. The last

thing he remembers was being in the switchboard

room of the club house of a retirement village.

“Most of the work we do is with the power

turned off. While I cannot remember, I must

have been working ‘live’ – there can be no other

explanation of what happened.”

An ESV investigation into the incident found

that Damien’s clothing at the time of the incident

included shorts, T-shirt, synthetic jacket, Hi-Vis

vest and helmet. The vest and jacket melted

during the incident.

ESV concluded that Damien was attempting to

install and connect a RCD type circuit breaker in a

distribution switchboard. The fact that the circuit

breaker was not sitting in the correct location

following the incident leads to this conclusion,

said the report.

“Judging by the damage sustained by a

screwdriver found at the scene, it was concluded

that Damien may have inserted the end of the

screwdriver into the area where the live bus is

located in order to adjust one or more of the

bus bars. This resulted in an arcing event that

travelled down the bus system to the bottom of

the switchboard,” said the ESV report.

Builders controlling the site told ESV

investigators that they did not know that Damien

was working on the switchboard in a live state,

and they saw no reason why the electricity supply

to the building could not have been isolated.

They would have agreed to isolate the supply if

they had been asked.

Damien confirmed to ESV that his employers

had instructed all staff not to carry out live

electrical work.

He insisted that he did not carry out work

on live electrical equipment under normal

circumstances and could not explain why he had

not isolated the electricity supply in this instance.

As seen in energysafe publication.

NEW south WalEs

office of fair TradingReview of nsW electricity network contestable services

the NSW Government is seeking input into

a review of electricity network contestable

services in NSW.

The review will examine the operation of

the scheme that accredits service providers

that undertake contestable services on the

electricity network (the Accredited Service

Providers Scheme).

It will also consider the range of services

that are contestable, particularly whether

certification of design work and inspection

of customer connection services, network

extension or network augmentation for

technical compliance should be made

contestable (these are currently monopoly


services provided by distribution network

service providers).

An issues paper has been released for public

comment, which can be viewed or downloaded

from the Office of Fair Trading’s website at

www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au.

The review is undertaken jointly by the Better

Regulation Office, Department of Water and

Energy and the Office of Fair Trading.

Have your sayYou are invited to comment on the issues paper

by 7 August 2009 via:

Email: [email protected].

Mail: Electricity Network Contestable

Services Review

Better Regulation Office

GPO Box 5341

Sydney NSW 2001

Phone: 02 9228 5414

Fax: 02 9228 4408

south australia

office of consumer and Business Affairssevere penalty for unlicensed electrician

i n march 2009 an unlicensed electrician who left

at least ten households with unsafe electrical

installations was ordered to perform 320 hours

of community service – the maximum number of

hours that can be ordered.

The unlicensed electrician contracted for

work and performed electrical work that did not

comply with wiring rules.

Upon considering the offender’s financial

circumstances, the Magistrate stated that a fine

would not adequately reflect the gravity of the

offending; nor would a good behaviour bond.

The only other sentencing option available to the

Magistrate was to order community service.

As seen in Plumbing, Gas Fitting and Electrical

licensing update.

WEstErN australia

EnergySafety WA Western Power fined for shoddy and unsafe work

in April 2007 a Western Power contractor, Tenix

Alliance Pty Ltd, replaced a low/high voltage

intermediate pole in Gossage Road, Oldbury.

The contractor installed the low voltage

distribution system with the blue phase and

neutral conductors crossed over either side of the

new pole.

As a consequence the blue phase and neutral

conductors clashed causing a short circuit.

This short circuit caused the voltage between

the neutral conductor and the other two phases

(red and white) to rise causing severe damage

to customers’ equipment connected to Western

Power’s low voltage distribution system.

This action by Western Power’s contractor

indicates that no suitable testing or

commissioning was carried out, by either the

contractor or Western Power, prior to the

distribution system being placed back in service

following the pole replacement.

A simple visual inspection would have easily

detected the faulty work and inadequate phase

to neutral clearances.

Following investigation Western Power was

prosecuted by EnergySafety for a breach of

Regulation 10 of the Electricity (Supply Standards

and System Safety) Regulations 2001.

Western Power pleaded guilty to the breach

of the regulations and was convicted and fined

$12,000 with costs of $571 in May 2009 at the

Rockingham Magistrates Court.

In convicting Western Power the Magistrate

took into account the early guilty plea and

remedial action taken by Western Power since

the incident.

A SImPlE VISuAl INSPEcTIoN Would hAVE EASIly

dETEcTEd ThE fAulTy WoRk ANd INAdEquATE PhASE To

NEuTRAl clEARANcES.


up front w

ith the regulators : STATE

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quEENslaND

Electrical Safety officedisciplinary action taken

an electrical worker failed to adequately supervise an apprentice who

received an electric shock and then received injuries when he fell from a

step ladder. The apprentice was stripping insulation from an energised cable in

an awning and received the shock when he contacted the cable. The worker

failed to ensure the circuit was isolated and did not ensure adequate testing was

carried out before work commenced.

The licensing committee reprimanded the worker, fined him $500, and

suspended his licence for three months but agreed to defer the suspension

for three months on the condition the worker attends a course on electrical

installation testing and isolation procedures. The suspension will be revoked

providing he completes the course in the time stated.

The employer, an electrical contractor, did not have appropriate work

processes in place as required under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (the Act).

As a result, the licensing committee suspended his contractor licence for three

months. however, the suspension was deferred for six months to allow for an

independent audit on his work processes to ensure he meets the requirements

of the Act, including those relating to supervision and testing. he is also required

to put in place a system to specify the roles of his qualified Technical Persons

and qualified Business Persons. The suspension will be revoked providing he

submits the evidence in the time stated.

In making this decision the committee took into account the fine of $23 000

imposed on the contractor’s company by the Industrial magistrates court.

New Electrical Safety Plan for queensland

the Electrical Safety Plan for Queensland 2009-2014 took effect from 1 january

2009 with a goal to eliminate all preventable electrical deaths in queensland.

This ambition aligns with the Electrical Safety Act 2002, which aims to

eliminate the human cost to individuals, families and the community of death,

injury and destruction that can be caused by electricity.

The plan was developed by the Electrical Safety Board in consultation with

industry and the Electrical Safety office. The plan builds on the achievements

of the past five years and outlines high level strategies, goals and targets to

support improvements in electrical safety over the next five years.

The three priority areas for the plan are: n Powerlines n Electrical installations n Electrical equipment.

Strategies have been developed for each priority area to address identified

issues under the five following common headings: n Education and awareness n legislation n compliance n Training n Equipment design and innovation.

The strategies have been chosen to address possible contributing or influential

factors and are expected to make the greatest impact in reducing the overall

number of electrical incidents. however, the issues identified are not exhaustive

and others may be addressed as and when identified. This will ensure the plan

is also able to address any emerging risk areas over its five year life.

The plan is available on the Electrical Safety office website at

www.deir.qld.gov.au. n

8

The great

geothermal race

where the biggest winnerwill be Australia

RENEWABLE ENERGY

SPOTLIGHT

www.masterelectricians.com.au 8


renewab

le energy spotlight : TH

E G

RE

AT GE

OTH

ER

MA

l RA

CE

The geothermal industry in Australia

has the potential to be the largest

in the world and many companies

are taking on the challenge of

realising that potential, and making significant

capital investments.

Between four and six kilometres below

Australia’s surface is a granite layer made up of

hot fractured rock that reaches temperatures of

around 280°C, providing a natural heat source

which can be tapped for staggering amounts of

energy generation.

For example, just one cubic kilometre of hot

granite at 250 degrees centigrade has the stored

energy equivalent of 40 million barrels of oil.

The extraordinary generation potential,

coupled with the zero-emissions nature of

geothermal technology, has sent investors

scrambling to be a part of the “hot rocks”

phenomenon.

According to the South Australian

Government, some 23 companies have

applied for 237 geothermal licences covering

more than 110,800 square kilometres. These

licences account for more than 80 per cent of

all geothermal exploration activity underway or

proposed throughout Australia.

More than 800 million dollars worth of

exploration and proof-of-concept investment is

forecast through 2013.

Among the leading developers of this new

technology is Queensland-based Geodynamics.

The company came together in 2001 and is

now at the forefront of the geothermal energy

industry in Australia.

Geodynamics holds tenements in the Cooper

Basin – an area said to be the hottest in the world.

The company’s managing director, Gerry

Grove-White, makes the complicated and

technically difficult geothermal generation

process sound oh-so-simple.

“We put cool water in and take hot water

out,” he says.

“We’re extracting heat from four to five

kilometres below the ground.

“With the extracted heat, we’ll run a

conventional steam turbine that will generate

power,” he said.

“This process is entirely closed circuit so no

water is lost to evaporation.”

Before the generation process can begin,

however, there is the not-insignificant matter

of drilling a number of wells through several

kilometres of granite, and completing a circuit

deep underground so the water can flow back

to the surface.

“We drill down four to five kilometres where

temperatures are 250°C to 280°C.

“We expect that in the years to come we will

be drilling down five to six kilometres because

the granites extend down and the deeper you go

the hotter it is,” Mr Grove-White said.

“With our tenements alone and operating

between four and five kilometres, we estimate

we could support 5,000 - 10,000 Megawatts of

base load power generation.”

9

Several kilometres

under the cooper

Basin is a layer of

granite that could

hold the answer to

Australia’s clean

energy quest. Emily

clark reports on how

companies around

Australia are investing

in geothermal energy

and how far they

have come.

The price of geothermal energyGeodynamics estimate they will

produce power for $75 per mWh and

get to market for $85 per mWh. But

REcs would be earned on those hours

which currently trade at around $52 an

hour. This puts geothermal energy in

a very competitive position.


Geothermal energy is currently carrying

baseload power in Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines,

and South America.

Geodynamics will soon launch the country’s

first geothermal commercial demonstration

plant in the Cooper Basin not far from

Innamincka.

It will be a power station that has nine wells –

five production and four injection wells.

Geodynamics is the company closest to

producing geothermal energy here in Australia

but there are around 40 companies with

exploration licenses.

According to the Australian Geothermal

Energy Association (AGEA) hot fractured rock

kilometres under Australia’s surface is our

greatest, cleanest, and most efficient resource.

Susan Jeans from the AGEA said the industry

cannot advance without more support.

“The problem with this industry is we are

developing the technology as we are trying

to build the projects so the upfront costs

are massive.

“We are sitting on the best geothermal

resource in the world and the only thing holding

it up is access to money,” Ms Jeans said.

In terms of government support, the

geothermal energy industry is looking for long-

term investment, such as has been given to the

solar and clean coal industries.

“These alternatives are great and we fully

support solar energy but the geothermal industry

needs a similar longer-term commitment,” Ms

Jeans said.

With investment and sustained government

funding, companies such as Geodynamics will

generate clean power. However, generating

reliable power is only the first hurdle.

Lack of transmission infrastructure to areas

such as the Cooper Basin presents an additional

hurdle for geothermal producers.

“The problem is we need large transmission

infrastructure to get the power out,” Ms

Jeans said.

“Currently there is a disincentive as

companies can outlay the upfront costs and

build the geothermal power stations but with no

guarantee transmission rules will change they will

be responsible for building the infrastructure that

will service a national interest.”

“The Government needs to acknowledge that

the existing transmission rules will change so

there are fewer barriers.”

Gerry Grove-White insists Geodynamics has

found an application for geothermal energy that

bypasses the transmission problems.

“I think one of the challenges we face, in

particular because we are so remote, is that

grid connection.

“We are looking very much at finding power

consumers whose basic business model would

allow them to relocate and be co-located with

our power stations out in the Cooper Basin,”

Mr Grove-White said.

“An example we are quite enthusiastic about

is data centres.”

One of the issues the information technology

industry faces is the cost of its energy with data

centres requiring large amounts of power to

store data securely.

“For most chief information officers, the largest

single line revenue item in their budget is energy.

“They spend more on electricity than they do

on hardware and it’s becoming an increasing

issue for a lot of data centre owners and users,”

Mr Grove-White said.

“The Googles, the Microsofts, the Yahoos,

and the big banks are all worried about their

carbon signature.”

Geodynamics believes data centres are suitable

co-located businesses to use its geothermal

energy as they are often unattended with

companies – especially those located offshore –

willing to fly information technology specialists to

the centres if required.

“We can connect to not one data centre but

three or four out in the Cooper basin for a cost of

about one twentieth of the transmission line so

all of a sudden we found an operation that could

run quite successfully out there.

“It’s a pretty compelling economic argument

– it’s compelling for us as we’ll provide the fibre

connections for one twentieth of the cost.

“That would allow us to achieve scale initially

out in the Cooper Basin and then we would build

the transmission line to the national electricity

market,” Mr Grove-White said.

“We’ve road tested it with a large number

of data centre owners and operators and

so far everyone has said ‘yeah it works, that

would work’, and it’s generating quite a lot

of interest.”

Despite the large capital requirements for this

particular kind of power generation, the operating

costs are the lowest in the power industry.

Because Geodynamics is drilling to the hottest

part of the granite and generating more steam,

the power station is more efficient and able to

sustain baseload power.

This gives geothermal companies like

Geodynamics the ability to recover maintenance

costs faster and generate greater returns

for shareholders.

Susan Jeans insists there is a large national

interest in investing in the geothermal

energy industry.

“On all predictions geothermal energy is likely

to be the cheapest and most efficient energy

by 2020.

“Without early support we are not going to

reach that point,” Ms Jeans said.

“We are facing climate change and geothermal

energy can provide a clean and cheap alternative

power source.”

Those within the geothermal energy industry

know the task ahead of them is large but

believe the rewards will be felt not only by their

companies but by Australians now and long into

the future. n

Types of geothermal energyhydrothermal energy is based on water that is heated up by volcanic activity.

Steam reservoirs are drilled into to bring the steam up into a turbine.

Engineering Geothermal Systems (EGS) or hot rocks involves drilling

deeper into granites that have heated up over millions of years due to radiogenic decay of

uranium and thorium releasing small amounts of energy. Where those granites are insulated

with two or three kilometres of sedimentary rock the temperatures increase significantly. This

is the kind of geothermal energy generated by Geodynamics.

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for your business When your business is growing your team often needs to grow with it. Emily clark reports on how to ensure you are getting the right people through the door – and how to keep them.

Bu i ld ingThE BEST TEAm

Even in the toughest economic

conditions some businesses will still

thrive. These businesses often have

loyal employees who understand what

tougher times mean at the lowest level and why

it is important to look to the greater good.

There are several things to look for when

recruiting members into a pre-established team.

Neil Green from Australian Recruiting said

hiring employees is not always about what looks

good on paper.

“Businesses should be looking at the

work the job candidates have had within the

past two years, the type of work they have

been doing and what companies they have

worked for.

“Also, I recommend ringing the most recent

referee the candidate has listed and some of the

past employers the candidate has not listed as

referees,” Mr Green said.

“This will give you a good insight into their

personality because, especially with small

businesses, personality is key.”

savE timE aND moNEy

Hiring and firing is often a costly process but

even small businesses can outsource recruiting

to a firm that bears most of the workload for a

fixed price.

“We save businesses advertising costs, we’re

on time because we’ve got a lot of people on

our database that we can put into the positions

and we can give them a quick response.

“We can negotiate rates, we’re accredited to

do in-house drug and alcohol testing and we give

them a one-day guarantee to trial the candidate

so that they can see their personality come out,”

Mr Green said.

Personalities can often clash and damage

working relationships within organisations but

once you have a group of people you believe is

right for your business there are ways to develop

the team dynamic and avoid future clashes.

Ross Jolly from Soundreasoning helps

companies develop strong and prosperous

teams and said the important thing is to give

employees involvement in the organisation.

“A strong business team contributes and

takes ownership of its actions.

“Managers are prepared to let go of being

right and the sole owners of the best ideas in the

business,” Mr Jolly said.

Once you have hired the people you believe

will help grow your business in terms of

capacity, there are ways to help these people

work together.

The three essential elements to an effective

team are:n A clear vision and business plan that key

players in the team have participated in

building and have ownership inn A diverse group of people who have different

and complimentary skills and experiencen An effective communication process for the

whole organisation to ensure everyone is up

to date with progress and future direction.

Fostering this sense of belonging to a team will

lift staff morale. But why is morale so important

and what happens when it is low?

“Increased sick leave, absenteeism, falls in

quality of outputs, increased staff turnover

leading to increased recruitment costs and

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This information is of a general nature and does not take into account your individual financial situation, objectives or needs. Because of this you should, before acting on this advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. You should obtain a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and consider the PDS before making any decision. If you require such specific advice, you should contact a licenced financial adviser. SPEC(QLD) PTY. LTD. (ABN 60 010 743 405, AFSL 325 122), the Trustee of SPEC Super (ABN 45 404 406 059), is authorised to provide general financial product advice in relation to superannuation. For a copy of our PDS please call 1300 366 648.


feature : BU

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eventually a loss of profits – it’s all just a big

snowball that keeps building if not addressed

effectively,” Mr Jolly said.

When trust is lost in an organisation, especially

in small businesses, it becomes difficult for the

managers to take holidays

and have confidence that

the best interest of the

business will be maintained

while they are away.

“Even more important

than trust is trustworthiness.

“Doing what you say and

delivering on promises is

paramount at all levels,” Mr

Jolly said.

To empower your team to

take care of your business

during the times you cannot

be reached, managers

should develop processes to standardise the way

things are done.

“Often small businesses fail to get the right

procedures in place, thinking it is just the big

companies that have procedures. That’s not so.

“If small and medium businesses take the

time and effort and involve their team in getting

their procedures and policies in order, they will

discover that people inherently want to do a

good job,” Mr Jolly said.

“If business owners build their business, as if

it was a large one, with the right, simple, checks

and balances in place, they can

get away for regular breaks,

without losing the lot.”

Recruiting trends suggest

despite the global financial

crisis, candidates are still

looking closely at what

organisations have to offer.

Candidates are still looking

for balance in their lives and

careers and it is important

to recruit with the aim of

adding value to both parties

– your business and your

new employee.

“Your greatest investment in most businesses

is in your people.

“Some companies treat it as a cost and that is

their first problem,” Mr Jolly said.

“If you invest in good people and then

continue to do so, you will have a winning

business formula.” n

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A legendary Australian business man was once asked “you spend all this money training and involving your people, what happens if you train them up and they leave?” his simple yet highly effective response was “what happens if I didn’t train them and they stay!”


making purchasing decisions that balance good quality with a great price tag is a challenge for every good electrician. one of Australia’s leading suppliers of electrical products tells purchasers what they should look out for.

Impo

rted

Pro

duct

s

The wide range of electrical products available on the market can mean a world of confusion

for those wanting to avoid the trap of supplying and fitting dodgy products.

HPM Legrand General Manager Sales, Jim Johnson said the variety of local and imported

products on the market had led to an equally diverse number of product compliance standards.

With imported products in particular, Mr Johnson said, products may initially be manufactured to a

relevant standard but the quality can decline over time.

“In a lot of cases products get certification to the minimum standards but fail to maintain that

standard without further formal testing,” he said.

“There is not enough regulatory authority to ensure that products are meeting the relevant standards

long term and it’s a very common problem.”

Within Australia there is a tendency to self-regulate to ensure quality manufacturing is maintained

and protecting the reputation of the Australian industry depends on this. The major manufacturers test

their own products by batch testing imported products.

“They are obligated to be that way purely because of the size of their business and the damage it

would cause not to self-regulate, but there are a lot of small companies that don’t,” Mr Johnson said.

“Quite honestly there are a lot of products that you and I could go and buy in a shop today that

realistically do not meet the level of safety standards that are required for sale.” are

they

wor

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feature : IMP

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Apart from the obvious safety concerns associated with inferior

products, they also present a professional risk for the electrical

contractors who install them.

Saving costs by using inferior products may turn out to be an

expensive mistake in the long run.

“If something gets installed in your house and then your house

burns down, the first person to be called in to justify that is more than

likely the electrical contractor,” Mr Johnson said.

“The contractor then has to prove that it was the product that

caused the problem.”

Only after there is no liability on the part of the electrician does it

then become the problem of the manufacturer or reseller.

Then finally, there’s the essential rule for dodgy products – don’t do

the dodgy on yourself.

“A lot of times people don’t use the right product for the right

application. They buy a product; use it incorrectly, then if it blows up,

what can you say, ‘that’s not what the product was meant for,’ then

who’s at fault?” n

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The connections between the electrical industry and the fast pace

of the V8 Supercar world may appear few and far between

but increasingly industry members such as lawrence

& hanson (l&h), master Electricians Australia,

and clipsal are getting in on the action of

motor racing.

Motor Racing

Sponsorship

Many businesses within the electrical trade have become crucial

supporters of the motor racing industry and have found that

sharing the passion with their customers has created loyal and

rewarding business relationships.

L&H is just one of the many businesses that have caught on with the trend

as series sponsors of V8 Supercars with events such as the L&H 500 Phillip

Island, the Tasmanian Challenge, Townsville 400 and the Bathurst 1000.

Martin Dench of the L&H Group said that sponsorship of the V8 Supercars

has provided an excellent opportunity to enhance the relationship with their

customers and create invaluable promotional coverage for L&H.

“It provides an exceptional promotional platform for our business and a

point of difference in the market that we will continue to leverage into the

future,” Mr Dench said.

“At the L&H 500, we will host over 1,000 electrical contractors and their

partners from all over Australia for the weekend. They are rewarded and

acknowledged for their continued business. No other wholesaler can offer

this experience.”

After research conducted by L&H revealed that many of their male and

female clients were avid motor racing fans, the decision to support V8

Supercars became an obvious choice as they were seeking to sponsor a


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sport that would appeal to both the customer

and their partner.

Motor racing allows for the sponsors to gain

more year-round coverage than what they would

with other seasonal sports and prevents a division

between fans that sports such as AFL, which

is more commonly followed in the southern

states of Australia, and the rugby codes, that

are supported in the more northern states,

could produce.

By becoming involved in the popular sport of

motor racing, electrotechnical businesses have

been able to connect with their target audience

of electrical contractors on a level that has not

been reached before.

Sponsors can encourage loyalty from their

customers with rewards for continued business

such as behind the scenes tours of Australian

racing events, the opportunity to meet members

of the racing teams, and ‘hot laps’ in team cars.

The Clipsal 500 V8 Supercar Race – often

known simply as “The Clipsal” – is Australia’s

largest domestic motor sport event and has

helped propel its sponsor, Clipsal, to the status

of household name. This year, 2009, will mark

the tenth Clipsal 500 since its inception in 1999.

The Clipsal 500 has been recognised as the

V8 Supercars Australia “Promoter of the Year”

on seven consecutive occasions and in 2005

was the first event ever to be inducted into the

V8 Supercars Australia “Hall of Fame”, a status

usually reserved for champion drivers.

Clipsal’s racing accomplishments have

produced continual positive branding and

image-building opportunities for the business.

The recent “Clipsal Full Throttle 09 Expo” in

March had a guest list of over 2000 electrical

contractors and electrical industry professionals.

Clipsal’s Executive General Manager, Damien

Cummins said that the popularity of “The

Clipsal” was an important feature in the branding

and promotion of the company and that they

enjoyed sharing the interest in motor racing with

their customers.

“So integral to our activities, in fact, that we

are proud to put our name to Adelaide’s flagship

sporting event up until 2015,” Mr Cummins said.

More recently, Master Electricians Australia has

entered the world of motor racing sponsorship,

supporting Formula Ford driver Andre Borell for

the 2009 season.

CEO Malcolm Richards said the sponsorship

was among many avenues being used to

promote the work of Master Electricians and

keep the organisation in the public eye. n

the master electrician : WINTER 09 19

For more details visit www.masterelectricians.com.au quality safety reliability

Phone 1300 889 198 to get your business on the road to savings.

Drive away with a great deal!50% Investment Allowance deadline extended

The government has extended its deadline on the 50% Investment allowance until 31st December 2009. ECA Members and Accredited Master Electricians can take advantage of the extended deadline through our Fleet Services Program and choose from a great range of vehicles.

Man electrocuted while painting roofA man died after he received an electrical shock while painting trim on the top of a North Florence business.

Officials removed a long aluminum extension pole, used in painting, along with a can of red paint and other items belonging to the victim.

Firefighters said it appeared the man was painting the metal trim along the roof using the pole and got too close to the electric wires.

www.timesdaily.com

clIPSAl’S RAcING AccomPlIShmENTS hAVE PRoducEd coNTINuAl PoSITIVE BRANdING ANd ImAGE-BuIldING

oPPoRTuNITIES foR ThE BuSINESS.

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The new national RET scheme expands

on the Mandatory Renewable Energy

Target with its system of tradable

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs),

which the Federal Government says will help

to guarantee a significant market for additional

renewable energy generation.

The scheme acts as part of an effort to increase

the share of renewable energy used in Australia

to 20 per cent with higher targets that will grow

every year until they reach 45,000 gigawatt-

hours (GWh) of renewable energy use in 2020.

Master Electricians Australia National Manager

– Workplace Policy Paul Daly says that just like

with the cancellation of the previous rebate,

the new RET scheme was created with very

little consultation or consideration for the

electrical industry.

“The government does not seem to

understand the role an electrical contractor plays

in the installation of a solar panel system. Without

an electrical contractor, it doesn’t happen,” Mr

Daly said.

The previous solar panel rebate initiative

that was funded by the Federal Government

saw an influx of work for solar panel installers

as the public rushed to take full advantage of

the scheme.

The abrupt cancellation of the solar panel

rebate on June 9 this year meant that many small

businesses suffered when they were left without

the expected flood of last minute orders that

would have generated much needed work in

such an unstable financial climate.

“For many Australians the installation of a

solar panel system is out of reach without the

rebate scheme or some form of reimbursement,”

Mr Daly said.

However, with the RET scheme’s increased

annual targets for renewable energy use in

Australia, a large market is expected to be

established where electrical contractors could

newwatts

After the Government’s unexpected early cancellation of the solar panel rebate scheme, many small businesses and contractors are hoping the Renewable Energy Target (RET) proposal can replace the large demand for work the original scheme had created.


look forward to a significant demand for solar panel installation throughout

the country.

To assist in achieving the increased targets, a higher shortfall charge of

$65/MWh is being used to encourage electricity retailers to comply with

the new targets rather than simply writing off the cost of the charges as

business expenses.

The fixed shortfall charge is set above the REC price and will mean that

many electrical retailers will need to be diligent in acquiring the appropriate

amount of RECs to avoid losing money.

By increasing the number of RECs issued with eligible components and

systems, the scheme is anticipated to build on the popularity of the original

rebate initiative and create a stronger interest in renewable energy systems

amongst the public.

The RECs will assist with the cost of installing small-scale renewable

energy systems, such as solar hot water heaters, through a solar credits

system that will enable owners of smaller renewable energy generators to

earn multiple RECs for each MWh of renewable energy produced by their

systems that they can then trade for a negotiated price.

While the tradable RECs will allow owners some independence in

negotiating a price, there are concerns that the scheme will make it more

complicated for home owners to be reimbursed for their purchase of smaller

systems in comparison to the previous solar panel rebate initiative that gave

a subsidy in full.

“My guess is that orders for solar systems will stall considerably as

people try and get their heads around the RECs scheme, and how much (if

anything) they will receive from the scheme,” Mr Daly said.

Electricity-intensive industries or RET-Affected Trade Exposed (RATE)

industries will also be impacted by the new RET scheme as the higher

target commitments will increase the electricity cost impact and could cause

difficulties for their competition on the international markets, where they

will be unable to pass through the full costs associated with the RET.

Compensation will be paid to the RATE industries to counteract the

disruption that the RET will cause. n

watts new

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EMONASydneyTel 02 9519 3933Fax 02 9550 1378

MelbourneTel 03 9889 0427Fax 03 9889 0715

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PerthTel 08 9361 4200Fax 08 9361 4300

email [email protected] web www.emona.com.au

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Aspects of the scheme that have changed: increased Targets

The targets for renewable energy that commence in 2010 are higher and

will increase annually until they peak at 45,000 GWh in 2020

longer scheme duration

The scheme will be phased down from 2025 and then terminated at the

end of 2030

higher shortfall charge

The shortfall charge that is paid by electricity retailers in lieu of renewable

energy certificates has increased from $40/mWh to $65/mWh to

encourage participants to comply with the target as opposed to opting to

pay the shortfall charge

Aspects of the RET scheme that are the same:eligibility criteria

The same eligibility criteria as under the mandatory Renewable Energy

Target scheme is used

eligibility periods

All eligible projects are able to participate and create REcs for the total

duration of the RET scheme until it expires

continuation of existing projects

All existing projects that are eligible under the mandatory Renewable

Energy Target scheme are able to participate in the RET for the duration

of the scheme

banking of recs

The mandatory Renewable Energy Target scheme’s approach to banking

of REcs is continued in the RET scheme without restriction for the life of

the project

The electrical industry has been using cotton drill workwear for years, simply because there has been no better option.

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The Platinum Electrical JourneyIn this edition’s Meet a Master Electrician, we introduce you to Joshua Nicholls, a fellow Master Electrician and director of Platinum Electrical Contractors Sydney, New South Wales.

Platinum Electrical has come a long

way over the last seven years, from

a single man in a van to a large

franchise network.

Joshua Nicholls explains that helping other

people achieve commercial success was the

motivation behind the launch of Platinum

Electrical Contractors’ franchise network.

“I really enjoy working with people to help

them learn and grow their own business. My

aim is to build the franchise network interstate

and to encourage good leaders, not followers,”

Joshua said.

His success to date has won him a National

Telstra Business Award in 2007, which Joshua

describes as the “highlight” of his career.

Joshua’s long-term goal is for Platinum

Electrical Contractors to ultimately become the

most recognised electrical contracting brand

in Australia – “to truly become an Australian

household name”, he said.

He has been inspired by major players in the

business world like Brad Sugars, founder of

Action Coach and Peter Irvine co founder of

Gloria Jean’s Coffees. An inspiration himself,

Joshua gives advice to tradesmen either starting

out or wanting to take their existing business to

the next level.

“If they would like to start or grow their

current business I recommend starting a

franchise as they have the benefit of past

success and knowledge of Platinum Electrical.

Franchisees get one-on-one coaching to help

grow and develop their business, as well as

the marketing benefits of joining the Platinum

Electrical brand,” he said.

“For those starting out, owning a franchise

minimises risk compared to starting a company

from scratch. From day one franchisees start

with all the systems and procedures Platinum has

developed over the past seven years.”

One of the current challenges facing electrical

contractors in today’s current economic climate is

pricing, he says.

“Charging too little and undercutting each

others’ rates brings average pricing down. At

Platinum Electrical we ensure providing five

star service is our focus and not cheapest price.

This way customers feel they are getting value

for money.”

His recipe for success has certainly served him

well so far! n

electrician

meet a

masterm

eet a master electrician : JO

SH

NIC

HO

LLS

Name: Josh Nicholls

COmpaNy:Platinum Electrical

Newtagsadvert180x81.pdf 16/04/2009 2:04:04 PM


letterof the law

copper theft… is it your problem?

You will have read about the fellow in Germany who was recently

electrocuted whilst trying to steal live copper cabling from a

building site. He had his hand blown off and was killed.

Here in Australia, there has also been an increase in theft of

copper from building sites.

Often this is being stolen by employees but sadly, it has sometimes

involved contractors too.

In a recent case an employer became aware of a persistent problem with

copper theft on some sites he had jobs on. He fitted a small tracking device

to a bucket in which copper was stored.

The copper, bucket and all, was stolen and the thieving employee

was caught.

Theft from an employer is treated by the law much more seriously than

theft from someone else. In fact, it carries a maximum jail sentence of

ten years.

We do not know whether this fellow was actually reported to the police

but he does not work for the contractor anymore!

With tough economic times coming, the incidence of theft is likely to

increase further.

That is all the more reason why now you need to take more care to ensure

that you properly secure your plant and equipment on building sites and

indeed, in your premises.

For more information contact McKays Solicitors on 07 3223 5900 or visit

www.mckayslaw.com.

For more details visit www.masterelectricians.com.au

Reap the benefits.

Telecommunications Deals.Connect to a range of discounted telecommunications services including mobile phones, landlines, 1300 and 1800 numbers, and Internet packages. The service is backed by a dedicated 1300 technical support helpdesk so you can get assistance when you need it.

Fleet Services.Receive great discounts when purchasing vehicles with our Fleet Service. Through our partnership with AP Group, we can source the right vehicle at the right price using a network of member fleet specialists covering almost every vehicle brand. In addition, you can also access competitive finance packages.

Insurance Cover.Through our partnerships with Comsure Insurance Brokers andConcept Benefit Planning we can provide comprehensive and competitive insurance cover to protect your business and personal needs.

Fuel Scheme.Our fuel plan is a convenient way for you to manage and reduce your bills. Use your BP fuel card to receive discounted rates and receive a simple monthly fuel bill for all your vehicles. All your business and private vehicles are eligible to participate in the fuel scheme. You can even extend the privilege to staff as an extra benefit of employment.

quality safety reliability

To find out how you can become a Master Electrician call 1300 889 198

When you become an ECA member or Accredited Master Electrician you gain access to a wide variety of exclusive benefits and discounts.

08441 ECA Members Benefits Full Page Ad Update.indd 1 4/08/09 12:28 PM


newsfrom distributorstruENErgy

COAl TO OIl PlANT

Ignite Energy Resources (IER) and

TRuenergy have entered into a

memorandum of understanding

(mou) to develop a commercial

demonstration plant that will utilise IER’s

direct coal-to-oil and upgraded dry coal process

from the brown coal at TRuenergy’s yallourn mine.

The facility will be developed in three

modules to process up to 60,000 tonnes of

high moisture content brown coal per annum

that will produce up to 60,000 barrels of IER

high grade oils and 18,000 tonnes of high-

grade dry coal.

IER’s proprietary supercritical water

technology transforms low ranked coals,

including lignite, directly into high-valued oils and

cleaner coal products.

IER’s operating reactor at Somersby, NSW

converts one dry tonne of Gippsland Basin

lignite into approximately two barrels of oil and

0.6 tonnes of high ranked coal. Independent

expert reports predict that the company’s coal,

compared to lignite, will reduce co2 emissions

by 40% when used for power generation.

Subject to feasibility studies and based on the

operating Somersby reactor design, IER will build

and operate a commercial-scale reactor at the

TRuenergy site.

By converting abundant, low-cost, high-

moisture lignite into high-valued oil and coal

products, IER hopes to provide a cleaner, secure

energy source, while significantly reducing

co2 emissions.

phone 1300 EGROUP | www.electrogroup.com.au

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electrogroupapprenticeships and training


ENErgEX

ENHANCEMENTS TO ENERGEX’S ONlINE SUBMISSION PROCESS FOR ElECTRICAl WORk REQUESTS (FORM 2)

As part of ENERGEX’s continued commitment

to improving the connections process,

enhancements to the online submission process

for Electrical Work Requests (form 2) are currently

underway in the form of a new Web Portal.

The Electrical Work Request (form 2) Web

Portal will introduce a number of key functions,

designed to streamline the process, providing

efficiencies in the processing and scheduling

of work. The new EWR (form 2) Web Portal

will automatically upload the data directly into

ENERGEX’s systems, eliminating the need for any

manual handling.

one of the key functions of the new Web

Portal includes the provision of a unique reference

number to the electrical contractor at the time a

EWR (form 2) is submitted. This EWR (form 2)

reference number can then be used to track the

progress of the request. Electrical contractors can

also choose to receive status updates for individual

requests via email and/or SmS. This should assist

in minimising the need to contact ENERGEX for

updates and improve time efficiency.

To assist in ensuring the efficient scheduling of

work, the Web Portal will automatically forward a

copy of the electrical contractors EWR (form 2)

to a customers’ nominated retailer at the time of

submission. This will allow the retailer to include the

EWR (form 2) reference number when providing

the Retailer Service order (also known as a B2B)

to ENERGEX, reducing the time required to

match up customer and address details.

The EWR (form 2) Web Portal will require a

number of mandatory fields to be populated

to enable a request to proceed. This will assist

in maintaining the quality and accuracy of any

submitted data and help reduce the need

for electrical contractors to clarify or submit

additional information to ENERGEX.

one of these mandatory field requirements

will be the nomination of a customers’

preferred electricity retailer. In preparation

of the introduction of this requirement,

ENERGEX encourages all electrical contractors

to begin nominating their customers’ preferred

electricity retailer.

other benefits the EWR (form 2) Web Portal

provides:n The EWR (form 2) reference number can

be used by other parties, such as electricity

retailers and builders to view the status only,

of the job via the ENERGEX Website. Whilst

the status can be viewed, no customer or

address details will be available;n multiple users for one account means suitably

authorised individuals can log on and check

the status of their job, eliminating the use of

one password for an entire company, which

is the current practice. This will provide a

more secure and efficient tool in tracking

individual’s jobs;n The ability to save an incomplete EWR

(form 2) which can then be completed at a

later time or date without losing any data;n The ability to view the history of previously

submitted EWRs (form 2); andn Tools to assist in the submission of a EWR

(form 2) and the navigation of the Web Portal

such as ‘help’ and ‘mouse over’ text.

It is important to note that the functions of the

EWR (form 2) Web Portal are only available to

those electrical contractors who have established

an account and submit their EWRs (form 2) via

the Web Portal.

ENERGEX consulted and conducted visits

with six electrical contractors who submit their

EWRs (form 2) online, to create the awareness

of the coming EWR (form 2) Web Portal, to gain

insight into their requirements and engage them

in the changes. As part of their engagement

throughout the development and implementation

of the EWR (form 2) Web Portal, these electrical

contractors were provided the opportunity to

review the interactive concept design and provide

feedback on the layout and navigation of the EWR

(form 2) Web Portal, with a very positive response

being received.

ENERGEX intends to stagger the transition to

the new EWR (form 2) Web Portal for current

online users to ensure sufficient support can be

provided. The introduction of the EWR (form 2)

Web Portal has been scheduled to proceed later

this year and further information and updates will

be provided as this progresses.

Should you have any questions regarding these

changes, please contact ENERGEX’s Electrical

contractor line on 1300 762 397.

news from

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Seven kitchen Staff Shocked by faulty SteaMerA cook in an Indian restaurant was taking food out of an electric steamer when the gadget short-circuited and he received a strong shock.

Six of his colleagues, one after the other, rushed across to help him but as the floor was wet, they too also received shocks.

They were saved as the last of them to hit the floor, fell close to the door and kept banging on it. The noise caught the attention of the other employees, who switched off the main power supply.

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

ENErgy australia

$200 MIllION CABlE PROJECT SECURING POWER FOR SYDNEY ACROSS THE BAYWork has started on a $200 million project that will connect two major EnergyAustralia substations

via Botany Bay, to improve the power supply to 61,000 in homes and businesses in Sydney’s inner

suburbs and the cBd.

EnergyAustralia’s kurnell and Bunnerong subtransmission substations will be connected by seven

kilometres of new high voltage cable, reinforcing the backbone of Sydney’s electricity network and

increasing supply for kurnell.

The majority of cable work will be in streets near the substations in kurnell and la Perouse with work

underway in captain cook drive, kurnell.

EnergyAustralia General manager Engineering Geoff lilliss said every stage of the project had been

carefully planned and communicated to the community via 6,000 newsletters.

“We’ve prepared a seagrass management plan with the

department of Environment, conservation and climate

change and the department of Primary Industries to make

sure the seagrass will be protected,” mr lilliss said.

“We have also employed a marine ecologist, who

helped develop the seagrass plan and will continue to

closely monitor the Bay both during and after the work

is completed.

“An independent seagrass expert from the NSW

department of Primary Industries will also review our work,

step by step, across the seagrass bed.”

EnergyAustralia worked thoroughly to find the most

effective way to lay the 132,000 Volt cables while protecting

the Bay, in particular the seagrass bed.

during installation, the seven cables will be suspended

on top of the water with buoys and then lowered by divers

to rest on the sea floor across the Bay, approximately five

metres apart.

A water jet will travel over the length of each cable,

gently burying it into the sea bed.

Where the cable route crosses the seagrass beds,

the cables will be joined to create two bundles, laid onto

a separate track and carefully buried by the specially

designed water jet.

Detect potentially serious faultsin electrical and mechanical equipment before they develop

Thermal Imaging Surveys conducted on your equipment Queensland wide

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ContactMike Henneker - Director1300 551 041e: [email protected]: www.thermelecqld.com.au

citiPoWEr aND PoWErcor australia

ANNOUNCE SMART METER FIElD WORkFORCE AGREEMENTSTOTAL PROGRAM vALuE REAcHES A$400M

citiPower and Powercor Australia and its field

services provider, Powercor Network Services

(PNS) have announced contracts valued at up

to A$80m to install more than 1.1 million “smart

meters” in homes and businesses across its

Victorian electricity distribution networks.

The new partnerships are for the physical

installation of smart meters with work to be

shared in equal volumes between Bilfinger

Berger Services (BBS) and uXc.

AmI Project director, mr Peter Bryant,

said this latest

announcement placed

citiPower and Powercor

Australia at the forefront

of the roll out of smart

meters to all Victorians.

“The finalisation

of these agreements

between PNS and

BBS and uXc means

that citiPower and

Powercor have taken

another vital step in

the implementation

of the smart metering

program,” mr

Bryant said.

The announcement

of the field labour

contracts follows last

month’s agreements

with landis+Gyr and

PRI Australasia for

the supply of smart

meters, and with Silver

Spring Networks for

the provision of the

network infrastructure,

communications devices

and software that will

connect the smart

meters to citiPower

and Powercor’s

electricity distribution

networks – bringing the

total investment in the

program to date to more

than A$400m.

Smart meters will

streamline the collection

of electricity usage data

from energy consumers, allow innovative

time-of-use tariffs, enable remote reading

for electricity meters, and help to provide

more timely information on power outages

and the quality of power supply.

“We are confident that BBS and

uXc have the strength, experience and

capabilities to help us deliver the State

Government-mandated roll out of smart

meters, and through it the most significant

modernisation of Victoria’s electricity

distribution networks for many years,”

mr Bryant said.

“Importantly, these combined agreements

represent a major milestone in a project

that will ultimately transform the way

consumers use and think about electricity,

and which will allow electricity distributors

to manage electricity supply more effectively

and efficiently for decades to come,”

he said.

The exchange of smart meters in the

citiPower and Powercor network areas

by BBS and uXc is being managed by

Powercor Network Services. The first smart

meters are expected to be installed late this

year, and the project is scheduled to be

completed by the end of 2013.


news from

distrib

utors : WH

AT’S H

AP

PE

NIN

G IN

YO

UR

IND

US

TRY


buzzthe

no gfc here

Treasurer Wayne Swan has recently opened

a new Brisbane administration centre for

Townsville-based company Allsafe Energy

Efficient Products, a business that has

boomed with the rebates for insulation and

solar hot water.

managing director Sean cochrane said

he expected to create more than 900 jobs in

Australia and New Zealand over the next 12

months, largely due to the federal government’s

energy efficient homes package.

“The stimulus packages that mr Swan

and his team have instigated have not only

helped our business grow but accelerated our

business ... but more so brought sustainability

to top of mind,” mr cochrane said.

Allsafe will open 52 new franchises across

Australia and New Zealand in the next

12 months, creating around 936 jobs.

progress on a naTional licensing sysTem

In july 2008, the council of Australian

Governments (coAG) agreed to introduce

a national licensing system.

In April 2009 coAG approved an

Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA), to provide

the basic framework for the new system,

as well as a decision Regulation Impact

Statement (RIS). The RIS outlines a National

delegated Agency arrangement – a national

licence involving the establishment of a national

licensing body with licensing administration and

enforcement activities being undertaken by

States and Territories.

Broadly representative occupational licence

advisory committees will advise the proposed

national licensing body. These committees will

comprise members drawn from relevant peak

bodies, consumer advocacy organisations,

regulators, peak insurance bodies (where

relevant) and the national training system.

Indicative timelines are:n june 2010 – Act passed in host jurisdictionn November 2010 – Acts passed in other

jurisdictions and draft Regulations preparedn january 2011 – national licensing body

commencesn july 2012 – national licensing scheme for

first wave occupations commences.

here’s the latest news and information from the electrotechnology industry across Australia.

Switch Automation has announced that it has

signed an agreement to have its automation

products distributed through clipsal Integrated

System’s Australia wide c-Bus pointone and

c-Bus Platinum distribution network.

Since 2002 Switch Automation has designed,

developed and manufactured automation

control solutions for residential, commercial,

industrial and multi-dwelling applications.

The company’s Series 8 Integrated

Entertainment touchscreens are highly sought

after in commercial residential projects by

systems integrators for their ease of installation

and use.

“our products’ core strengths are in their

ability to provide a residential building’s

standard IP intercoms systems and BmS.

our products are a perfect fit with the clipsal

c-Bus lighting control and integration system,

says deb Noller, director, Switch Automation.

Switch Automation sign distribution deal with Clipsal Integrated Systems

the buzz : IS

SU

ES

AFFE

CTIN

G Y

OU

R IN

DU

STR

Y

buzzthe


If you have something to submit, please email [email protected]

Warning of War on Climate Changeconsultants to local government in Australia say if current trends continue governments will be forced to declare a formal “war” on climate change and implement intervention strategies associated with wartime.

climate change policy currently has an aura of suspended doom – the lull before the storm – and a

sense of urgency has yet to reach canberra, as the latest commonwealth budget demonstrates.

The report by NIEIR business National Economics says its assessment is that $1 billion of

expenditure will be required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 0.8 and 1 million

tonnes per annum. This rule covers expenditures on building retrofitting for energy efficiency, the

replacement of coal fired electricity generation by renewable energy sources, the use of carbon

capture and storage (ccS) in electricity generation and industrial processes, plus expenditure on

transport infrastructure and equipment to reduce the use of liquid fuels.

This implies that to reduce co2 emissions by between 250 and 300 million tonnes from

what otherwise would have been the case over the next 20 years will require total expenditure

approaching $400 billion in 2007 prices. In other words, to obtain the absolute reduction in co2

emissions by 2030 that is now being targeted (or at least endorsed) will require a shift in resources

to co2 abatement expenditures of approximately 2 to 3 per cent of GdP on a sustained basis. The

rule is similar for most other countries.

The consultants conclude that carbon pricing has a role to play in greenhouse gas abatement,

but argue that carbon pricing including the cap and trade mechanisms proposed by the Australian

government is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. Sole reliance on these

measures will be both inefficient (probably infeasible) and economically costly in securing the

desired emissions target.

Pricing mechanisms must be supported by complementary measures using the whole range

of relevant policy instruments if the desired greenhouse gas emissions targets are to be achieved.

The message was to move aggressively across a wide range of co2 abatement instruments and

not let problems and uncertainties with carbon pricing mechanisms delay the process.

Based on the report, the Australian local Government Association (AlGA) says if the federal

Government considers further fiscal stimulus measures are needed, much of this should be

directed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions if Australia is to remain economically competitive.

Article provided by Power Industry News

Ampere Electrical Manufacturing Co. Pty. Ltd.168-176 High St, Prahran, Vic. 3181. Tel (03) 9510 4333, 9510 2428 Fax (03) 9510 5940Toll Free 1800 AMPERE (1800 267 373)www.ampere.com.au

Who else would you trust!

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interviewwith Romilly Madew

In our Autumn edition, The Master Electrician spoke with Shadow Treasurer joe hockey about the global financial crisis. In this edition, we move to another hot topic and ask Romilly madew, chief Executive of the Green Building council of Australia about the green revolution.


the interview : W

ITH R

OM

ILLY M

AD

EWinterview

What is the Green BuildinG CounCil of australia’s (GBCa) role,

and hoW does it fit into Wider efforts to BeCome more enerGy

effiCient and environmentally friendly?

The GBCA is Australia’s leading authority on green building. The GBCA

was established in 2002 to develop a sustainable property industry and

to promote green building practices, technologies and design processes.

The 800 member companies include a cross-section of organisations

from developers to government, to facility and asset managers to

universities, and each supports the council and their activities to achieve

a more sustainable building industry.

hoW important is it for australia to develop a Greener, more

sustainaBle BuildinG industry?

Buildings are fundamental to our way of living; however, they also have

a significant impact on our environment. Residential and commercial

buildings contribute 23 per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse gas

emissions and have significant negative impact on the world’s resources.

The good news is that buildings represent the single largest

opportunity for greenhouse gas abatement, more than the energy,

transport and industry sectors combined according to the United

Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Australia’s property industry has recognised the need for urgent

action and leadership and through the GBCA, Australia is now at

the forefront of finding sustainable solutions to our global climate

change challenges.

What is your numBer one priority for developinG a sustainaBle

BuildinG industry in australia?

Our first priority is to establish ‘Green Star’ as the national rating tool.

The GBCA launched the Green Star environmental rating system for

buildings in 2003. Green Star evaluates the green attributes of building

projects based on nine categories, including energy and water efficiency,

indoor environment quality and resource conservation.

Green Star rating tools are currently available for a variety of

sectors, including commercial offices, retail centres, schools and

universities, healthcare facilities, multi-unit residential dwellings,

industrial facilities and public buildings.

Green Star environmental rating tools support the property and

construction industry to reduce the environmental impact of buildings,

improve occupant health and productivity and achieve real cost savings,

while showcasing innovation in sustainable building practices.

hoW Can eleCtriCal ContraCtors ensure that they are

Compliant With sustainaBle BuildinG methods?

Clearly, green building is the way of the future. For people in electrical

trades, this means learning about emerging technologies and installation

processes required for buildings to gain Green Star certification.

For instance, Green Star encourages building projects to seek out

alternative energy sources, with credits awarded to projects that

reduce their impact on the grid at peak times. Co-generation, solar,

water and wind are beginning to feature in projects aiming for Green

Star certification. Credits are awarded for using effective mechanisms,

such as sub-metering, for monitoring energy consumption

throughout buildings as well as for shared energy systems within

buildings or precincts, which minimise maintenance, energy and

resource consumption.

n Personalised manual

n Online database reminder and tracking system

n Induction and safety meetings delivered onsite

n Audit and investigation assistance

n Organised tool box meetings

n Insurance cover against legal costs and fines

n Constant updates

n A network of trained Safety Facilitators

Meet your safety and audit obligations with this comprehensive system including:

visit www.masterelectricians.com.auAn initiative of the Electrical and Communications Association

Your safety management solution.

Supported by


hoW Do ElEctrical coNtractors strikE

a BalaNcE BEtWEEN ProviDiNg comPEtitivE

PricEs to thEir cliENts, aND rEcommENDiNg/

iNstalliNg morE EXPENsivE ENErgy-saviNg

or ENviroNmENtally friENDly fittiNgs

aND aPPliaNcEs?

Electrical contractors can explain to their clients

that energy saving devices have a very high

return on investment. The CH2 building in

Melbourne, for example, which was Australia’s

first 6 Star Green Star – Office Design rated

building, incorporated a number of energy-

reducing features including solar photovoltaic

cells for electricity generation and integrated

wind-turbines.

CH2 has a low energy cooling system

featuring chilled ceilings and a night-time cooling

system utilising natural ventilation. A low energy

T5 lighting system and daylight responsive light

dimming. The property uses sub-metering so

tenants can control their energy consumption

while electricity co-generation reduces waste

heat. In all, the building has achieved an 87 per

cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,

compared to buildings of similar size.

What arE thE BENEfits to ElEctrical

coNtractors iN comPlyiNg With thE grEEN

star rEgulatioNs?

Green Star rating is voluntary, but we know that

‘green collar’ workers are already in demand, and

this is expected to increase as we move towards a

low-carbon economy.

A report released in June 2008 used the latest

CSIRO modelling to predict that more than

251,500 ‘green collar’ jobs will be created in

Australia’s property and construction industry by

2025 – that’s 45 per cent of the total number of

new jobs!

We encourage electrical contractors to gather

knowledge and experience that can be applied to

green building projects to ensure they are at the

leading edge of best practice in green building

and future-proof their careers.

Since 2002, the GBCA has trained 12,000

industry professionals on the Green Star

environmental rating tools for buildings. 4,000

of those people were so committed to green

building that they sat an exam to become a

Green Star Accredited Professional.

These Green Star advocates have a deep

understanding of green building practices, know

how to apply Green Star tools to their projects

and are connected to a network of other green

thinkers in Australia’s property industry.

What govErNmENt suPPort is thErE for

ElEctrical coNtractors that comPly With

thE grEEN star rEgulatioNs?

While the Green Building Council of Australia

does not advocate Green Star as a mandatory

regulation tool, it does encourage Green Star as

a support mechanism for incentives. All layers

of government in Australia are looking at how

they can apply Green Star rating tools to the

allocation of bonus floor areas, fast assessment

of development applications and cash incentives

for green developments. This means, again,

that having a solid understanding of Green Star

and how to apply energy efficiency measures to

buildings will support your career progression

and your business.

hoW rEsPoNsiBlE is thE BuilDiNg iNDustry

for rEDuciNg carBoN EmissioNs to hElP

mEEt thE targEts sEt at coPENhagEN latEr

this yEar?

As mentioned above, Australia’s commercial and

residential buildings are responsible for 23 per

cent of greenhouse gas emissions. This means

it is vitally important if we are to reduce our

nation’s carbon footprint.

The Centre for International Economics

on behalf of the Australian Sustainable Built

Environment Council (ASBEC) has found that

realising the full abatement potential within the

property sector will save the Australian economy

around $38 billion annually by 2050.

The Green Building Council of Australia

believes that a second industrial revolution is

required and that revolution – a green industrial

revolution – will have the same tangible

benefits to the global economy as the first

industrial revolution.

the interview : WITH ROMIllY MADEW

AuSTRAlIA IS NoW AT ThE foREfRoNT of fINdING

SuSTAINABlE SoluTIoNS To ouR GloBAl clImATE chANGE

chAllENGES

Legal solutions for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORSAdvice on contractsContractual and payment disputesBusiness structuresAsset protectionBuying and selling businessesWills and EstatesLeasing and commercial contractsDebt collection servicesConveyancingWorkplace Health & Safety

MackayMcKays Law Centre34 Wood St4963 0888

BrisbaneLevel 26239 George St 3223 5900www.mckayslaw.com

Call Michael Cope today on (07) 3223 5939 or Ian Heathwood on (07) 3223 5942 or 0418 199 416

Self-healing wireA researcher at the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) has developed a self-repairing wire.

The wire, developed at UDRI by Robert kauffman, will patch exposed metal wire in autos and airplanes with a new layer of permanent insulation through a combination of electrical current and a specially formulated material.

kauffman was prompted to develop the technology after he served as a lead investigator in the 1996 crash of TWA 800, brought down by a fuel-tank explosion. Investigators decided the explosion likely resulted from faulty fuel-sensor wiring, UDRI said.

www.daytondailynews.com


workplace relations : C

LIMATE

CH

AN

GE

Why become a Master Electrician?

Consumers trust the ‘Masters’ brand, and are more likely to choose a Master Electrician over the competition. Buyers equate Master Electricians with experience, quality, reliability and integrity.

Through our extensive advertising to public and industry on the benefits of using a Master Electrician, you will be in demand from the public, builders, principal contractors and government.

When you become a Master Electrician, you get the following benefits:n Use of the Master Electrician brandingn A strong point of difference over your competitorsn Increased recognition by public and industry

Master Electricians Accreditation also provides you with unlimited access to:n A wiring rules hotlinen A large technical and standards advice teamn Industry training and educationn Employment and workplace relations advicen Expert advice on commercial and business mattersn Regular up-to-date news and informationn Networking opportunities with industry supporters, suppliers, other allied trades and associated organisations.

Master Electricians deliver the highest levels of quality, electrical safety, integrity and energy advice.

To find out how you can become a Master Electrician call 1300 889 198 or visit www.masterelectricians.com.au

quality safety reliability

Are you a Master Electrician?

08351_ECA_ME_FP.indd 1 25/2/09 9:22:17 AM


We have all heard of Light-Emitting

Diodes or LEDs. LEDs present

many advantages over traditional

light sources including lower

energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved

robustness, smaller size and faster switching.

However, they can be expensive and require a

more precise current and heat management

system than a traditional light source.

The application of LEDs has been wide spread.

They are used as low-energy indicators or signal

devices, and more importantly are used as a

replacement for traditional light sources in our

homes and businesses. But how do they work?

How do the manufacturers obtain the correct

colour rendition, and can they be dimmed? These

are questions our Technical team are often asked.

What could now be called the “humble LED”

is quite simply, a solid-state semiconductor device

that converts electrical energy directly into light.

This is achieved by allowing electrical current to

pass through the semiconductor in one direction

only after a threshold voltage is attained between

the anode and cathode terminals, commonly

known as the PN junction (as seen in Figure 1).

The electrical current that passes through the

PN junction releases energy in the form of

photons of light. This is why LEDs can shine. The

wavelength (colour) of the light depends on the

materials forming the PN junction or chip.

Red and green LEDs have been around for

decades but they are all monochromatic in their

wave form or of single hue. If Red or green LEDs

are used as a light source, an illuminated object

may appear to conflict with the natural colours

of the object.

As a result of the introduction of blue light

LEDs by a Japanese scientist, Shuji Nakamura

in 1993, the application of LED development

and technology has rapidly spread. With the

discovery of the blue LED the combination of our

three basic colours was obtained, Red, Green and

Blue (RGB). This has given birth to the application

of various phosphors to produce white LEDs, and

as we have seen the realisation that LEDs can

replace conventional light sources.

LEDs are current driven devices. Less current in

means less photons out. But we don’t generally

power LEDs from a true current source. The vast

majority of power supplies are voltage sources,

and that’s what we usually find powering LEDs.

In Figure 2, (VT) represents the voltage

threshold and current only flows through the

PN junction once the voltage threshold has been

reached. By gradually lowering the voltage source

across the LED back toward the threshold level,

a reduction in light may be noticed (dimming

effect). Lowering below the threshold level will of

course turn the light off.

Unfortunately there is no really secure method

of dimming an LED light source, other than by an

attempt to trick the human eye. By allowing only

short pulses of full voltage, the human eye may

be tricked into believing the output is dimmer

than the LEDs full intensity. This is known as

Pulse Width Modulation. The human eye cannot

distinguish this flicker of 50 times per second.

The shorter the pulse width, the dimmer the light

output will appear. This can be seen in Figure 3.

Naturally this article only scratches the surface

on dimmable LED technology. Manufacturers

are generally very helpful and will usually advise

on the most suitable components to use, based

on your proposed application. Most dimmable

fittings are now compatible with “Dynalite” and

“C-Bus” type controllers thus providing ease of

choice and fitment.

Accredited Master Electricians and ECA

members are best advised to consult a lighting

specialist for specific advice and design assistance,

or the Technical team for further information.

corrEctioN

The Autumn 09 edition of the magazine

depicted an incorrect illustration in relation to

the ‘Understanding Fault Loop Impedance’

article’. The correct illustration can be found at

www.masterelectricians.com.au.

technicaltalkA dim View

ANODE CATHODE

LED on LED off

time

V or I

VT

time100%

V or I

50%

10%

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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See our website for more information on Lockout / Tagout Equipment


technical talk : MO

VE

OV

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AN

D M

Ak

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M

move over and make room

We have all seen the workmanship

in roof spaces where various

cabled services jostle for space.

The capability, knowledge, and

pride of the individuals who installed the services

is always there for all to see. few it seems

consider the consequences of poor segregation,

be the consequences legal or technical in nature.

It really is so easy to squeeze another cable in, or

to ignore the effects of ambient temperature. But

should we segregate more, should we give each

service more space, should we be concerned at

the possible repercussions?

The Electrical Wiring Rules AS3000, the

Telecommunications Installation Standard

AS3080, and the Telecommunications Wiring

Rules S009, all require clearances between

different services, with the clearance varying

broadly with the voltage and frequency of the

signals.

many and varied are the effects of poor

segregation. Induced voltages, induced

frequencies, and the like are the most common,

but other effects do exist as well. The effect that

these have on the user is varied and often hard

to confirm, as many only occur when a number

of specific environmental conditions exists,

such as when the ambient temperature is high,

the network utilisation exceeds 30%, and, in

addition, the lift is running.

Very often the installer tests the installation

without all of the other services being in full

operation, or in a manner which takes no

account of other services. After all if you connect

a computer to a network, and it works, what is

there to worry about? It is here that we should

stop and think of the legal and contractual

consequences in those cases where segregation

and compliance is less than sound.

Very often the client does not experience

problems until networks are well loaded, and

often only at specific times of certain days. for

varying reasons the cabling is not normally the

service suspected of being the cause, and the

immediate concern is a software or hardware

fault. After expensive testing by the companies

concerned, and considerable disruption the

decision may be to take a serious look at

the cabling of services generally. When non-

compliances are then found the cablers can be

found liable for all of the costs incurred to date,

which are normally many times more expensive

than initial compliance would have been.

our knowledge of the rules for the installation

of the services for which we are responsible is

commonly poor. A five yearly update for both

electrical and telecommunications is a sound

investment for all involved in our industry.


workplacerelations

Are You Ready for the Fair Work Act?

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The new ProTag Optima System tests portable appliances and RCDs,

and prints test tags in a compact system weighing only around 2kg.

No interface cables between the tester, printer and scanner provide

maximum mobility on construction sites, factories and workshops.

Light weight, wireless, battery powered and with logging of visual

inspections and risk assessments, the Optima System guarantees

greater efficiency, huge time savings and a lower cost per tag.


workp

lace relations : AR

E Y

OU

RE

AD

Y FO

R TH

E FA

IR W

OR

k A

CT?

workplace The Federal Government introduced

the Fair Work Bill in Parliament late

last year overhauling a number of

provisions currently contained in the

WorkChoices Legislation. The Bill passed through

Parliament in May 2009.

The Fair Work Act (the Act) will be introduced

in two phases. The first phase of the Act was

introduced on July 1 this year with the second

phase commencing on 1st January 2010.

chaNgEs EffEctivE from 1 July 2009

Unfair Dismissal

The Act has significantly altered the current

unfair dismissal laws. An employer who has

15 or less full time employees (this is calculated

by averaging the ordinary hours worked by

all employees over a four week period and

dividing that by 38 hours) will be exempt from

unfair dismissal if the dismissal occurs within the

12 month probationary period. From January

2011 the 15 full time employees will be replaced

with 15 employees (headcount).

Enterprise Agreements

There is no longer Employee/Union Agreements.

All statutory agreements are now Enterprise

Agreements. Under the new laws:n Employees can elect to have a union

representative act as their bargaining

representative, also the bargaining

representative can apply to Fair Work

Australia to be included in the agreementn Agreements can operate for a period up to

4 years

n Agreements must contain provisions in

relation to individual flexibility arrangements,

dispute resolution and consultation about

major changen With regards to greenfield agreements, the

employer must contact the union/s their

employee’s would be eligible to be a member ofn Good faith bargaining is a central component

to agreement makingn Enterprise Agreements must be approved by

Fair Work Australia before they commencen Certain matters pertaining to the employment

relationship can be included in enterprise

agreements, e.g. union dues deductions

from salary.

Employers and employees can still operate under

the Award (or modern Award) or enter into

common law agreements with their employees.

Good Faith Bargaining

The Act parties are now obliged to bargain in

good faith. The good faith bargaining obligations

requires parties to:n Attend and participate in meetings at

reasonable times n Disclose relevant information in a timely

matter (although commercial in confidence

material will be protected) n Respond in a timely matter to proposals made

by the other party n Give genuine consideration to other parties’

needs and providing reasons for responses n Refrain from capricious or unfair conduct

which undermines freedom of association or

collective bargaining.

Under the Act there is no formal notification

required to commence bargaining.

Fair Work Australia

Fair Work Australia is the new regulator now in

operation. Fair Work Australia has been described

as a ‘one stop shop’ although it consists of four

separate bodies:n Fair Work Australian Fair Work Ombudsmann Fair Work Division of the Federal Courtn Fair Work Division of the Federal

Magistrates Court.

Fair Work Australia replaces the Australian

Industrial Relations Commission, Australian

Industrial Registry, Australian Fair Pay

Commission, Australian Fair Pay Commission

Secretariat, Workplace Authority, Workplace

Ombudsman and Australian Building and

Construction Industry from 1st February 2010.

Industrial Action

Industrial action remains protected in

circumstances of good faith bargaining where

the action has been approved by a secret ballot

supervised by Fair Work Australia.

Right of Entry

The Union official must still:n Hold a valid permit (issued by Fair Work

Australia)n Give proper noticen Be entering the site for one of three reasons:

n Holding discussions with eligible employeesn Investigate suspected breaches


n Exercise rights under State Occupational

Health and Safety Legislation.

Transfer of Business

The Fair Work Act has removed the 12

month ‘transmission period’ introduced by

WorkChoices. This allows enterprise agreements,

which have been transferred to new employers,

to apply indefinitely.

For a transfer of business to occur, the

following three requirements must be met:n An employee’s employment must be

terminated by the old employern Within three months of the termination, the

employee must be employed by the new

employern The work that is performed by the employee,

for the new employer, is the same or similar

to the work previously performed by the

employee for the old employer.

chaNgEs EffEctivE from 1 JaNuary 2010

National Employment Standards

Currently the Australian Fair Pay Commission

contains five minimum legislated standards.

On 1st January 2010 these standards will

increase to 10 and be referred to as the National

Employment Standards (NES). The NES will

ensure that employees have a legislated safety

net which cannot be stripped away.

The National Employment Standards are:n A 38 hour week plus reasonable additional

hoursn The right to request flexible working

arrangementsn The right to 12 months unpaid parental leave

and the right to request an additional 12

months unpaid parental leave which cannot

be unreasonably refusedn Annual leave of four weeks for full time

employees and five weeks for shift workersn Community service leaven Long service leaven Public holidaysn Notice of termination and redundancy payn All new employees must be provided with a

Fair Work Information Statement.

Modern Awards

The Award modernisation process is being

conducted by the Australian Industrial Relations

Commission and seeks to streamline and simplify

the current awards. The modern awards are set

to commence on 1st January 2010 and will not

apply to employees earning more than $100,000.

Information Statement

All employers will be required to give the

Fair Work Information Statement to all new

employees.

Better Off Overall Test (BOOT)

The BOOT will replace the No Disadvantage Test.

The BOOT will be applied to all Agreements and

will be administered by FWA.

ECA members and Accredited Master Electricians

can contact the Workplace Relations team for

further queries.

ThE fAIR WoRk AcT (ThE AcT) WIll BE INTRoducEd IN TWo PhASES. ThE fIRST PhASE of ThE AcT WAS INTRoducEd oN

july 1 ThIS yEAR WITh ThE SEcoNd PhASE commENcING

oN 1ST jANuARy 2010.

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and produce a tailor-made unit if necessary.

www.genelite.com.au

And our keen prices are well-renowned.

• QLD 07-3277 8626 •• WA 08-9300 6168 •


rEmoval of solar rEBatE lEavEs iNDustry

iN Disarray

Small electrical contractors around Australia will

suffer from the federal Government cancelling the

solar panel rebate 21 days earlier than promised.

Solar panel installers will bear the brunt of

the rash decision to axe the $8,000 rebate as

applications to the scheme can no longer be

taken, leaving the sector without the expected

flood of last minute orders.

The uncertainty felt by the sector extends into

Australian households. The decision to bring

the deadline forward means homeowners have

missed out on a great environmental initiative.

The Government’s proposed replacement,

the Renewable Energy Target Scheme (RET

Scheme), is still to be introduced into Parliament,

leaving the industry doubtful of make-up orders

being processed any time soon.

At the may Budget the Government

committed to the $8,000 solar rebate and then

six weeks later back-flipped without notice,

consultation, or consideration of the industry

this decision will affect most.

flEEt sErvicEs

The end of financial year has come and gone

with many contractors taking advantage of the

federal Government Investment Allowance to

purchase new vehicles.

The good news is the deadline for the

Investment Allowance has now been extended

to the end of 2009.

The Investment Allowance allows

small businesses to receive a tax

deduction of up to 50 per cent of the cost

(excluding GST) of eligible new depreciating

assets. The expanded Tax Break is available

to small businesses with a turnover of less than

$2 million.

All other businesses can access the Tax

Break at 10 per cent for eligible assets that they

commit to investing in between 1 july 2009 and

31 december 2009.

motor dealer partners were reporting high

sales numbers at the end of financial year and

in some cases running out of stock.

dealers are now forward

ordering stock from all

manufacturers (especially commercial vehicles) in

anticipation of increased demand over the next

five months.

our advice is don’t leave it to the last minute.

Take advantage of EcA and master Electricians

fleet Services to source and price a new

commercial or passenger vehicle. you can also

take advantage of tailored finance options.

This information is of a general nature only. You

should seek professional advice prior to taking

any action.

newsfrom head office


news : FR

OM

HE

AD

OFFIC

E

chaNgEs to aBcc laWs Will sEE a rEturN to

thE “BaD olD Days”

Proposed changes to the powers of the

Australian Building and construction

commission (ABcc) will be a giant leap

backwards in terms of industrial relations on

building sites according to Executive manager

– Workplace Policy Paul daly.

With the transition from Workplace Relations

Act to Fair Works Act, the ABcc will be absorbed

into fair Works Australia.

In a Bill put before the Parliament recently

the government proposed a raft of changes

to the powers of the new ABcc, including

the “switching off” of coercive powers on

construction sites deemed to be “behaving”.

“The coercive powers are very important as

they legally compel witnesses to give evidence,”

mr daly said.

“The removal of these powers will leave the

union free to run amok on site, safe from the fear

of being arrested for breaching the legislation,

and take the building and construction industry

back 20 years when industrial disputes were

common place and thuggery was the union’s

mode of operation.”

govErNmENt kills off NatioNal BuilDiNg

coDE By stEalth

The changes made to the National code of

Practice for the construction Industry by the

federal government will put even more pressure

on electrical companies trying to negotiate a

collective agreement with the unions.

The Government has effectively “relaxed” the

code, allowing many of the issues that were once

breaches of the code to now be acceptable.

Employers encouraging union membership,

last on first off policies and employers being

required to provide for union stickers and logos

(including on company shirts) are just some

of the issues that will now be accepted under

the code.

tElEcommuNicatioNs sErvicE lauNchED

If you were to examine how your business

looks in the eyes of your customer, what would

they see? does your email address project a

professional image? how easy is it for your

customers to reach you? did you know a 1300

number can offer outstanding value in building

your reputation?

No matter which sector of the electrical

industry you are in, communicating with your

customers, suppliers and staff is vital.

EcA and master Electricians Australia have

secured a significant deal to provide you with

access to communications services tailored to

your business needs.

choose from a full range of telecommunication

products including mobile phones, landlines,

1300 & 1800 numbers, broadband, webhosting

and domain names.

The service is supported by a dedicated local

call centre allowing you to cut the red tape and

get the solutions you want when you need it.

To take advantage of this great new service,

EcA members and Accredited master

Electricians can contact 1300 950 199.

news

Moon landing MiSSion Saved by penWhile on the moon, one of the astronauts knocked loose the circuit breaker responsible for igniting the engine that would propel the Apollo 11 astronauts back to the orbiting command module – their only ride home.

Buzz Aldrin used a non-metallic pen to turn on the circuit breaker controlled by the broken switch.

www.news.nationalgeographic.com

Annual Excellence

Awards for the Electrical and

Communications Industry

Nominations now open

Award categories

To nominate go to www.masterelectricians.com.au

or www.ecaq.asn.au

Nominations close 18th September 2009

Green Project of the Year Award

Data project of the Year Award (Including Home Automation)

Industrial Project of the Year Award

Commercial Project of the Year Award

Domestic Project of the Year Award

Business Woman of the Year Award

President’s Award

Master Electrician of the Year Award

Innovative Product or Serviceof the Year Award

Apprentice of the Year Award - brought to you by HPM Legrand

BusinessConnect Student of the Year Award -

brought to you by Auslec and Lawrence & Hanson

Safety Management Award - brought to you by Haymans and Extreme Safety


gadget guide

gadgetguide

Thermal ImagIng CameraEmona Instruments, the Australia wide supplier of electrical and electronic test and measuring instruments, has launched the Dali TE thermal imaging camera.

The Dali TE is priced so affordably that for the first time thermal imaging cameras can be regarded as an everyday tool rather than a high priced instrument with limited use by consultants and specialist engineers.

The Dali TE is a no-compromise 160 x 120 resolution thermal imaging camera with a temperature range of -20C to +250C and laser pointer. It is ideal as a service tool for everyday electrical, industrial and HVAC applications and is priced to allow every technician to have one in their toolbox.

The TE offers a number of measurement modes, including moveable sport, moveable area (maximum, minimum and average), Isotherm and alarm function. It also provides a choice of 3 palettes. Emissivity is variable from 0.01 to 1.0 or can be selected from a pre-defined materials list.

Around 100 images can be stored on the built-in flash memory and are downloaded to PC via USB. The thermal images are saved as 14 bit radiometric jpegs and include all measurement data when downloaded to PC. Battery life is 3

hours and the unit is supplied with 2 x li-Ion rechargeable battery modules and intelligent fast charger.

The TE is supplied with “Dali Infrared Reporter” software, a full function reporting and analysis software package. Users have full post analysis functions including max, min, average, line profile and histogram. The software also provides multi-page report generation and user customizable templates. Users can also easily link visible light images taken with photographic cameras.

www.emona.com.au

Dehn Spark gapExtreme Safety are Australian representatives for DEHN surge protection equipment, and new to the range is the DEHN Spark Gap for cathodic protected pipe.

With a tested maximum lightning impulse current of 100 kA (10/350 μs), EXFS 100 and EXFS 100 kU meet class H of the protection standard, i.e. the maximum class of lightning impulse current strength according to EN 50164-3 ”lightning Protection Components (lPC) - Part 3: Requirements for isolating sparkgaps“.

The ATEX-certified spark gaps EXFS 100 and EXFS 100 kU provide approved safety according to harmonised European standards. For connecting EXFS 100 spark gaps, prewired connecting cables with different lengths are available as accessories. Flat and angled connection brackets (IF) make it easier to connect the spark gaps to pipe flanges.

EXFS 100 kU types are enclosed by a damp-proof plastic coating and can therefore be ideally used for underground installation for insulating couplings.

DEHN Spark Gaps and other surge protection accessories are available through Extreme Safety.

www.extremesafety.com.au or call 07 3282 0911

amprobe Clamp meTerS wITh CaT IV raTIngAmprobe, a test tool provider, has announced the introduction of the new ACD-3300 and ACDC-3400 industrial true RMS Clamp Meters with CAT IV rating for industrial applications and utilities.

CAT IV rating is required for any application where the electrical wiring is located outside of the building, connecting electrical system to the power transformer.

In addition, both meters have industrial true RMS sensing for accuracy and dependability of measurements.

Other features and benefits include:

n Ability to measure Ac current up to 1000

AcA, voltage up to 750 VAc/ 1000 Vdc,

frequency, resistance and capacitance

and duty cycle n 1000A dc current (Acdc-3400) n Temperature to 1832°farenheight or

1000°celcius (Acd-3300 only) n Peak hold n Relative zero (Acdc-3400) n Audible continuity n Auto and manual ranging n Auto power off n data hold n Backlight n diode testn duty cycle n Gar-graph n Accommodates conductors up to 51mm

in diameter n Test leads, battery, users manual,

carrying case and type-k thermocouple

(model Acd-3300 only).

www.amprobe.com

If you have something to submit, please email [email protected]


test driveA

fter driving the first kilometre in this

car, I realised the BmW 530d is unlike

any car that I have had the pleasure

of driving before. I’ve driven a lot of

cars both on the road and on the race track, but

there is simply nothing that I can draw on which

compares to it, it’s in a different league. The line

between sports car and luxury car is blurred by

the 530d. your eyes tell you it’s a luxury car, with

it’s beautifully crafted leather interior and bold,

stylish exterior design. on the other hand your

senses tell you it’s a sports car with it’s punch-in-

the-back acceleration and astonishing handling.

The 530d is of course the 3l diesel engine

model. for those unfamiliar with the BmW

badging – the 5 is the series, the 30 indicates

3 litre capacity, and d is for diesel-engine (with an

‘i’ standing for injected with the petrol models). As

I touched on last edition, the ‘d’ word is nothing

to be scared of – this 6-cylinder, 24 variable-

valve diesel engine doesn’t smell, doesn’t billow

smoke, and even sounds impressive from the

driver’s seat.

The 530d powerplant produces only 231hp at

4000rpm, but an astonishing 400nm of torque

across almost the entire rev-range. In motor

racing we have a saying: “power sells motor cars,

torque wins motor races”. In other words, power

means very little, so don’t use this to compare

vehicles. In terms of drive and performance,

torque rules – and 500nm is a huge figure. It

simply just keeps pulling right through the rpm

range. The initial launch off the line in the 530d

is not ultra impressive, but its 3rd-6th gear

acceleration certainly is. on the highway, the 3l

diesel cruises effortlessly at 110kph using less

than 7l/100km in our tests. don’t forget, this

machine is also capable of doing 250kph on the

German Autobahn. despite all this power and

performance oriented design, the car is super-

easy and comfortable to drive in the city, in heavy

traffic, in car-parks, and just about anywhere else

you might think it would be a handful.

Being a fan of pure, un-electronically aided

driving, I usually find electronic gizmos such as

Traction control and Stability control more of

an annoyance than a help. The 530d proved

me wrong, and uses these electronic driver-aids

cleverly and without being intrusive to the driving

experience. for example their Traction control, or

dTc as it’s known (the ‘d’ standing for dynamic)

doesn’t harshly cut the drive to the rear-wheels.

It cuts power smoothly and still allows some

wheelspin, keeping the drive feeling very sporty.

dynamic Stability control is also unobtrusive in

heavy cornering, and works more intuitively than

more basic systems fitted to other cars which

master Electricians Racing driver Andre Borell puts the BmW 530d to the test.


test drive : B

MW

530d

test drivecan get you into more trouble than

they are supposed to avoid.

other helpful features include

automatic windscreen wipers and

automatic headlights, as well as

Adaptive headlights which look into

the corner you are driving through. my

personal favourite, was the heads up

display (hud). This system projects

important information up onto the

windscreen so you don’t have to look

down at the dash; which is both very

impressive and surprisingly useful. on

top of these features, you also have all

the usual safety features you expect

from BmW – dry Braking function,

ABS, cTc and more airbags than

seats. The idrive centre console also

controls just about everything through

the one central display. With the use

of one dial and one screen, you have

control over the Radio, TV, climate

control, Sat Nav, mobile Phone and

mP3 player.

The 5 series range has always

epitomised both luxury and

performance, but this new model

takes both to a new level. The model

we tested featured the m-pack (m is

the BmW motorsport department).

This upgrade includes wheels, front air

dam and rear diffuser. This gives the

5’er a real mean streak, and top’s my

list for ‘must-have’ extras. Now where

can I find a spare $103,530 to get

myself one of these...

PICTURED BElOW: foRmulA foRd chAmPIoN ANdRE BoREll


Trip Window Indication Light

Test Button (with preventativeaccidental pushdesign)

EATON - continuing to protect people and property in single phase and multi-phase applications

Proven History...Strong Future.

QELDO

ELQ - the genuine article

Available in current ratings of 10A,16A, 20A, 25A, and 32A and with rated sensitivity of 10mA, 30mA and 100 mA (30mA is typically used for human protection) The ELQ-TW has been approved by the Office of Fair Trading,

Safety and Standards Branch and carries a unique approval number, N20187. Products like the ELQ and ELQ-TW have passed the many tests to meet the rigorous requirements of the Australian Standards.

For further information:

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

ELQ Advert eca.pdf 9/17/2008 1:10:48 PM

AuG0918th – 19th august 2009 WA OsH Conference Esplanade hotel, fremantle

21st – 23rd august V8 supercars QLd 300queensland Raceway

27th – 28th august national Workplace safety summit 2009marriott, Brisbane

28th august – 1st septembereCA – MeA Annual Conferencedarwin

SEPT0911th – 13th september V8 supercars L&H 500 Phillip islandPhillip Island Grand Prix circuit

18th – 20th september Queensland Going Green expoRNA Showgrounds, Brisbane

OcT0922nd – 25th octoberV8 supercars nitro superGPSandown

26th – 28th octoberCarbon Market expo Australasia 2009Gold coast convention & Exhibition centre

27th – 29th october The safety show sydneySydney Showground, Sydney olympic Park

27th – 29th october sydney Materials Handling Trade showSydney Showground, Sydney olympic Park

eventswhat’s on winter2009


ElEctrical toolkit frEE

This useful iPhone utility is great for electronic

engineers, technicians, electricians and

students. It features various electrical tools such

as ohm’s law, Resistor colour code, star delta

transmission, Rlc series circuit, a power triangle

and more.

ElEctrical formulator $4.99

containing over 60 formulas, this application

provides a handy conversion tool such as

kilowatts to BTu’s, horsepower, joules and

lumens. It also converts Amps both from Ac and

dc currents and includes formulas to calculate

total resistance, capacitance, voltage drops and

transformer calculations.

go calc $3.99

create your own calculator using this

sophisticated spreadsheet application. Set up

variables and formulas that you can use time and

time again while you’re in the field.

PoWErcalc $1.19

This application performs basic electrical power

calculations with watts, volts, amps and motor

power factor. It works for any voltage in any

country and includes three modes: dc, Ac

Resistive and Ac Inductive.

JoE thE ElEctriciaN $1.19

face challenges for wiring cables to connect a

battery to all the lights as ‘joe’, an unlicensed

electrician. Earn points as you complete the

different levels of difficulty.

lightsaBEr frEE

one for the Star Wars fan in all of us. If you’ve ever

wanted to pretend you were luke Skywalker on

a mission to the death Star, now you can. Swing

your phone around with realistic lightsaber sound

effects and defeat the dark side.

Techno biziPhone

applications for electricians

apple has traditionally set the benchmark in innovative new technology and the iphone is no exception. with the release of the latest iphone handset and software, we’ve decided to showcase just some of the many thousands of applications iphone users can access.

best d

ay on the job : H

OT TIN

RO

OF

Hot tin roofyour best (or worst) day on the job

on a bright sunny day i set out with the apprentice to attend a routine service job on a two story building. after enjoying a fairly big evening the previous night, the apprentice was complaining of being tired.

While I organised the tools needed

for the job I asked the apprentice to

secure the ladder we were using to get up

onto the roof.

As I climbed up I saw the rope attached to the

base of the ladder and again at the top. I thought

to myself what a great job; he’s actually done

what I’ve asked first time without complaining.

After a while the temperature started to drop

and the wind picked up. I asked the apprentice

to go and get our jackets. half an hour later he

hadn’t returned. I found him standing at the edge

of the roof staring into the car park below.

“Are you waiting for a carrier pigeon to drop off

the coats?” I asked.

“No, I can’t get down,” came the nervous

reply. It turns out the apprentice hadn’t done

such a great job after all. he’d tied the bottom

rung of the ladder to the top rung but had

neglected to tie it off to anything else and in the

windy weather the ladder had blown over. It was

a cold three hours before we could get someone

to rescue us.

It just goes to show you should never assume

‘as it makes an ass out of u and me’.

Story supplied by Wayne Crooks

Your story could win $50. Send your entry to [email protected] and we’ll send you $50 if its published.


The Federal Government has abandoned

its promise to keep the National

Code of Practice for the Construction

Industry, and has instead signalled a

return to the old days of union domination of

building sites.

As a result of changes released by the

Government, unions will effectively be able

to reinstate unproductive work practices such

as “no ticket – no start”, and construction

workers will once again be forced to have

building union officials represent them at the

bargaining table – whether they want union

representation or not.

While the Government claims it is

maintaining the code, it has released a revised

set of guidelines for implementing the code

that will dramatically change the way it is

interpreted and applied. These guidelines

will apply to all Federal Government-funded

projects from now on.

Practices previously banned but allowed

under the new guidelines include:n Industrial agreements under which employers

must require workers to join a unionn Pro-union propaganda, such as stickers and

signs, being posted on work sites, company

equipment and even uniforms

n Using union delegates to conduct induction

processes for new workersn Requiring an employee to be exclusively

represented by a union in a dispute.

The reason these types of practices were banned

in the original code was because they sapped

productivity and drove up building costs. The

Rudd Government promised it would maintain

the National Building Code, so why have they

now flipped on their promise?

Promises broken

last word : MAlCOlM RICHARDS

Administered byMalcolm V. Leeke & Co. Chartered Accountants

8 McIlwraith Street PO Box 42 Everton Park Brisbane QLD 4053

Phone 07 3506 7788 Fax 07 3506 7700 Toll Free 1300 200 123

Email [email protected] Website www.cirt.com.au

CIRT HELPS YOU TO REDUCE THE DRAIN ON YOUR COMPANY’S CASH FLOWCIRT was established in 1990 to provide redundancy benefits to the electrical industry.

CIRT allows employers to contribute money each month on behalf of their employees. That way if a redundancy occurs, the CIRT contributions form either part or all of any redundancy payment and the employer can include the money already contributed as part of the redundancy payment. CIRT provides benefits for the following situations: redundancy, retirement, leaving the industry, severe financial hardship, total and permanent disability, death. Contact CIRT now for all your industry redundancy needs.

Supported by

last word

MAlCOlM RICHARDSchief executive officer

Hager B&R provides the world with the latestdesigner light switches as well as the sophisticated electrical components behindthe wall that you don’t see!

From safety switches, circuit breakers and metering enclosures, to sophisticated home automation programs, Hager B&R delivers atotal global installation system.

The advantage is clear.

With greater integration and more precise controls, the ability to optimise thesafe delivery of electricity leads to more intuitive user outcomes and an importantreduction in vital energy consumption.

Hager B&R 14-17 Riverside Centre, 148 James Ruse Drive, Parramatta NSW 2150 Tel: 612 9762 0200 www.hagerbr.com.au

make the switch in your beautiful home

BR

UIZ

E.H

B04

4.JU

LY09 DESIGN

MARK

European technology for contemporary Australian style.

master electrician magazine winter 2009

Documents

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