Hire and Rental News - November 2015

26 / 68

EVENTS in FOCUS
HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • NOVEMBER 2015 26
A new industry Standard and
Games opportunity
president's message
As of 26 August the new Temporary
Structures Standard is in place. At time
of writing, Victoria was the only state
that had 100% adopted the Standard,
however by now most states would
have adopted some aspects. It would
be wise for all members to make sure
they are familiar with the new Standard which can be down
loaded from
I have also prepared four pages of notes intended as a guide
to reading the new Standard. Contact me for a copy at: tom@
In September, at an evening organised and hosted by the HRIA,
the Victorian Building Authority made a presentation on the
new Standard. The VBA are congratulated for the effort they
make in engaging with our industry. The evening was extremely
informative and should make the process of application and
implementation more easily understood.
Key takeaways from the meeting were:
• VBA now have strict guidelines on the time it takes to process
an application;
• VBA will roll out the same information to Municipal Building
Surveyors;
• VBA covers the permits and applications for structures and the
Municipal Building Surveyors and Councils cover the event
In other industry news, Spencer Tankard from Baytex conducted
the HRIA two day marquee erectors course in September. There
were nine participants and it is heartening to see companies
and individuals making the investment in training. We as an
industry need to look at training as a value-add to our business,
not an expense. It is time to lead in this area or be pushed into it
screaming and kicking by government legislation.
The Queensland government extended an invitation to the
HRIA for a round table discussion regarding the Gold Coast
Commonwealth Games. The Hon Kate Jones convened a
meeting of industry bodies designed to flesh out the problems in
communication and planning around the tender process. There
will also be a number of one-on-one meetings with industry.
Although most tenders won’t be published until mid-2016, the
HRIA has made the government aware the time for planning
is now, reiterating our members are signing contracts now for
beyond 2018.
The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games will be the biggest single
event in Australia for many years. The Queensland government
said this should be a showcase of everything Queensland has to
offer and deliver a positive legacy for the people of south-east
Queensland. Our aim is to ensure as much of the contracted
works are carried out by Australian companies, preferably HRIA
members.
Let me know your thoughts on the new Temporary Structures
Standard and Commonwealth Games process so far.
Tom O'Dowd
National Events President