As we approach the Christmas holiday, I’d like to thank our members, sponsors, alliance partners and staff for bringing us to the end of 2016 with a long string of successes. Before we begin the new year, I’ll note just a few of them.

Most recently, we helped score a win for the building and construction industry with the Senate’s passage of the ABCC Bill, which will help to curb unlawful union practices that have cost the industry and the communities of Victoria dearly in lost time and expenses. This helps clear the way for the effective delivery of infrastructure projects our state dearly needs.

We welcomed the Building Legislation Amendment (Consumer Protection) Act 2015 in Victoria which, among many beneficial features, achieves reforms that address serious problems associated with owner-builders, like competence, safety and consumer satisfaction.

We thank Peter Picking for his leadership during the past two years, and welcome Melanie Fasham as she joins us as the new President of Master Builders Association of Victoria, building on her outstanding performance on the Board of Directors and breaking ground as the first female in the role.

Master Builders earned numerous awards this year. In September we were named Victorian Small Training Provider of the Year (see the new training video here) and went on to become one of the top three small training providers in Australia. In the WorkSafe Victoria Awards, we received Honourable Mention for Health and Safety Invention of the Year for our ‘Prevention and Awareness of Bullying’course, and were finalists in the Premier’s Sustainability Awards.

Our Annual Review 2015/16 highlighted some important data you may not be aware of, like the fact that we delivered nearly 95,000 hours of exceptional industry training to over 4,200 students; issued 2,829 building permits, performed 180 free onsite safety audits and processed 4,480 calls through our legal services team. And lobbying for trades registration remains one of our key focus areas to strengthen our industry.

Master Builders will continue to help you achieve your goals in 2017 and beyond. Here’s looking forward to a great year ahead.

Merry Christmas and best wishes,
Radley de Silva, CEO
Master Builders Association of Victoria

Holiday Period: Master Builders will close head office from 12pm Friday 23rd December, returning to work on Tuesday 3rd January 2017. Final orders for 2016 will be posted on 22 December and mail will reopen on the 3rd of January 2017