Welcome
 
Welcome to the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association October 2019 edition. Please scroll down for more details or visit our website for the online version. 
Bayer Excellence Award 2019
 
´Award for Individual Excellence in Professional Pest Management’ 
– a combined initiative of AEPMA and Bayer –
 
Initiated by Bayer in 2018, the Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA) award for Individual Excellence in Professional Pest Management was presented at a dinner function held at the RACV Club, Melbourne last week.
 
Martin Ball, Environmental Science (ES) General Manager at Bayer, welcomed guests and spoke briefly of the long history of association and partnership between Bayer and AEPMA.  Our underlying stewardship principles that drive our business match closely with those of AEPMA and we have a positive outlook for the future, working together with the Australian pest management industry; creating a better life for our customers/end-users.  Martin then introduced the President of AEPMA, Mr. Vasili Tsoutouras.
 
“This award presents an opportunity for industry to thank the many quiet achievers who have to date not received the full recognition that their services to the industry deserve,” Mr. Tsoutouras said.
 
Nominees for the award are required to meet the following set criteria:
(1) Putting customers first through a commitment to excellence in customer focus, leadership, and service;
(2) Fostering innovation in the Pest Management Industry; and 
(3) Individual Excellence.
 
Daryle Swarz, ES Pest Market Manager said “Excellent service includes service above and beyond the normal requirements of the position or sustained high level performance by an individual with a focus on outcomes and recognisable benefits to clients and the professional pest management industry“.  Daryle then announced and presented the 2019 Individual Excellence in Professional Pest Management Award to Dr. Chris Orton.
 
Dr Orton has contributed to the progression of the pest management industry by assisting in research and development of new, better and safer insecticide products and control methods.  Amongst his many accolades, Dr Orton is an Entomologist as well as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the School of B.E.E.S, Faculty of Science at UNSW, Sydney. He is also Secretary at PMITAG NSW and director of Pest Information Management Appraisal and Consultancy Services Pty Ltd.
 
 
Left to right: Martin Ball, Dr Chris Orton, Vasili Tsoutouras and Daryle Swarz.
Fire Ant Program
 
Hit list for fire ant treatment season
 
Communities most at risk from fire ants are on the hit list for the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication Program’s next treatment season.
 
As ground temperatures are increasing, and fire ants are starting to come out of winter hibernation to forage for food, now is the ideal time to start baiting again.
 
Until approximately June 2020, ground and aerial crews will be spreading fire ant bait across areas of the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, Ipswich, Logan and the Gold Coast.
 
By the end of this treatment season we will see further evidence that our strategy to work from the west of the infestation is succeeding.
 
Initial reports are very positive, with residents in parts of the Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and the Ipswich City local government areas telling us, “there used to be ants, now there are none”.
 
As part of the treatment program, program officers will be entering properties to disperse fire ant bait over lawns, garden beds, paddocks and open areas.
 
If officers are in your neighbourhood, please allow them to access your property to conduct treatment. They are easily identified by their uniform and identification cards.
 
Fire ant bait is made up of corn grit soaked in soybean oil with an added insect growth regulator—the active ingredients are widely used in mosquito control programs and in dog and cat flea collars. The bait is not harmful to humans, plants or animals.
 
10-year fire ant eradication plan
 
Over the course of the 10-year program, resources are focused on eradication strategies, working from the western boundary of the infestation area to the east.
 
Containment strategies are also in place, with suppression of fire ants undertaken within our operational boundaries to minimise their spread until eradication actions are applied.
 
This season, we’re aiming to complete eradication treatment in the west while controlling ant populations in heavily infested areas, including suburbs of western Ipswich, Logan and northern Gold Coast.
 
Residents with fire ants can also choose the new self-management option, by engaging a pest manager to treat their property.
 
 
Listen to what our farmers out west have to say: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4xYNpQ38tI
Fire Ant Training
 
The next training days are on 8th and 15th and 29th October 2019.
 
It will be held at the National Red Imported Fire Ant Eradication (NRIFAE) Program Office, 145-147 Wayne Goss Drive, Berrinba.
 
There are available spaces on these dates so for all expressions of interest, please visit https://ants.daf.qld.gov.au/table-of-contents/training-landing/ for more information.
Building and Development Certifiers Regulation 2019
 
What is this about?
 
The NSW Government is continuing to progress reforms to the building and construction industry to strengthen certification in NSW.
 
A new Building and Development Certifiers Regulation 2019 (the proposed Regulation) must be introduced in order to bring the Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018 (the Act) into force. This Act will strengthen and simplify the building and certification system in NSW.
 
What has happened so far?
 
On 24 October 2018, a new Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018 (the Act) was passed by NSW Parliament. The Act will establish a framework to permit continuous improvement in carrying out certification work.
 
Key reforms include:
 
• providing for the registration of people to carry out certification work;
• enabling certain body corporates to be approved as accreditation authorities;
• providing for the accreditation of people to carry out other regulated work;
• clarifying the roles of certifiers in NSW and their responsibilities;
• improving the independence of certifiers; and
• tightening registration requirements and the complaint handling and disciplinary measures.
 
What are the changes?
 
The proposed Regulation seeks to:
 
• detail and streamline the different classes of registration for certification work;
• prescribe the qualifications, skills and experience required to be granted and maintain registration;
• improve the independence of certifiers and provide certainty around when a conflict of interest arises;
• clarify roles and responsibilities of certifiers with a Code of Conduct setting out professional standards;
• provide greater protections for consumers by strengthening contract requirements for certification work;
• establish a new accreditation authority framework to formalise the regulation of regulated work, including the work of competent fire safety practitioners;
• strengthen compliance and enforcement through penalty notice offences to more effectively target misconduct; and
• apply the Consumer Price Index to fees consistent with standard Fair Trading practice.
 
Next steps
 
The proposed Regulation and a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) have been prepared. The RIS sets out the rationale and objectives of the proposed Regulation and the various options for achieving the objectives. It also discusses important aspects of the proposed Regulation and seeks feedback from stakeholders and the community.
 
Stakeholders and interested parties are invited to review the proposed Regulation and RIS and provide comments in the form available at: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/consultation-tool/building-and-development-certifiers-regulation-2019.
 
Submissions close 28 October 2019.
Industrial Relations Update
 
Capacity, and the Inherent Requirements of the Job
 
If an employee can no longer do the job they were hired to do, there is no barrier to employment termination provided proper enquiries are made into the facts at or near to the time of the termination. An employer who did that has successfully defended an unfair dismissal claim. 
 
A storeperson was injured in a non-work related accident and had over 12 months off work before the employer dismissed her. The company took account of medical reports which demonstrated the employee’s capacity to work in the area she previously worked was severely curtailed. Both physical and psychological injuries affected her ability to perform her role. Not least of these were her loss of concentration powers, a particularly risky proposition in a warehouse with forklifts flying about. 
 
The Fair Work Commission examined the evidence which showed expert opinion had informed the employer’s decision, with a key opinion indicating the employee would be struggling to perform any duties. Crucially, these opinions were given at the time, or shortly before the termination took place. This underpinned the valid reason for the dismissal. The evidence showed the employer examined opportunities to assist through job modifications and waited over a year before acting, all to no avail. 
 
The FWC decided that “weight should be given to the lengthy period that the (employer) kept the (employee’s) position open, and the procedurally fair process conducted by the (employer)”. 
 
Podium
 
We are pleased to announce Podium is a new affiliate member and offer their services to assist all AEPMA members with online review collection and management. 
 
Podium is an award-winning rich communication platform for local businesses. From getting found online to winning repeat business, Podium powers every step. It’s the simplest way to collect reviews, gather insights, and talk to customers in real-¬time through text messages as well as other messaging channels. Podium was named as one of Forbes’ Next Billion-Dollar Startups and powers over 40,000 businesses.
 
As a benefit of being a member of AEPMA, you now have exclusive access to Podium at a discounted price. 
 
For more information, please visit podium.com.
Heart Foundation – MyMarathon
 
Tracey Eyles, of Scorpion Pest Management Pty Ltd, is taking part in the Heart Foundation’s MyMarathon on Saturday, 19 October.
 
Show your support by clicking here and visiting Tracey’s MyMarathon page.
 
For more information visit: www.heartfoundation.org.au
FAOPMA Pest Summit 2019
Daejeon, South Korea
 
Attendance was in the masses and the program did not disappoint. The FAOPMA Pest Summit was held at the Daejeon Convention Centre last week with great success.
 
Daejeon has been dubbed the Silicon Valley of Korea for innovation and technology, and served as the perfect backdrop for like-minded pest managers and affiliates to share their knowledge and skills.
 
Our very own Vasili Tsoutouras was welcomed as the new President of FAOPMA by the General Chair of FAOPMA Pest Summit 2019 and Korea Organising Committee Chairman of Pestco., Ltd, Mr Won Soo Hong.
 
Next year, FAOPMA will be held in Manila, Philippines on 23-25 September.
More information can be found at: www.faopma-ps2020manila.org
Wild dogs push threatened koala populations towards extinction
A team of leading Australian wildlife researchers has found a way to identify individual dingoes and wild dogs -from their prey - with DNA sampling and genotyping using traces of saliva.
 
This exciting breakthrough could be great news for some of Australia’s most vulnerable coastal koala populations where excessive pressure from these canids is pushing them towards extinction.
 
You can find out more about this innovative research and the latest in best practice wild dog management strategies and tools here.
 
Newsletter contributions/comments

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Upcoming Events

2019
 
• Fire Ant Training - 15 & 29 October 
• PMITAG NSW Meeting - 13 November 
• AEPMA Board Meeting - 14 November 
 
2020
 
• World Pest Day Summit – Hong Kong - 4-5 June 
• AEPMA 2020 Conference – The Star, Gold Coast - 16-18 September 
• FAOPMA Pest Summit 2020 – Manila, Philippines - 24-27 September 
• PestWorld 2020 – Nashville, Tennessee - 13-16 October 
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