COAG has released a consultation draft of the proposed national occupational licensing laws. This follows agreement by COAG on 30 April 2009 that specified occupations would move to national licensing arrangements. NECA has long supported a national regime for licensing and has been appointed to the interim advisory committee to advise the National Licensing Board.

NECA has made a submission to the Federal Government's Safe Work Australia on its Exposure Draft of the Model Occupational Health & Safety Act.

NECA, through the National ICT Industry Alliance (NICTIA), is supporting the upcoming IPv6 Summit to be held in Melbourne on 7-9 December at the Sebel & Citigate Hotel, Albert Park Melbourne. NECA members are eligible for a 30 percent discount on the registration fee. For those interested in learning how to reap the benefits of the digital economy, this conference will be extremely worthwhile attending.

The National Excellence Awards 2009 gala dinner will be held on Thursday 26 November at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne. Once again this event promises to be a culmination of the year's hard work and entrepreneurship, while also providing one of the best opportunities to network with peers and the wider industry.

Tickets are now available, so please diarise this date and secure your tickets early. You can download a booking form here or, for further information, please call 02 9439 8523.

NECA Excellence Awards Ticket Booking Form (146 KB)

The third annual NECA Industry Survey 2009, an initiative of NECA, is now available for contractors to complete. Please help us by taking a few moments to complete the survey. Every respondent will be entered into a draw to win one of six Nintendo Wii games consoles. You will have TWO CHANCES if you respond online. For the link to take the survey online, please click on 'Read more' below.

At NECA we are aware that the industry landscape has changed and, with a tougher economic outlook, we believe it is time to review the services being offered to members and the expectations members have of NECA.  As a result, we recently engaged a research company to undertake in-depth interviews with four key groups - members, non-members, commercial customers and domestic customers.  We are also interested in YOUR feedback as a valued member - this is your opportunity to give us input into services and help to shape the future of the services we provide.

NECA has supported member-company Blue Star Pacific Pty Ltd in its appeal to the full bench of the Federal Court on Friday 7 August, against the decision made in June, a decision which we believe could have perilous consequences for our industry.

NECA has concluded a National Workforce Projections Project for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to identify and address skills shortages issues in the electrotechnology industry.

NECA has emphasised the importance of maintaining apprentice training programs during the economic downturn, in its submission to the Australian Apprentices Taskforce.

Electrical contractors are often involved with installing, commissioning or maintaining refrigeration and air conditioning equipment.  They are particularly active in installing smaller, split unit air conditioning systems used in residential premises.  They should be aware of their obligations.