A meeting of the NSW ACT State Council was held on 1 May 2017 at the offices of Agserv.
Patrick Legey (Chairman) welcomed members and guests in attendance including Life member, Mr Greg Moon.
After apologies and the acceptance of the previous minutes, the meeting commenced.
Topics of discussion included Code of Practices (some being updated), the review of AS 3660.2-2000, the QLD Licencing review and many more. Mr Patrick Legey also noted that he had attended two Prior to Purchase Timber Pest Inspections Code of Practice meetings recently.
The deadline for the Pest Manager of the Year has been extended to 30 May and further nominations, especially from NSW /ACT, would be welcomed. The winners will be announced at the 2017 Rapid Solutions conference on 11-12 August 2017 at the RACV Royal Pines on the Gold Coast.
Mr Patrick Legey noted that the AEPMA AGM was to be held at the National Office in Hendra, QLD and by teleconference on 18 May 2017 at 8am. Mr Patrick Legey spoke in relation to the proposed changes to the AEPMA constitution. He suggested that the skill and expertise of retiring members could still be used in the Industry for both the benefit of members and the retiring members alike and that a new membership classification entitled “retirees” would be appropriate. He had approached Mr Stephen Ware (Executive Director) and the NSW delegate to the National Board, Mr Gary Stephenson who subsequently discussed the matter with the National Board.
Mr Patrick Legey thanked Mr Eris Hess for attending the NSW Government Animal Council in Orange on 27 March 2017 on behalf of the NSW ACT State Council and Mr Dan Wilson. Mr Dan Wilson is the normal delegate but has unfortunately been injured. The meeting wished him a speedy recovery. The committee is looking at the commercial Pindone licence in NSW, issues with the mixing of zinc phosphides, new strains of the Calicivirus, lethal trap devices and many more. The next meeting will be held in Sydney on 11 October 2017 and will be attended by Mr Gary Stephenson. It is essential for AEPMA to be represented on this committee.
Several logistic issues concerning NSW licencing were discussed and it was decided to seek another meeting in the very near future with NSW EPA to discuss the progress in the Administration of Pest Management Licencing and operational matters (the last meeting was held in November 2016). Mr Patrick Legey urged members to contact him if they have issues that should be discussed at this meeting.
Mr Gary Stephenson spoke about AEPMA developing a course for Pest Management in the Food Industry to be titled ‘Field Biologist’. He said that if any members are interested in this area, they should let the National office know, as AEPMA is seeking expressions of interest on this subject.
Mr Patrick Legey urged members to put the date of the next AEPMA National conference in their diaries. It is to be held on 19-21 September 2018 at The Star on the Gold Coast.
Mr Patrick Legey, on behalf of the AEPMA NSW ACT State Council and their guests, thanked Mr Eris Hess and Agserv for providing the venue and the refreshments for the afternoon.
The next AEPMA NSW ACT State Council meeting will be held on 28 August 2017 at 4pm at the office of Globe, Padstow NSW.
For queries, please contact Mr Patrick Legey or any State Council members. Alternatively, please contact the National office on 1300 307 114 or email: info@aepma.com.au. The NSW ACT State Council welcomes members to attend their meetings to come and have their say.
Patrick Legey
AEPMA NSW ACT Chairman
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