AEPMA’s Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday 29th June, 2016 at the national office.  Mr Vasili Tsoutouras was re-elected unopposed as President of AEPMA for the next two years.  Other elected delegates confirmed at the AGM were:-

Victor Morgan - National Vice President / National Director – WA 
Gary Stephenson - National Director - NSW
Tommy Stewart - National Director - VIC
John Graham - National Director - QLD 
Eris Hess - National Director – Associates/Treasurer
Trevor Scott - National Director – SA}  Shared
Neil Raw - National Director – SA}
David Gay - Immediate Past President
Stephen Ware - Executive Director

(Read more)

With planning well in hand for the forthcoming FAOPMA Conference, attention has now turned to the Gala Dinner being held on the Thursday evening of the conference.  Always a popular event, AEPMA has gone the extra mile for a truly memorable evening, holding a “tropical” themed dinner at McLaren’s Landing on South Stradbroke Island!  

Luxury catamarans will transport guests over the stunning, calm Broadwater to the island, while delegates enjoy drinks and watch the sunset.  Under flaming torchlight, the night will see the much anticipated announcement of the Australian “Pest Manager of the Year” – once again kindly hosted by BASF.

“We’re overwhelmed with the number of high calibre nominations we received this year,” said Stewart Paterson, National Commercial Manager for BASF’s Agriculture division.

“This year’s nominations have really highlighted the high level of professionalism and excellence we have in Australia’s urban and commercial pest management industry. It’s certainly going to be a challenge for the judging panel to select the winners,” he said.

“We’ve heard from past winners that their entry into the Pest Manager of the Year Awards has helped their businesses. Not only has it put their systems to test through the judging process, but they’ve also been able to successfully promote their business even further after being recognised.”

“Good luck to all of this year’s nominees.  We look forward to seeing you all there and announcing the winners at the FAOMPA Gala Dinner,” he said.

Attractive early bird rates available now - don’t delay!  Secure your place early - BOOK NOW & SAVE!!!

Globe Pest Solutions is proud be one of the major sponsors of the FAOPMA Conference 2016.  This year, Globe Pest Solutions will be focusing on AEPMA’s theme for the 2016 FAOPMA Conference which is ‘Solving Pest Manager’s Problems’.  As one of Australia’s leading suppliers of professional Pest Management products, Globe Pest Solutions have been at the forefront of industry developments and product advancements for decades.

“We pride ourselves not only on our high level of service as a distributor of products, but also for the relationships we hold with our customers and our ability to partner with the Pest Manager to deliver real solutions for the community.”

Drop in to see the Globe Team at booths 45 and 46 to check out the latest industry developments and technologies. 

Rats and mice feel the cold too — prompting a rush of rodents to squeeze their way into Tasmanian homes.

Pest management professionals say the state’s long, warm summer provided bumper breeding conditions for rats and mice, but now the swollen numbers are desperate for food and shelter.

Pest controllers are already fielding extra calls about the problem and have warned that the onset of sustained wet weather will hasten the rodents’ determined march indoors.    (Read more)

The Fair Work Commission has handed down its annual review of minimum wages, including those in modern awards.  The Federal Minimum Wage and the rates of pay in all the modern awards will increase by 2.4% from the first full period which commences on or after 1st July 2016.

The new minimum wage will be $672.70, or $17.70 per hour based on a 38 hour week. This rate is for permanent employees.  All weekly rates of pay in modern awards will be rounded to the nearest 10 cents. 

Employers who pay under modern awards will need to ensure that wages are adjusted to conform with this decision.

Employers who have enterprise agreements need to check to ensure that the rates of pay under their agreement are equal to, or better than, the new increased rates.  Also, where an enterprise agreement provides for an escalation of agreement rates (and where appropriate, allowances) tied to the Annual Wage Review, that appropriate adjustments are made.

This link provides more details:-

Annual Wage Review Statement [2016] FWCFB 3506 (31 May 2016) 

For any queries regarding the annual wage review, please contact Nicola Stott, Workplace Relations Advisor on  +61 2 9231 2088  email: nicola@firstir.com.au

The FAOPMA Conference is fast approaching, now's the time to register and secure your place for this exciting event. 

The theme for the FAOPMA Conference is "Solving Pest Managers' Problems". This oustanding program aims at bringing together pest managers, industry experts and over 40 exhibitors showcasing the latest in products and technologies to help solve real-life pest problems.

Special accommodation rates are available through the AEPMA conference website and can be booked directly using the special group booking code “FAOPMA2016” - But don't delay, rooms are filling fast!

For further information visit the conference website.  Or should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the AEPMA National Office on 1300 307 114.

Click here to download conference registration form

Click here to register online

Click here to book accommodation

If you're an arachnophobe... read on.

These little guys are tiny, harmless and vivid in colour -- and they have some killer 'jumping' dance moves to boot.

Sydney biologist Jurgen Otto has discovered seven new species of peacock spiders that are enchanting even the most extreme arachnophobes.
"They're an incredible species. People are fascinated by them -- including those who hate spiders!" he told The Huffington Post Australia.   (Read more)

WorkCover Queensland’s accident insurance policies are due for renewal from 1 July and many employers will be looking for information to help them declare their wages with confidence.

It is compulsory for businesses who employ workers in Queensland to take out an accident insurance policy so that in the event of a work-related injury, their workers and their business are covered.  Employers must declare their wages to WorkCover annually to ensure they have the right level of cover when renewing their policy.

If employers are found to be underinsured (because wages have not been declared accurately) or uninsured (employing without a policy) they are potentially exposing themselves to significant financial penalties.  (Read more)

New Inspector-General of Biosecurity

Oversight of Australia’s biosecurity system is set to remain strong, with Dr Helen Scott-Orr PSM appointed as the inaugural Inspector-General of Biosecurity (IGB) under the new Biosecurity Act 2015. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, said Dr Scott-Orr brought significant experience to the position.

“Dr Scott-Orr is vastly experienced, particularly in animal and veterinary sciences, where her 40-year career has improved animal health across three continents,” Minister Joyce said.

“The role of the IGB is an important one—it provides an independent perspective and it is one of the critical mechanisms to assess and improve how we manage Australia’s biosecurity.   (Read more)

With traffic continually increasing to the AEPMA website, it is now more important than ever for members to update their profiles.  www.aepma.com.au – is where consumers look when trying to locate a pest manager.

AEPMA Professional Members have postcodes attached to their profile to cover their service areas.  Did you know that you are able to modify, delete or add to the default postcodes attached to your profile?

To access your information on the website and view the postcodes attached to your profile, you need to login via the industry portal page using your existing username and password, and then click on “Manage your account”.  It is here that you are able to view the number of postcodes you are entitled to on your account – as well as the postcodes you currently have attached to your account.

 

Should you have any queries on how to maximise your postcodes to reflect your service area, simply contact Kirsten Winlaw (kirsten.winlaw@aepma.com.au).

It's your last chance to enter the AEPMA Photography Competition - with entries closing on 30 June 2016.  There are 3 16GB Apple iPads up for grabs.

The AEPMA Photography Prize is for the best photograph of Australian Pests.  Can't decide on a photo?  You can enter as many as you like!

Entries must relate to pest management and can include (but are not limited to):

Urban Pest Species, Pest Management Situations, People involved in pest management, damage caused by pests, etc.

Winners will be published on the AEPMA website, with an Exhibition to be held in September 2016.  For more information and to download the competition entry forms, terms & conditions, visit the AEPMA website.

Agserv will be running a series of presentations through June and July.  Click here to download the Pestech flyer.

Have something to you want to add to the Newsletter?

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

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