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Tag: compliance
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Opinion: HVAC&R enforcement on the rise?
Clearscope Legal’s Raphael Brown looks at some recent projects where HVAC&R has been in the compliance spotlight.
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NCC 2025 open for public comment
The Public Comment Draft for the next edition of the National Construction Code (NCC) is open for comment until 11:59pm AEST on July 1, 2024.
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Licensing changes to focus on compliance
DCCEEW and the ARC have finalised a new contract that introduces activities aimed at strengthening the ARCtick licensing scheme.
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Sweeping building reforms on the way in NSW
The NSW government is seeking industry and community input on proposed changes to building sector laws, as well as specific changes to compliance and fire-safety laws. The government says these changes are aimed at better protecting consumers and supporting businesses and workers, to improve confidence in the NSW building and construction industry. Compliance and fire […]
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Building Confidence reforms open for comment
The Australia Building Codes Board (ABCB) is has released three discussion papers on responses to the Building Confidence Report (BCR), and is looking for input until February 28. The BCR was published in 2018 and identified significant problems with the compliance and enforcement systems for Australia’s building and construction industry. In response, the Building Ministers’ […]
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Australians getting ‘ripped off’ due to poor NCC enforcement
The Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is calling on state and territory governments to protect consumers by making urgent changes to the way building compliance is enforced. According to ASBEC, it is an open secret that Australians are being ripped off by poor enforcement of the National Construction Code (NCC). The code, which governs […]
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Essential safety measures under scrutiny
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has announced new initiatives to boost the compliance and performance of essential safety measures (ESMs). ESMs include many parts of a building, some directly related to HVAC systems. For example, air-handling systems for smoke control and mechanical ventilation systems that incorporate a cooling tower or hot or warm water system […]
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Videos on new energy labels
Last year the government ran information training sessions on the new energy labels that will soon start appearing on air conditioners. It has now placed a suite of information related to the content of the information sessions on the Energy Rating website. This includes a series of videos based on the information sessions. The videos […]
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Auto mechanic fined for illegal R134a cylinders
A Victorian auto mechanic has been fined after it was discovered he possessed 26 illegal disposable cylinders of the synthetic greenhouse gas R134a. According to the Department of the Environment and Energy, inspectors executed a search warrant on the mechanic’s business in April this year. During the search, they identified and seized approximately $2,500 of […]
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NSW opens talks on professional registration
Earlier this year, a bill passed in Victoria that should see professional registration of engineers become mandatory in that state. Queensland already has this requirement. Now it appears that New South Wales will go down the same path. The NSW government has released a discussion paper that responds to recommendations of Shergold and Weir’s Building […]
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ARC visits regional permit holders
In the past six months, engagement officers from the Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) have visited regional and remote locations to perform permit holder and education visits. Visits were made to Darwin and surrounding areas (81 visits); to Toowoomba and surrounding areas in Queensland (71 visits); to Coffs Harbour and surrounding areas in New South Wales […]
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Cracking down on HVAC&R cowboys
NSW Fair Trading and the Australian Refrigeration Mechanics Association (ARMA) have shared information about efforts to stop air conditioning and refrigeration contractors operating outside their licenses. ARMA has been working for some time through its Mates Rates for Fridgies app to collect information about licensing breaches. According to ARMA CEO Kim Limburg, these include advertising […]
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Fire compliance changes for soffit insulation
Insulation Australasia has circulated a statement alerting the industry to changes around fire compliance for soffit insulation in the new National Construction Code (NCC), adopted on May 1. “Soffit insulation manufacturers and building practitioners are alerted to the end of the concession period for acceptable demonstration of group numbers for building linings as required by the National […]
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RICS announces Confidence Conference
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is convening a Building Confidence Conference in Sydney on May 2 and is encouraging professionals in property – working across investment, lending, valuation, cost reporting, construction risk, certification and development – to attend. The aim of the conference is to facilitate industry-led discussion around the challenges to winning […]
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Trajectory on track, but focus is on fire
The Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) met in Hobart on February 8 to discuss issues ranging from safety to energy efficiency. The BMF oversees policy and regulatory issues affecting Australia’s building and construction industries. It is made up of federal and state and territory government ministers who have responsibility for building and construction. It was thought […]