A virtual AEPMA NSW ACT Branch meeting was held on Zoom on Tuesday 24 November 2020.
After a technical problem the week before all went well and thank you Kylee Enwright for organising the meeting. We had a turnout of 7 delegates.
Discussions took place on Codes of Best Practice. A lot of work is being done on the Review of some of these Codes.
We also talked about the recent production of a white paper by Gary Stephenson (NSW ACT National Board Delegate) entitled: Urban Pest Management in NSW, 2020 Roadmap – Pesticides Licensing Reform Model Draft.
It contains eight major recommendations dealing with provisional licensing, business and technician registration, tiered licensing and CPD along with supporting arguments for the recommendations. This Draft Reform Model has been fully supported by the AEPMA NSW ACT State Council, discussed at National Board level and has been sent to NSW EPA for their comments.
This document would also fit with their draft NSW Roadmap in managing pesticides for the next six years (while this NSW EPA document is strictly confidential and we can’t say much at this stage, we know that NSW EPA looks serious about ensuring that users are trained to use pesticides safely and correctly) and we (at NSW AEPMA) agree with this.
NSW EPA and AEPMA are currently waiting for the draft report of the National Agvet Review Panel due very soon and the possibility of Automatic Mutual Recognition for all licenced occupations.
AEPMA will keep you posted when more information is available.
The AEPMA NSW ACT State Council would like to welcome new members
Mr David Trin of ADC
Pest Management and KR Pest Services
Please feel free to get in touch with AEPMA NSW ACT Council delegates if needed
Urban Pest Management Industry Training Advisory Group (PMITAG NSW)
The last meeting was held on 11 November 2020 (see below)
The next meeting will be held on Saturday 27 February 2020 at 9.45am at Hawks Nest Golf Club Boardroom, Sanderling Ave, Hawks Nest NSW. Your State Council have had meetings in Tea Gardens/ Hawks Nest once a year for as long as I can remember.
While all are welcome, our hosts Shayne and Lynn Reynolds would like to make it also a reunion for all the State Council delegates past or present to attend.
It will also be the last, so put it on your Diary now 26-28 February 2020.
Shayne Reynolds has put together an agenda for the weekend away which looks fabulous (see attached). My wife Annmaree and I have fond memories of Tea Gardens/ Hawks Nest, friendship and networking with other Pest Managers and Manufacturer Reps, river cruises, dolphins, whales, some of the most beautiful waterways and sceneries in NSW and great food.
If anyone would like to attend the meeting, the weekend activities or part of it, just send me or the National office an email
Patrick Legey for the AEPMA NSW ACT State Council
I will also take the opportunity on the behalf of the AEPMA NSW ACT State Council Delegates to which you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy and safe New Year 2021.
I sincerely hope Santa will bring for many people a better year than 2020!
Best wishes
Patrick Legey
Urban Pest Management Industry Training Advisory Group (PMITAG NSW)
- Due to Covid-19 No meeting held since 11 March 2020
- The last meeting was held on 11 November 2020 (see below)
- Dr Chris Orton, Secretary, PMITAG NSW
- PMITAG NSW maintains a Circulation List for its emailed documents and welcomes additions to the list.
If you wish to be added to the list, please email Chris Orton, PMITAG NSW Secretary at c.orton@unsw.edu.au
Summary of PMITAG NSW activities in 2020
Explanation regarding June and September meetings
The two PMITAG NSW 2020 meetings which had been scheduled for 10 June and 9 September 2020 were postponed to 11 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was felt that too great a COVID risk existed to both the attending members and the industry suppliers who kindly offer their venues for our meetings and we do not have resources to fund COVID deep-cleaning.
The last general Meeting of PMITAG NSW was held on 11 November 2020 as a ‘Teams’ meeting, kindly organised by Orla Erasmus of AEPMA Head Office (H.O), at which time the following matters were discussed:
Correspondence and circulated items – 10/3/20 to 4/11/20 C. Orton reported a significant increase in PMITAG NSW email traffic during the COVID pandemic. He distributed, tabled, read and explained a list of ‘PMITAG Secretary’s correspondence and communication’. There were 107 incoming and 41 outgoing items (including 16 circulated to all) in this period.
Training Package review process – Formulating a new way forward, it was decided that a decision needs to be made on a way forward regarding future Package Reviews to avoid the debacle that has occurred in the past three reviews. There was lengthy discussion on the limited prospects of success of framing our own new improved Units of Competency where course units already exist, given the inertia represented by ASQA and Artibus, both of which have their own agendas and no real interest in raising the quality of PM training. A possibly more fruitful approach might be to provide input on revision of Units as at present but initiate a higher level of PM quality by further developing rigorous training to accompany all our CoBPs. Successful completion of these courses could be the basis for an industry training pathway with industry-controlled specialist accreditations by what would be effectively CPD.
Overarching Guidelines for AEPMA CoBPs: AEPMA H.O. has recently undertaken the task of expanding its existing guidelines on CoBP Working Parties to become comprehensive ‘Overarching Guidelines for AEPMA Codes of Best Practice’. The aim of the guidelines is to define how CoBPs will be established and administered by Working Parties and to specify how Board Administrative, Training, Disciplinary, and Disputes Resolution Committees will operate and accreditation will be regulated. In part, the expanded document is needed to facilitate consistency in the Codes and their acceptance by ACCC. C. Orton reported that he had been asked to contribute to the Guidelines and had recently forwarded his contribution to AEPMA.
Improving Pest Management Licensing in NSW Following on previous activities by PMITAG NSW aimed at improving PM licensing in NSW, AEPMA NSW Council chairman P. Legey and AEPMA National Board Member G. Stephenson, have been in regular consultation with EPA NSW with the aim of raising the bar on requirements and administration of licensing. The most recent development has been the production of a white paper by G. Stephenson entitled: Urban Pest Management in NSW, 2020 Roadmap – Pesticides Licensing Reform Model Draft. It contains eight major recommendations dealing with provisional licensing, business and technician registration, tiered licensing and CPD along with supporting arguments for the recommendations.
The document was recently submitted to NSW EPA. PMITAG NSW members congratulated Patrick and Gary for their ongoing efforts and agreed that it is an excellent document, deserving of PMITAG NSW strong support and promotion.
Archiving of PMISC and PMITAG NSW documents: Chris Orton reported progress on establishing permanent archives of important PMISC and PMITAG NSW documents, some of which may need to be referenced in the future. NSW Council may also need to do this for its own important documents.
Next PMITAG meeting: The next PMITAG meeting will be held on Wednesday 10 March 2021. It is still uncertain at present, if the meeting will be held face-face or using ‘Teams’