Master Plumbers’ Association of Queensland World Plumbing Day Breakfast

I would like to respectfully acknowledge the Turrbal, Jagera and Yugara Peoples, the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which this event is taking place, and Elders past and present.

Being that it’s Queensland Women’s Week, and Sunday was International Women’s Day –

I would also like to acknowledge the women who are here this morning to celebrate World Plumbing Day us.

So lets pay tribute to the trailblazing women in the plumbing industry. And give every woman who plays a role in our industry a big round of applause.

I’m honoured to celebrate World Plumbing Day 2020 with you all especially on your 120 year anniversary.

And can I say this:

Queensland’s plumbing industry is looking healthy.

More and more Queenslanders are turning to plumbing as a trade.

Let’s look at the stats.

There are 15,296 occupational plumber licensees in Queensland.

That’s 1 in every 180 Queenslanders who count themselves as a plumber.

There’s been 47 of these new in the past 7 days.

And in government, we’re doing our bit.

I am proud to have worked with the Plumbers Union to start the rebuild of QBuild.

We’re employing now – more jobs for plumbing apprentices and qualified trades people with QBuild –

25 this year and a further 50 over the next 2 years.

I’ll talk more in a moment about our collective achievements this year.

Plumbing and the health of our community

Now as you are all fully aware we are all facing a global health challenge.

And, while we hope that none of the measures will be needed,

you can rest assured that the Palaszczuk Government are taking decisive steps to prepare Queensland for the potential impacts of the coronavirus.

Because preparation, containment and treatment are our best defence.

But there aren’t too many systems or technologies that can compete with plumbing for sheer impact on safeguarding the health and safety of our society.

I want to acknowledge your work this morning,

and thank you all for keeping Queenslanders safe and healthy.

Personal plumbing story

Before I touch on some of our achievements over the past 12 months, I want to share my personal plumbing fail experience.

Now, it starts with me leaving the tap running in the upstairs laundry at home.

Yes…upstairs laundry.

You’re probably asking yourself right about now – why does he have a laundry upstairs?

So yes – I’ll stick to my day job from here on in, and leave designing my next house to the architects.

My wife thinks it was a clever ploy to get banned from the laundry,

and yeah, probably not a bad strategy –

but in our house, my laundry is “my” laundry – it’s up to me to wash.

I discovered, completely by accident, that the overflow from “my” laundry sink had been plumbed into the downstairs ceiling.

This caused $10s of $1000s of dollars damage to our home when the laundry sink overflowed.

I am lucky - the repairs were covered by insurance.

But at the end of the day the cost is borne by the community through higher insurance premiums.

My point is – we all pay the price when plumbing standards aren’t met,

either directly or indirectly.

This experience reinforced for me the standard of excellence that we have come to expect and receive when it comes to plumbing work.

And it’s not until plumbing fails, that you realise how critical it is.

Achievements

Together, we have achieved a lot for the industry over the past 12 months.

I would like to touch on just a few of these.

Security of payment

We have taken the next big step on security of payment reforms.

On 5 February I introduced a Bill into the Parliament to extend our trial protections across the entire economy – to all of you.

Through a phased implementation by 1 July 2022 every dollar will be held in trust for you – the tradies that do the work.

And stuff the dodgy developers that have been making all the profits at your expense.

In politics you’ve got to take a side –

and our Government has chosen –

we are on your side.

We would not have been able to achieve this without the support and advocacy of the MPAQ.

I want to acknowledge Penny Cornah and Kent Vickers in particular – and I thank you for this.

Together – we are about to make national construction industry history.

Please congratulate Penny and Kent.

Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) [pie-kak]

The other thing you should all be really proud of is PICAC.

By working together:

the MPAQ,

the National Fire Industry Association (NFIA),

the Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors’ Association (AMCA), and

the Plumbers Union - and Penny mentioned this quite frankly without the determination of the Plumbers Union – it wouldn’t have been achieved –

we now have just down the road at Beenleigh, the world leading Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre.

Its state-of-the-art.

It’ll kick start careers for thousands of Queenslanders.

And we did this by working together.

Mechanical Services and Medical Gas

And finally,

we’ve delivered a new mechanical services and medical gas licence framework.

We landed the framework where others have tried and failed.

Now in Queensland there’s a framework that recognises the specialist skills required to deliver mechanical service and medical gas works.

Good for those who do the job.

Great for Queenslanders.

The year ahead

So, what does the year ahead look like for the Minister for Plumbing?

I will continue to work towards change that matters to you.

We will continue to work together to make your business more prosperous.

Because when that happens, more Queenslanders get a decent secure job,

in a great trade.

Conclusion

Can I conclude on this –

It only happens with your continued support.

In three weeks especially I’m counting on all of you.

I’m counting on your help to get the Parliament over the line on project trusts.

And to keep it there though the implementation process

I need your support to deliver project trust in Queensland.

So that you can have confidence that you will get paid for the work you do –

that’s what Labor governments do.

Can I congratulate the newly minted Plumbing Ambassadors.

But most of all I want you all to join with me in acknowledging that we are all part of something.

Joint me in acknowledging that plumbers in Queensland are a proud bunch.

A professional industry.

But most of all the plumbing industry is a great team.

Please join me and put your hands together for the mighty Queensland plumbing industry!

Happy World Plumbing Day.