Welcome
 
Welcome to the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association May 2018 edition.  Please read for more details below or visit our website for online version
AEPMA Conference - REGISTER NOW & SAVE!!!

With the AEPMA Conference fast approaching, now’s the time to REGISTER & SAVE

Attractive EARLYBIRD rates are now available.  Full delegate packages starting at $425 for members and $450 for non-members with further savings for 2 or more delegates.  

Don’t delay! Secure your place early - BOOK NOW & SAVE!!  For more information, and to register, simply visit the AEPMA Conference Website (https://aepma.com.au/conference), or download the attached registration form, complete and return with your payment to the AEPMA National Office.   

Vasili Tsoutouras re-elected as AEPMA President

AEPMA’s Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday 24th May, 2018 at the National Office.  Mr Vasili Tsoutouras was re-elected unopposed as President of AEPMA.  Other elected delegates confirmed at the AGM were:-

Gary Stephenson - National Vice President / National Director – NSW 
Eris Hess - National Director – Associates/Treasurer
Simon Richards - National Director - WA
David Gay - National Director – VIC
Subsequently, directors appointed Rob Boschma as a National Director 
Shane Osborne - National Director - QLD 
Neil Raw - National Director – SA
Stephen Ware - Executive Director

Mr Vasili Tsoutouras also placed on record his thanks for retiring members:
       Trevor Scott
       Victor Morgan

In his address to the AGM, Mr Vasili Tsoutouras reported to the meeting that the activities that the Association had been working on included the Code of Best Practice for Termite Management and the Code of Best Practice for Termite Management under Constructions and he was pleased to report that they had been registered with the ACCC.  He indicated that the Field Biologist training course was about to be launched and the upcoming AEPMA conference would be taking place in September which he expected would be a big success.

AEPMA NSW ACT State Council AGM

The AGM was held on 11 May 2018 at 4.00 pm at the office of Agserv, Unit 6, 105 Derby Street, Silverwater.

The AGM was well attended. Mr John Murray from Flick Anticimex and Mr Greg Moon (Life Member) were welcomed to the meeting to talk about the case for a review of the current Urban Pest Management Training Package. 

Nominees for the State Council were:
Mr Patrick Legey (Austrapest), Mr Gary Stephenson (Gary Stephenson Pest Industry Consultants), Mr Geoff Bryce (Bryce Pest Control), Mr Colin Urey (Drop Dead Pest Control), Mr Don Wilson (Wilson’s Pest Control), Dr Chris Orton (UNSW/ PIMACS), Mr Greg Moon (All Pest and Termite Solutions and Life member), Mr Kevin Parson (Globe Australia), Mr Richard Doyle (Rentokil Pest Control), Mr Dio Naaktgeboren (Flick Anticimex), Mr Shayne Reynolds (Pelican Pest Control), Mr Ed Covey (Termitus Pest Management and retired).  All nominees are now AEPMA NSW ACT State Council members for the next two years.

Mr Patrick Legey was re-elected as Chairman
Mr Ed Covey was re-elected as Vice Chairman
Mr Gary Stephenson was re-elected as NSW ACT Delegate to the National Board
Mr Greg Moon was re-elected as alternate delegate to the National Board 

Click here to read full article

New shareholders strengthen Rapid Solutions' future

Niche property services insurer Rapid Solutions is set to build on 25 years of business success with the announcement of a new shareholder. 

The insurance, training and technical support organisation that currently assists more 2,000 pest controllers and building inspectors across Australia and New Zealand will formally welcome Badger International as a shareholder on 10 May 2018. 

Rapid Solutions Chairman, Stephen Garrett, said that while the company’s shareholding structure would change, day to day operations of Rapid Solutions would not. 

“This is an exciting opportunity for Rapid Solutions and is part of Rapid Solutions’ ongoing commitment to growing the business and continuing to support the pest and building sector,” Mr Garrett said 

​Click here to read full article

WA Roof Spaces - New Guidelines

New guidelines have been issued regarding working in roof spaces in WA.  Please see the following information:-

Guidance Note – Working in Roof Spaces 2018
Your attention is drawn to the attached guidance note issued by the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health (the Commission) under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (the OSH Act).

The Commission’s objective is to promote comprehensive and practical preventive strategies that improve the working environment of Western Australians.  The guidance note has been developed through a tripartite consultative process, and the views of employers and unions along with those of government and experts have been considered.
 
The following information is provided as background to understanding this guidance note.
Horror of a Chinese Cockroach Factory

Xichang, China: It is like a scene from a horror movie. A door opens to a dark room, and in the beam of a torchlight, you see them. Hundreds of cockroaches, moving up the side of cupboards, and across the floor.  It's about to get worse.

Breeding manager Ying Xiong steps inside and, with bare hands, pulls a cardboard square from a long row of racks. She drops it into a large bowl on the ground, which seems to explode into a churning maelstrom of glistening brown. Thousands of cockroaches stream out. They rush up her arms and over her back. Her long, black ponytail is soon crawling with cockroaches. There is one on her ear. They scramble inside her white lab coat.  I jump back.

We are talking about Periplaneta Americana, or the American cockroach, and we are standing inside the world’s largest cockroach factory, in the Sichuan mountain town of Xichang.

There are at least 3.6 billion cockroaches hiding in racks in rooms along this corridor, I am told.cent net margin to zero, or breakeven.  

Click here to view full article.


 
Pest Manager of the Year 2018 - Deadline extended to 29th June 2018

The deadline for nominations for Pest Manager of the Year Awards 2018 has been extended to 29th June 2018.  The 2018 Pest Manager of the Year Awards is once again organised by AEPMA and sponsored by both AEPMA and BASF.

The awards will be made to pest management companies in four categories:
• Companies that employ more than 10 people, 
• Fewer than 10 people 
• Fewer than 3 people; and
• Companies of any size operating in the South Pacific.

The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner at the AEPMA Conference in September 2018. Entry forms should be forwarded by COB 29th June 2018 to the AEPMA National Office via email to info@aepma.com.au or fax 07 3268 4213. More information is available on the AEPMA website.


 

 

 

Record European Wasp season produces extraordinary nest

Canberrans have been revelling in the unusually warm autumn and so has the European wasp, with the eWasp hotline experiencing its busiest season since 2015 and a record number of nests confirmed.

The current season had seen 798 confirmed eWasp nests, including an extraordinarily large one in McKellar measuring 1.4 metres long, 80 centimetres high and 50 centimetres wide.

“In January we reported approximately 2,000 wasps per nest, but with the large volume of nests reported and destroyed since, we have experienced larger than normal nests with some containing over 10,000 wasps,” it was reported by a pest controller.

“We’ve addressed a number of nests in public areas including parklands, shopping centres and cafés. Where numbers were found to be very high, we set up baiting programs to reduce numbers for public safety. These programs have been very successful in reducing wasp numbers.”

Click here to read full article.

NSW EPA to Commence Fumigation Activities

The EPA has issued the following statement:-

“I’d like to notify AEPMA and its members that the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is starting an inspection campaign to review fumigation activities at sites that use methyl bromide.  A key finding from a recent EPA methyl bromide campaign was that methyl bromide fumigation activities at several sites in NSW had the potential to pose risks to the environment and human health.

The campaign will focus on:

  • Improving understanding of methyl bromide risks and risk control measures at over 60 fumigation sites
  • athering information to support development of best management practices
  • Reviewing issues regarding emissions (e.g. chimney stacks, tarpaulin release) and proximity to sensitive receptors such as schools and residences.

These inspections will also help the EPA to confirm recent industry survey findings regarding the quantity of methyl bromide used at each site last year. 

Any questions can be directed to Eve Chong, Operations Officer – Hazardous Materials Chemicals and Radiation 

Hazardous Incidents & Environmental Health, NSW Environment Protection Authority 
+61 2 9995 6534 
eve.chong@epa.nsw.gov.au www.epa.nsw.gov.au  

An IR Update

ACTU aims for huge award wages increases 
The Annual Wage Review is underway and the ACTU is claiming a 7.2% increase to all award wage and salary rates. Given the ACTU has cheer squads in both the parliament and the Reserve Bank for a lift in wage rates, the likelihood of another hefty pay rise like last year is strong. 

For a while now, the federal government and opposition, along with the RBA and others, have been making noises about the need for higher wages. The last budget was framed in the expectation that wages would rise. 

Employers with agreements or employment contracts that have salary rises clauses tied to this annual review need to brace themselves for another whack come 1st July.

Pay rises track inflation rate 
Private sector pay rises and the Consumer Price Index are hand in hand at 1.9%, according to the Bureau of Statistics. 

These figures refer to overall increases in private sector pay rates. In EBAs, pay rises are a little higher, running on average at around 2.4% at the end of the year. 

The trifecta of low wage rises, low inflation and low interest rates was, until recently, seen as a sign of stability and predictability - a good outcome rather than a state of affairs to be rectified. 

That narrative has changed, although so far it is only talk. Come July though, things might start to change.

Newsletter contributions/comments

AEPMA welcomes any contributions or suggestions for articles that you feel are relevant to the industry. Simply forward to info@aepma.com.au.

Or do you have something to say about an article you’ve read in the Newsletter? Why not leave your feedback on our Facebook page.

>> Visit our website
>> Privacy Policy
>> Terms of Use

 
You are receiving AEPMA e-newsletters. If you are not interested to further e-newsletter from AEPMA, please click here to unsubscribe.