Plumbing Supply Forum 2012 Carmel Coate, Executive Director PPI Group Is Good!

Plumbing Regulators 6 States & 2 Territories Plumbing has 12 State government agencies with a direct role

Vic – Plumbing Industry Commission SA – Water Corp & Office Consumer & Business Affairs Qld – Dept of Local Gov & Planning & Plumbers & Drainers Board NSW – Fair Trading & Office of Water Tas – Workplace Standards and Plumbers & Gasfitters Registration Board WA – Plumbers Licencing Board ACT – Planning & Land Authority NT – Dept Planning & Infrastructure

ABCB WELS Regulator COAG National Licensing Regulator Gas Regulators WorkSafe Authorities State Depts of Health - State Depts of Environment Australian Refrigeration Council Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Water Authorities … Local Councils … Energy Efficiency Regulators … etc, etc

Product Conformance WaterMark –Transition to ABCB –ABCB Scheme Review –ATS / WTS ? –Compliance

Product Conformance One scheme – national Simple process Efficient process Reduced timelines No individual state “requirements” ONE SCHEME ONE NATIONAL SCHEME –WITH INTEGRITY, –WITH AUDIT & COMPLIANCE PROCESSES

WELS User pay principle - $1.48m –State / Federal Governments –Water Authorities –Industry –Communities Industry should not be the only “user” to pay! Definition of a model –Lack of clarity suggest possibilities of massive cost imposition on registrants No RIS – just a Discussion Paper

WELS Update on reforms to the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme – for use at 2012 Plumbing Supply Forum The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, administers the WELS Scheme on behalf of the state, territory, and Australian Governments. The Department has been consulting with stakeholders over the past six months in relation to reforms which are to be made to the scheme.

WELS The reforms arise from the November 2011 response of the Standing Council on Environment and Water (SCEW) to the 2010 independent review of the WELS scheme. The SCEW, which consists of environment and water ministers from the states, territories and the Australian Government also approved a new three-year strategic plan and budget for the WELS scheme, which is to commence from 1 July The SCEW also decided that eighty per cent of the scheme’s costs during those three years would be recovered from registration fees, with governments contributing the remaining 20 per cent.

WELS Since that time, the Department has continued to engage with the WELS Advisory Group, has conducted a number of stakeholder meetings and forums, and released a discussion paper and InkWELS newsletter. During the comment period, 119 written submissions were received from a wide range of WELS scheme stakeholders. All submissions are available on the WELS scheme website, except where the author sought confidentiality.

WELS A summary report of the consultation process is currently being finalised and will be published on the WELS scheme website in coming weeks. Implementation of the Standing Council’s response to the 2010 independent review requires amendments to the WELS Act 2005 and the WELS Determination.

WELS A Bill to amend the WELS Act 2005 was introduced into the House of Representatives on Wednesday 23 May The Bill will implement a number of recommendations from the independent review that were agreed by the Standing Council. These include the introduction of civil penalty provisions under the Act and the removal of the requirement that registrations must be gazetted before they can take effect.

WELS Some of the detail of the Scheme currently set out in the WELS Act will become part of a Ministerial Determination, to be made by the Commonwealth Minister with the agreement of a majority of the state and territory ministers. This new WELS Determination, which is not expected to take effect until November 2012, will set out the new registration arrangements for the WELS scheme. The new arrangements will be consistent with the scheme’s cost recovery requirements and will include the introduction of a new registration database with streamlined registration processes.

WELS The department expects to provide more detailed information to stakeholders about the new registration arrangements once a draft Determination has been prepared and the database developed. It is anticipated that these communications will commence in July or August Regular updates on the progress and content of the Bill, (subject to its passage) new Determination and database will be provided on the WELS scheme website