David Kenning

Thanks all for the clarification.

Hi, Must I register to vote on a PR visa? I'm certain that I have read that you cannot vote on a PR visa, however I was working with someone last week who was adamant that I must enroll to vote otherwise I maybe liable for heavy fines. I found this while searching for the answer today: [h=2]Do I have to enrol? Top [/h] It is compulsory to enrol and vote for your principal place of residence if you are an Australian citizen, or a qualified British subject*; and are aged 18 years or over; and have lived at your current address in Victoria for at least one month. Each time you change your address, you must update your enrolment details. If you've left an old address your name will be removed from the roll unless you complete a new application for electoral enrolment. If you don't update your enrolment you risk being fined and may not be able to vote. Additionally, you should advise the VEC if any other enrolment details change such as your name or postal address. You can also provisionally enrol if you are 17 years old. * A qualified British subject for the Electoral Roll in Victoria is one who was on an Australian electoral roll between 26 October 1983 and 26 January 1984. https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/enrol/default.html#1 Please could someone clarify this? According to the VEC site I don't have to.

Hi derren, Thanks for the clarification. Now I need to work on a strategy to get the building occupants to do the six-monthly trip test with the sparky coming in every two years. I'm heading for a world of pain:arghh: I take it there is no requirement by law to thermo scan boards?

Hi Colin, It is a commercial office. I have a discrepency in PPM schedules with some saying six monthly and others saying annually. Just want to see if there is any guidance for required testing. Otherwise I'll request we do annually.

Hi, Can an electrican help me with an enquiry concerning RCDs in commercial buildings? I’m specifically looking for legislation or Australian Standards which states the frequency of testing requirements at the distribution board. I have been told that AS 3745 covers this but believe that this is for portable equipment. Australian and New Zealand wiring rules (AS3000) do not specify the frequency of testing. Thanks,

Strongly recommend Macpac. I still have mine from 2001 and use it occassionally. It was worth the intial outlay of two hundred pounds back then. The amount of people I met who had bought cheap ones, then wondered why they had to replace them two months into their trip was astounding. It is also worth getting one with a zip-off day pack as already suggested. Enjoy.

Strongly agree, I was overpaying class three, asked them to look at my case, they put me down to class 2 and saved about £700 a year.

Hi eveyone, We are planning a week's holiday with our three year old and six month old sons taking a camper van around VIC/ACT and southern NSW. I'm looking for a, some interseting stops and b, tips for travelling in a motorhome with young 'uns. Haven't got anything booked as yet but are thinking early March. where would you go? Cheers, David.

Not sure what I'd retrain for, but would like to get a degree before I'm 50. Only nine years away. I recently had a career change and would like to follow my safety career.

Hi Sazgeering, I came to Australia as an audio engineer and am now a Health & Safety Manager. My journey briefly - worked in corporate audiovisual services and was asked to be a health and safety representative i.e. a worker who attends OHS meetings, does risk assessments and endeavors to improve working environment. I became more and more interested in OHS and finally did a Cert IV online while working. With a Cert IV it took me about 7 (frustrating) months to find my first job. I made the mistake of doing a Cert IV, when really a Diploma is a safer option, despite many jobs only requiring a Cert IV. My company took me with a Cert IV but insisted I get my Diploma as soon a practicable. Have a look at HBA Learning Centers for courses. I strongly suggest that you do lots research first and (based on your current role) advice that a Dip OHS would be a faster way to ensure you get work. Have a look at these websites - Safety Institute of Australia National Safety Council of Australia Safe Work Australia You may be aware that the system here is based on English law from the mid 70's (Robens) and a lot of similarities exist, however, recent harmonisation laws (Work Health & Safety Act 2011) can result in confusion in some states. You cannot do too much research in this area. I'm fortunate as I work as a consultant for a telecommunications company (the one with a big T logo) and fall under the Comcare self-insurer scheme, so things are simplified for me in a legislative sense. Think about what you can offer to a prospective employer in terms of previous experience. I had first aid certificate, basic electrical knowledge and experience with teaching. These are valuable skills which help me perform my role. A career in H&S is very rewarding, challenging and for me offers a work-life balance unheard of in performing arts. I also get the opportunity to work form home once a week, which is great with two kids.... Having said that, there are also a lot of politics involved, shop floor workers, management, budgets and a general misconception of what we do. Endeavoring to break down these misconceptions and encouraging everyone to embrace H&S is a prerequisite for any aspiring H&S manager! Some of the large universities have OHS staff, have a look at Monash for example. Many, many jobs exist in mining and the money looks great however without mining experience you are not going to land a 150K job in the mines, can't say that I'd really like to do that anyway. "Health & Safety" is such a general term, to be successful you must decide where your skills lie and adapt them to a suitable role. Hope this helps, David.

Yes, both my (girlfriend at the time and now) wife and I were on normal tourist visas. It was a gamble for us - giving up secure well-paid jobs and coming with nothing, but I had an excellent work history (entertainment industry) to back me up and was prepared from day one. It's not easy but it can be done. Even if we don't stay forever I will never regret the gamble we took. We have had an up and down ride but so far I've gained a wife, two kids and a new careeer in six years. I'm certain that I would not have had the personal development and challenges that I've had here had we stayed in Tawian or moved back to England. Good luck. David.

Hi, it took me about four months from arriving to finding a sponsor for a 457, worked out well in the end because after a few years we went on to PR with the same company. I treated finding a job like a job itself and spent hours and hours in the library and on the 'net researching, on the phone, and in meetings. My job came from a cold call based on a 'contact us' page on their website; so as usual with job hunting don't just look on Seek and apply for jobs - send an EOI to companies you'd like to work for. The company that sponsored me offered additional training and I eventualy left to follow a different career path altogether based on this training and experience gained on the job. I think the main point is that if you are determnied enough you will find a sponsor, you may have to lower your expectations and treat it like a first job but sponsors are out there. Good luck.

We are heading to the YouYangs for a picnic. Hope the wind keeps down.

If you don't go, you'll never know. :cool:

There aren't any seasons in Melbourne It is either: cold or cold n' windy or hot or hot n' windy dry or wet. For the record - I never used to complain about the weather until we moved here......:err:

Hi all, We are expecting our second baby in early August. My wife's mum is coming over, however if the baby decides to come early I'll be trying to juggle a two year old at the hospital while she's giving birth. I'm not sure they'll even allow this. Is there anything such as emergency childcare where we can leave our two year old if the baby comes before mum arrives? We don't have any family here until she arrives. Ideas appreciated. Thanks, David.

Thanks for the replies, I'll try the careers section.

Hi, Just a quick question for anyone in the industry. I changed career here in Australia and am wondering if my diploma will be recognised in the UK if I were to ever want to make the move back? I have read a bit about NEBOSH diplomas being the basic requirement for some jobs, but do you think my Aussie qualification would suffice? Also, I've been thinking of up-skilling to a degree but have yet to find a distance learning course in Australia. One I did find was from Greenwich University (UK) perhaps this would be a better option. What would you do in my position? Cheers, David.

Not really Tony as the formulas won't work. I think there are some things like Openoffice -not too sure of the names though. These programs are licensed cut down versions which allow you to open and modify Microsoft documents etc. Have a search, you may even be able to do it on your phone.

Hi all, Please find attached spreadsheet which should make bill planning a bit easier. I'm no Excel expert by the way, I just spent a bit of time playing with it. Feel free to use/edit/delete or send to a friend....especially if they need help with bill planning. Enjoy, David's bill planner.xls David's bill planner.xls

I disagree, the law is very firm and clear about this issue.

Don't stand for bulling, your employer and colleagues have an obligation under health and safety laws. Write any instances down with the date, time, who it was and what happened, and do not take it personally, make a log and then speak to your employer. It is their responsibility to deal with any personnel issues in their employment. Don't just put up and shut up as bullying here is a serious issue. Your employer may not be aware of the problem or they may be aware of it but too lazy to deal with it. More info here: http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/wsinternet/WorkSafe/Home/Safety+and+Prevention/Health+And+Safety+Topics/Bullying/Advice+for+individuals/ Good luck. David.

We had our first child just over two years ago and went down to one wage. Bit of a shock after twenty years of two incomes coming into the house. We made some radical changes to the way we shopped and lived and it is serving us well. Thankfully we're not big drinkers and don't smoke. I also made a nifty spreadsheet of the whole year with all my bills on it i.e. mortgage, car tax, rates, food, travel etc. Across the top I did the month then item down the side and dates in the column,with an autosum at the bottom of the column. Now I can see at a glance what bills are due when and save accordingly. I can easily see that November and Jan are the very expensive months where I'll need to save a little cash. Thankfully, I can work casually to cover those tighter months, and have a$0 credit card balance. It works well for us. I have $800 of bills on my desk to pay and I was expecting them so I didn't need to panic when I opened them because I've planned for them. Taking a little time to develop this spreadsheet and update it really has taken the headache out of balancing our books. Hope this can help you out a little.

Thanks, thought it was best to give it a clean.

Had our first BBQ at a park today and just wondered about how clean you are expected to leave the BBQ after using it? At home I clean the debris off and give it a good soapy wash the next time I use it. What is the expectation when using a public one? Cheers.