Security of Payments
New NSW legislation helps tradies get paid on time. Changes in the Security of Payment Act mean that since 1 March 2021, the Act also applies to contracts between homeowners and builders, and homeowners and trade contractors. The act had previously exempted...
Retail Heroes
The recent 2020 IHG Awards of Excellence were the good kind of different. There’s a charm and quality to good homemade products that the professionals can rarely match, simply because they don’t know their targets as well. This year’s IHG Awards of Excellence was the...
No Silver Bullet
EWP Design Software is no substitute for a fundamental understanding of construction. By Craig Kay, national product engineer, Tilling SmartFrame software was introduced to the building industry profession in 1997 to equip building designers with the tools to design a...
Forklift Dangers
A tragedy highlights the risks of forklifts even with well-trained operators. February saw another workplace fatality when a truck driver who had just delivered a load was crushed between his vehicle and a forklift in St Marys, NSW. This tragedy highlights the dangers...
Position Vacant
MGA TMA is looking for a new national membership manager to fill a fulltime permanent role in Victoria. National Membership Manager (MGA TMA) Permanent FT Malvern, VIC About the business Master Grocers Australia Ltd (MGA) trading as MGA TMA (Timber Merchants...
Retail Helper
With home delivery and click and collect services reaching record highs, Combilift’s new order picker offers faster, more user-friendly service, plus a chance to optimise your stock storage. Online ordering has boomed under Covid for both retail and trade customers....
The Hole Truth On I-Joists
Taking more care when cutting access holes can save a lot of time and worry. By Afzal Laphir, Principal Engineer, Meyer Timber Prior to the mid-1980s, floor systems were generally made out of solid joists which gave limited opportunities to put penetrations through....
Skin Safety
Workplace mole checks protect your staff and save money. Construction, forestry, milling and even timber retail jobs involve a lot of time outside under the harsh Australian sun. Living in the skin cancer capital of the world carries annual risk, but not enough of us...
The 4C’s
Turns out there are more than two C’s in compliance. By Peter Maguire. One of the most common client requests that we get as a HR consulting firm is for a document – a policy or contract for example – in the client’s belief that that will mean that they can...
The Finest Cuts
Timberlink’s new CLT/GLT plant in Tarpeena has moved a step closer towards production with the order of a new Hundegger PBA Industry Machine for millimetre-perfect panels. Tarpeena, on South Australia’s Limestone Coast is a typical small town. The pub is the centre of...
Timber Offsite Construction
After more than 20 years inspiring new timber builds and technologies, this year’s TOC event brings some exciting changes that will make it more accessible than ever. Last year was decidedly not a good one for conferences. But as the Frame Australia team regretfully...
The Billion-dollar Man
Australia Day honours include the man behind the Security of Payment Act, a genuine hero for many contractors. The recent honours list contained some extremely worthwhile recipients among the usual political gongs. Few are more deserving than Geoffrey Jochelson, who...
New Webinar Series
Frame Australia’s new CPD-accredited webinars follow innovative timber projects. Frame Australia has been at the forefront of encouraging offsite and mass timber construction in Australia for over 20 years now and in recent years, the effort has borne a substantial...
The Four R’s
Relating, reflecting, recalibrating and reconditioning will help your business reshape effectively after the stresses and changes of 2020. By Peter Maguire As 2021 gets into gear, it is apparent that the effects of the pandemic will be with us for a while yet. There...
New Courses For Building
A range of free and low-cost courses are designed to upskill the sector in NSW. More education is one of the most common requests we hear in the sector, both fundamentals for new entrants and easy-access courses for professionals. The NSW government has taken a step...
Fly LVL
Deciphering Australian LVL grades without a consistent standard is up there with flight training for difficulty, and risks the market. So, I had my first-ever flying lesson yesterday. Guided by my flight instructor, who was half my age but a thousand times more...
An Expo Like No Other
The Independent Hardware Group is taking its annual networking and awards events online. When no one knows if they’ll be able to travel to the 2021 IHG Expo, IHG’s simple answer is to bring the Expo to their members instead. From 22–26 February, IHG Virtual Expo will...
Windows and Doors
More than just openings, windows and doors are the faces and the security of our homes. And now there are more sophisticated options for them than ever before. There’s a cliché that residential building is conservative and slow to change. Nothing disproves that as...
Treatment Standards
Updates to the AS/NZS 1604 series will help with specifying to preservative treatment standards. By Craig Kay, national product engineer, Tilling The ‘Making it last’ article of the April 2020 edition of TTN was centred on the use of preservative-treated EWP in the...
Testing Tool
A new state-of-the-art facility will test safety and save lives. A state-of-the-art impact testing facility was launched at Monash University in December last year. The National Drop Weight Impact Testing Facility (NDWITF) uses world-leading technology that can...
Responsible and Beautiful
Meet the expert craftsman bringing a ‘Timber Hub’ to life. When Timber Queensland and Responsible Wood relocated to their shared new office, an opportunity arose for both to create a ‘Timber Hub’ – a vision showcasing Responsible Wood-certified Queensland timber...
Lifting Out of Recession
We’re about to see strong growth in areas like social housing. Combilift’s Chris Littlewood shows us how his company is helping fabricators reap the benefits of these changes. Bear with me for a moment while we talk public policy before we talk fabricating. Social...
Atrium Roofs
When things get a bit fancy, make sure the engineering keeps up. Mum says that when she and Dad emigrated from England to Australia by boat in the mid 1960s, she never expected to see England again. The subsidised trip cost them £10 each and she simply never expected...
Provans Scholarships
The renowned Melbourne firm and family are investing in the next generation of timber trades. The name Provans has a long and respected history in Melbourne timber. In the early 20th century, David Provan set up a timber mill that grew to include a joinery business...
