ACRS would like to pass on our sincere well wishes and positive encouragement to all our members and their families across Australia especially Victoria who are feeling the effect of COVOID19.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE JULY 2020
- Resources and helpful COVID19 links: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resources
- CEDIA technology Q & A webinar link
- Are electricians approved to perform cabling work?
- Tech trends – The evolution of WiFi technologies – Residential AV & the shift to IP and 5G debunking the dangers
- Impact of COVID 19 response to NECA industry survey on the Electrical & Communications Industry of Australia by Suresh Manickam
- A registered Cabler can move the NBN Cable and Equipment
- Smart Homes and the COVID-19 Challenge – Article by John Fennell
- Has your ACRS registration LAPSED?
- Useful Links
| How to Keep Mentally Healthy During Uncertain Times1. Keep active – keeping physically active will keep our bodies and immune in top shape.2. Immerse yourself in nature – research shows that nature can have a healing effect on our minds and bodies.3. Focus on the present – let’s not fast-forward to what may happen and this will only bring on more negativity.4. Laugh – as we spend more time at home with our families, it is important to keep laughing as this will help strengthen those relationships,5. Practice kindness – dig deep to help others such as arrange a cup of tea and virtual catch up with someone you know.6. Focus on what’s good – research shows that practising gratitude can improve our wellbeing, even during these challenging times.7. Keep Learning – to stay mentally challenged and stimulated.8. Connect – connecting with others has been linked strengthens relationships and has been linked to physical health and longevity.9. Concentrate on Strengths – research shows that recognising and working with our strengths increases our level of happiness.Visit Action for Happiness for more information. |
Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in Victoria
Get the latest information about restrictions and what you need to do to slow the spread of coronavirus in Victoria. https://www.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
| NSW |
| https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/what-you-can-and-cant-do-under-rulesApply for the $3,000 Small Business Recovery Grant NSW Government’s $3,000 Small Business Recovery Grant is now open for applications. NECA urges members to explore the scheme as many will be eligible for the grants. You can use it to cover marketing and advertising expenses; fit-out changes, and staff training expenses to work in a COVID Safe way. If you’re a small business owner in an industry that’s been highly impacted by COVID-19, you may be eligible for this grant. Applications close 16 August 2020 . For more information, visit the NSW Government’s Helping Business Get Back to Work. |
Free short courses to support NSW
Thirteen new fee-free TAFE NSW online short courses are available to anyone wanting to upskill during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Read more here .
Speak Up, Save Lives – New App by NSW Government
The NSW Government earlier this month launched the SafeWork NSW app, Speak Up, Save Lives, which allows workers to anonymously report workplace health and safety issues by sending photos of unsafe practices directly to SafeWork NSW. The App was developed as the result of an 18-year-old who lost his life in a tragic workplace incident last year. For more information on the App, visit the SafeWork NSW website here .
| QLD | |
| Small Business COVID-19 Adaption Grant Funding of up to $10,000 is available from 1 July for eligible small businesses to help adapt and sustain operations and build resilience. The objective of this program is to support small businesses subject to closure or highly impacted by the coronavirus shutdown restrictions. Read more here. | |
| TAS | |
| Microbusiness Workforce Development Funding Are you a sole trader with 1-5 employees? Approximately 75% of businesses in the Tasmanian building and construction industry are sole traders or microbusinesses. Maintaining and developing a solid skills base will be crucial for every business as the industry seeks to manage the consequence of COVID-19. To support microbusinesses to plan and pay for training and workforce development initiatives over the next 12 months, the TBCITB will provide $1,000, in addition to standard training reimbursements for each eligible business this July. Click here to apply. | |
| ACT | |
| COVID-19 Mental Health and Wellbeing Grants As part of the ACT Government’s COVID-19 Mental Health Support Package, organisations, community groups and individuals are encouraged to apply for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Innovation Grants Program. Learn more here on how you can apply. | |
| General News | |
| Tax Time 2020 Toolkit for Small Business To help businesses get back on their feet, the ATO has produced a toolkit that includes a directory of links to help small businesses find information, tools, calculators and services. For more information, visit ATO’s Small Business Guides. |
ACRS director, Mr Peter Lamont, joined Mr Paul Skelton as panelist for the first session of ‘ CEDIASTRONG Roundtable: Australian Registered Cabler Update ‘ on Wednesday, July 15.
Mr Lamont spoke in detail about risk and safety for cablers, legal obligations and what you need to do today if you are not appropriately registered or if your registration has expired.
If you missed our first session of CEDIA STRONG Roundtable, and would like to hear more on Q & A, click the link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/2151634712654502926
Are Electricians Approved to perform cabling work?
An electrical licence is not a licence to perform telecommunications cabling. You must have a separate ACMA cabling registration.
Cabling for phone lines & systems, NBN, internet, cat5e & cat6 data cable, TV & antennas, fibre, CCTV, security and audio systems within Australia requires an ACMA cabling registration to perform installation or maintenance on residential and commercial structures.
Evidence of carrying a current registration card confirms you have completed the relevant training and gained the professional experience. You have the knowledge to perform cabling work according to industry standards and deliver the work to the customer’s expectations. Being a registered cabler, means you are getting the job done right and will follow strict CPR guidelines set out by the ACMA to ensure compliance and safety is to Australian standards.
A data cable cannot have cross over or contact an electrical cable as there are separation rules and guidelines that must be in place to maintain safety.
Cabling for phone lines & systems, NBN, internet, cat5e & cat6 data cable, TV & antennas, fibre, CCTV, security and audio systems within Australia requires a licensed ACMA certified technician to perform installation or maintenance on residential and commercial structures.
Performing Telco and Data work must only be performed by a Registered Cabler, who holds an Open Registration with appropriate competencies, such as S for structured (data) cabling, F for fibre work, and C for coaxial cable (HFC) style work. (this excludes Free to Air installers who do not need to be registered to install coaxial cables for TV antennas), all of which is stated on their Cabling Providers Registration card, which they must be able to produce when requested to do so.
Crossing over to cabling
If you are an electrician and looking to diversify your skills and include cabling related services, it is a fairly straight-forward process to cross over into telecommunications cabling and other projects that give workers and businesses a more competitive edge in the industry.
A licensed electrician that has completed the applicable units, along with completing the ACMA mandated 50 question test through their training provider, can register to be a cabler. A copy of their electrical licence will suffice as proof of experience for cabling.
All cabling work must be performed by a registered cabler in the telecommunications, security, electrical, fire and data industries, in accordance with the ACMA ‘Cabling Provider Rules’. The main type of cabling registration available under the ACMA legislative requirements is the OPEN registration.
What to do next:
Electricians who have not completed the relevant ACMA pathway training, chosen electives relevant to cabling or wish to add specialised competencies, please contact your NECA training centre who will offer you expert advice in selecting the relevant course that suits your needs.
NECA Training NSW 02 9188 4424
NECA Education & Careers VIC 03 9381 1922
NECA CET Joondalup WA 08 9233 5000
NECA CET Jandakot WA 08 6595 6600
Most RTO’s offer some on line training for the theory with practical training required in class. This cuts the duration time of the course, which means less time sacrificed off work.
click here for a full list of registered training organisations Australia wide. Click here for RTO listing
 The evolution of WiFi technologiesIt has been a little over two decades since WiFi first came into being, and it is hard now to imagine a world without it. WiFi has had a widespread impact on many areas of society since the first standard for WiFi (IEEE801.11) was introduced in 1997, delivering a speed of just 2Mbps. Today we are pushing gigabit speeds with lower latency, servicing multiple users by shaping the beams from the access points and we can even overlay a wired or wireless mesh network to turbocharge it. To see where we’ve been and where we’re headed, click here.Residential AV and the shift to IPAudiovisual (AV) setups in the home certainly have come a long way over the years. In the ‘old days’, your average home entertainment system was simply a free-to-air antenna connected to a TV using coax cabling. If you were looking for a higher end experience, you may have connected your TV through a stereo HiFi system, giving you sound through both a left AND a right speaker – imagine that! Fast forward to today and we now have houses with dedicated home theatre rooms containing immersive surround sound systems, with speakers placed across the walls and ceiling (such as the 11.1.8 Dolby Atmos speaker system) ‘home cinema’ sized flat panel displays and Ultra High Definition projectors. Free to air antennas are still with us, but are now complemented by a multitude of streaming services for both voice and video content.As AV content can be efficiently distributed over IP (internet protocol) networks in the home, we can easily send on-demand content to any room in the house when the mood strikes. In fact, we have now reached a point where if you can dream it (and you have the budget) then you can probably do it. The trend is pointing towards an increasing stream of cabling work with jobs only limited by the imagination! To continue reading, click here.5G debunking the dangers We have all seen the marketing campaigns by the major Australian telcos, 5G is being touted as a revolutionary development in mobile communications – a dramatic leap forward, making autonomous cars come to life and connecting the world like never before.However, every new generation of wireless technologies prompts discussions on social media (and beyond) around wireless signals and if they can adversely impact our health. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, so in this article we will break down 5G technology and what it means for your health click here to read onResidential security Security systems must be carefully designed to meet the needs of everyone in the modern home, from the young to the elderly. A residential security system can be as simple as a basic intrusion detection, through to a fully monitored system that opens and shuts every door and window in the home and sends out a panic alert. Regardless of what level of security system you are deploying, will it operate reliably during blackouts and alert someone when things are not working as planned? Click here to read more. |
NECA Industry Survey and Policy Implications Impact of COVID-19 on the Electrical & Communications Industry in Australia
Four out of five electricians see work disappearing within 6 months without Government action: NECA calls for a comprehensive approach to stimulus
Tradies are calling for urgent stimulus for households, investment in infrastructure and significant structural reforms to prevent Australia falling off an economic cliff in the coming months, according to research released today by the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) as it releases a Four Point Plan to Power the Economy.
The research paints a worrying picture of the construction sector, which electrical contracting businesses expect to worsen in the coming months if governments do not act.
Suresh Manickam, CEO of NECA , which represents more than 5,000 electrical contracting businesses said: “Right now governments have the opportunity to act, rebuild the economy and keep people in work. Our Four Point Plan outlines simple measures for doing this and it is critical governments grasp the opportunity. The Federal Government’s Home Builder package is a good taster; now we need a comprehensive support package.”
Almost all respondents to NECA’s survey said their business had been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, withnearly 80% seeing a reduction in revenue and one in five seeing their revenue cut by more than 50%.
80% of businesses expect the current pipeline of work to dry up within the next 3 to 6 months, with nearly a third of respondents saying that there is less than one month until the current pipeline of activity comes to an end.
Just half (52.1%) of respondents expect a recovery and are looking to Government for assistance. Almost 60% of businesses responding to the survey have applied for Government assistance.
Of the survey respondents, 70% see Government investment in infrastructure and construction projects as a way to lead the COVID-19 recovery phase. Close to 40% of respondents also see that enabling temporary amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 to provide flexibility in Enterprise Agreements in response to COVID-19 as critical.
” As well as being a litmus test for the construction industry, electrical contracting is an indicator of the broader economy. If electrical work isn’t taking place, it means we are not upgrading technology to improve productivity, it means we are not building to power growth and it means we are not embracing electrification to transition to a clean, modern economy,” added Mr Manickam.
“That’s why we are urging governments to introduce measures outlined in our Four Point Plan, including:
1. Backing Small Business by offering a ‘dollar-for-dollar’ grant scheme to households up to $3,000 to undertake electrical safety and energy efficiency upgrades to homes
2. Unlocking Infrastructure by fast-tracking a pipeline of major infrastructure ‘shovel-ready’ projects for medium to large businesses to undertake to stimulate the economy
3. Ripping up red tape by reviewing Australia’ system of industrial relations
4. Energising the future by providing training incentives and opportunities”
“Crucially, all our proposals are investments offering significant future returns to government as well as the taxpayer. For example, a household doing an energy efficiency upgrade can expect cheaper electricity bills, while big infrastructure projects provide hundreds of jobs and boost productivity.
“We know governments across Australia have done a lot of excellent work already and now we need their backing to re-emerge quickly to build a stronger Australia.”
A Registered Cabler can move the nbn™ Cable and Equipment
Attention all cabler’s, you are now able to move a larger range of nbn™ service’s under the recently released Authority to Alter Facilities in Residential and Small Business Premises. The nbn™ Authority to Alter will allow registered cabling technicians to make a range changes to nbn equipment within an end user’s premises without seeking prior permission from nbn. Such changes may include rewiring a home in order to move a Network Termination Device (NTD) from one room to another more suited to the end user’s needs.
nbn ‘s Authority to Alter which originally only allowed for registered cablers to modify internal cabling prior to the network boundary on the nbn™ FTTN Network has now been expanded to include the nbn™ FTTP,FTTC and HFC Networks. Modification of the nbn™ Wireless and Satellite premises networks prior to the NTD still requires permission from nbn™ .
On the webpage where you will find the document, you will see that nbn™ provides a link for consumers to the Australian Registered Cablers website www.registeredcablers.com.au. If you have not have signed up to be listed on the site you can do so here: http://registeredcablers.com.au/listing-on-the-site/
NOTE: the document is targeted to you as a Registered Cabler
Copper lead-in used in FTTN, FTTC
Fibre lead-in
HFC Lead-in
Care must be taken when undertaking any work as the authorisation requires you to use only approved equipment and full testing.
Make sure you access the webpage were you can download the full document as well as useful information for new properties.
Follow the link https://www.nbnco.com.au/develop-or-plan-with-the-nbn/industry-collaboration-and-community-planning/cabling
Smart Homes & The Covid-19 Challenge
The impact of Covid-19 on our homes is big, but it tends to miss one key question……how well they’re handling the internet.
Most articles look at how well the internet is dealing with the explosion in demand as we work, school, shop, access telemedicine & entertain ourselves online at home.
Download speeds dropped 38% in California & 24% in New York immediately, but overall that data problem is getting fixed in various ways (Netflix dialled down its video quality for one).
Here Internet Service Providers like Vodafone, Telstra, Optus or TPG have offered customers more data for free and generally talked up their response. Of course the NBN’s multi tech ‘last mile’ model isn’t helping, but it’s not the main glitch.
It’s the wifi networked ‘smart home’ that most people were sold that’s facing its Waterloo ……or at least its technological limits.
The main advice I’m seeing says call your provider about going on a higher plan. Of course that’s very sensible if cost isn’t an issue and your home can handle it.
Take the experience of Ian Millner, one of our consultants. He’s on 100Mbps download plan and now has 6 people at home:
“My home now has four private work areas where you can connect to the internet and log into the office remotely and participate in customer project & stand up meetings through Microsoft teams, or Zoom without as much as a hitch from the home network.
There is nothing stopping you from ringing your RSP to increase your plan but the key is do you have the cabling to allow for seamless connectivity via multiple WiFi access points or directly connected with cable?”
The big difference for Ian’s home is that he wired it all in when they were renovating……something 40% of new builds or renovations are doing in Australia these days.
Obviously I’m not saying we all need to start retrofitting our homes, but this virus outbreak is likely to change how we use our home networks permanently. And that means making sure our homes are tech ready.
Article by John Fennell – International Copper Association
For independent home tech advice: registeredcablers.com.au
Has your Registration LAPSED?
Evidence of having a current ACRS cabling registration card, confirms you have the knowledge to complete the work to the required industry standards, using only approved, fit for purpose product.
If your ACRS registration has lapsed, do not panic.
Call the friendly team at ACRS on 1300 667771 or email: enquiries@acrs.com.au who will be pleased to assist you in reinstating your registration.
USEFUL LINKS
ACRS www.acrs.com.au
Registered Cablers website www.registeredcablers.com.au
Dial before you dig www.1100.com.au
ACMA www.acma.gov.au
ACMA Complaints line www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Infrastructure/Cabling-rules/cabling-complaints
Communications Alliance www.commsalliance.com.au
Smart wired www.registeredcablers.com.au/smart-home-news.html .
NBN Co (How to Connect) https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/how-to-connect
NBN Co (Cabling) : https://www.nbnco.com.au/develop-or-plan-with-the-nbn/new-developments/design-build-install/cabling
Australian Standards AS/CA S009 2013 : http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/customer-cabling-rules-and-requirements