E-News April 2019

What a fantastic day our annual Chris Dorrity Members Golf Day was again this year!

On Friday 5th April, a healthy number of 92 SPASA Victoria Members were on the green at the magnificent Southern Golf Club in beautiful sunshine.

With golf clubs gleaming and smiles of determination on every face, the game went off with a shotgun start. A refreshment in one hand and a pie in the other, who wouldn't love every moment on the course? Especially with a touch of fierce competition driving each player to perform at their very best.

A special mention to our sponsors REMCO, AB Phillips, Reltech, Sunbather and Waterco. Without their contribution to the industry, these well organised days are not possible.

Visit our PHOTO GALLERY HERE and see what a fabulous day our players enjoyed.

The champions on the day were the Natural Pools team made up of:

Gary Young, Martin O'Driscoll, Rick Kennedy, Mark Creelman with a HCP of 8 and Score of 52.

Congratulations on your win gentlemen!

Runners Up: Joel Gresham, Rob Styles, Mick Hamilton and Bob Wallace with a HCP of 13.5 and Score of 54.5

Third Place: Chris Samartzis, Rob Saunders, Dale Jordan and Josh Libari with a HCP of 9.75 and Score of 55.25

NAGA: Jackson Sloggett, Andrew Morgan, Nick Wearne and Daniel Maher with a HCP of 13.5 and Score of 71.5.

Nearest the Pin: Hole 3: Manny Haractsis - 210cms Hole 12: P Vanderhaar

Longest Drive: Hole 7: Scott Sutherland Hole 11: Rob Saunders - 290m

Straightest Drive: Hole 1: Rob Martin

This event was proudly sponsored by:

As a leader in the swimming pool and spa industry, SPASA Victoria continues to invest heavily in the promotion of our industry through television, radio, billboards, print and digital media.

We have led the way in this area for decades and will continue to invest heavily in the industry to help it grow holistically, ensuring the viability of our members’ businesses and also the wider sector.

As we pivot towards a dynamic offering through our consumer events and various industry days such as member golf day, member’s forum, awards of excellence and multiple training days, we ask for your support to partner with us in our commitment to the industry as we grow the industry via our deep relationship with the consumer.

Have a look at our new Industry Partners page HERE

You too could feature on this page by becoming a sponsoring partner of SPASA Victoria from 1 July 2019.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss sponsorship packages that are still available.

Pool Builders please be advised that a Certificate of Compliance can no longer be addressed to ‘The Relevant Building Surveyor’.

It now needs to state the Building Surveyor's full name and address as per Item 4 below:

4. Provide a copy of the relevant engineering documents.

Note: Engineers certificates of compliance must be addressed to:

[Building Surveyor Name]
[Building Surveyor Address]

Backyard swimming pools have gone from scorned to superb features in the eyes of Geelong homebuyers.

The backyard pool was the most successful keyword used by Victorian house hunters, with nearly 3 million finding properties using the terms 'pool' and 'swimming pool' on realestate.com.au in 2018.

But it’s no surprise to Barry Plant agent Kieron Hunter who said the backyard pool is in vogue, especially around Highton. “Pools are so in vogue right now — everybody wants a pool,” he said.

Read this article in full HERE

Think you don’t need to give a reason for termination while an employee is still under probation? Think again.

Recent Adverse Action claims shed light on how you should approach dismissing employees during the probationary period.

An employee who hasn’t worked for the statutory minimum period of employment (generally six months) cannot bring an unfair dismissal claim onto an organisation. So when dismissing a new hire in their probation period, many employers take the view that they don’t need to document their reasons. But caution should be observed because staff terminated during this period can bring general protections/adverse action claims.

Read this article in full HERE

While everyone was busy with the swim season in late 2018, the COAG Energy Council’s agreement to the Decision Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) on pool pumps was released 19 December, greenlighting mandatory energy rating labelling.

The Australian Government has been working towards a national product energy efficiency since the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) Act 2012 came into effect. The GEMS Act is what underpins the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) program and its public face — the instantly recognisable Energy Rating Label (ERL), which has been affixed to an ever-increasing number of household items since its inception.

The E3 program has three fairly clear objectives:

• To reduce energy bills for households and businesses in a cost-effective way by driving improvements to the energy efficiency of new appliances and equipment sold.
• To improve the energy efficiency of new appliances and equipment that use energy and to also improve the energy performance of products that have an impact on energy consumption.
• To reduce appliance- and equipment-related greenhouse gas emissions through a process which complements other actions by jurisdictions.

Read this article in full HERE

Just a reminder that SPASA Victoria's Preliminary Works Agreement and Variation of Works forms are permanently available for members to download from the Member's area of our website.

If you haven't visited the Member's area of our website in a while, please check it out! We've added a whole lot of extra resources relevant to our industry, as well as photos from each event we've held, plus loads more.

Please note that you will need to login. If you've forgotten your login details please call our office on 9501 2040.

As of 1 January 2019, AS/NZS 3000:2018 was made mandatory Australia wide. If you’re not working with the current version of the standard, you are not in line with statutory and legislative obligations.

SPASA Victoria has negotiated a 20% discount off Wiring Standard AS/NZS 3000:2018 exclusively for SPASA Victoria members, for purchase between Monday 25th March and Tuesday 8th April 2019.

To receive the Member discount, use Promotional Code SPASA20 at the checkout.

Click HERE to purchase the new wiring Standard AS/NZS 3000:2018

Read a summary of the changes HERE

SPASA Victoria members are welcome to visit the SPASA Victoria Office to read the Australian Standards at any time. For more information on Australian Standards contact:

SAI Global
Ph: 131 242
http://infostore.saiglobal.com/store/

Whatever drives you, our new partner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has the range to get you driving in style. With iconic brands like Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Chrysler, Abarth and Fiat Professional, FCA's Preferred Partner Program has been designed to offer eligible SPASA Victoria members exceptional value.

Make the most of FCA’s current in-market offers and take advantage of additional exclusive discounts. Employees of SPASA Victoria members are also entitled to purchase up to four new vehicles every 12 months.

Read more about FCA's Preferred Partner Program including Terms & Conditions HERE

For purchase codes or more information about this fantastic member benefit, visit the SPASA Victoria Member Benefits page HERE

  

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.It’s seems like it’s been raining for weeks on end and now a customer has called saying, “We’ve had a cave in!”.  What now?

Cave-ins are an unwelcome and costly aspect of pool construction. If you are relying upon your public liability insurance to cover the costs of recovering the job to its former state, you will be disappointed as you will not be covered. However, if you have a contract works policy with AB Phillips, damage to your project caused by a weather event such as a cave-in will be covered, as will third-party liability.

This means you can rectify the job to the position it was in prior to the weather event and you will not be out of pocket.

Don’t let cave-ins cost you. Call Sarah at AB Phillips today on 1300 242 136 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Member Benefits - Available to all Members in 2019

• AB Phillips - SPASA’s Risk Management, Insurance & Financial Services Provider
• Jeremy Johnson & Associates - One Hour of Free Expert Legal Advice
• Career Dressing – Preferred Workwear & Corporate Clothing Supplier
• Online White Card Training with Aveling
• Houzz and SPASA – Free Profile-Building Website
• myhronline - HR Advice and resources, discounted for SPASA members
• FCA - Offering exceptional value and wide-ranging vehicle choice 

See the full details of your Member Benefits here

2019

Pool Construction Essentials Training - Thursday 18 April 8.30am - 4.30pm - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Awards of Excellence Entries Close - Thursday 18 April

Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner Bookings Open – Friday 3 May

Basic Chemistry Training - Tuesday 14 May 9am - 4pm - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Advanced Chemistry Training - Thursday 16 & Friday 17 May 9am - 4pm BOOK HERE

Women In Industry Panel Event - Thursday 30 May 2019 11am - 2pm BOOK HERE

OH&S Materials Made Easy - Action OHS - Wed 19 June 9.30am - 12.30pm BOOK HERE

HR Essentials - Wednesday 3 July 9.30am - 12.30pm BOOK HERE

Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner – Saturday 13 July

Planning Your Business Future - Wednesday 24 July 9.30am - 12.30pm BOOK HERE

Pool Construction Essentials Training - Thursday 1 August 8.30am - 4.30pm - BOOK HERE

Domestic Builder Contract Training - Wednesday 7 August 11.30am -1pm BOOK HERE

Hydraulics Training - Thursday 22 & Friday 23 August 9am - 4pm - BOOK HERE

Spa & Pool Show at MCEC (Winter Show) - Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 August - Co-located with the Backyard & Garden Show

Basic Chemistry Training - Monday 16 September 9am - 4pm - BOOK HERE

Advanced Chemistry Training - Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 September 9am - 4pm BOOK HERE

2020

Pool & Spa Expo + Outdoor living - Friday 7 - Sunday 9 February

Spa & Pool Show at MCEC (Winter Show) - Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August