Stevec88 Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Hi guys , My partner and I have recently emigrated to the Gold Coast area, she starts work next Monday and I am trying to determine what I would need to obtain to continue working as a bricklayer like I did in the uk. I'm getting a lot of conflicting information from the net. as I understand it I think I need to obtain a white card (some people say I need blue?). I used to work on site on a self employed basis, so I'm guessing that would be the best way to go here as not many people would be offering employment? if so can anyone tell me exactly what I need to be able to apply for these jobs? From what I've seen on advertised jobs they seem to just ask for white card and abn? Also so would I need to have my skills assessed or anything to work? We came over on my partners sponsored visa so I never needed to get my skills assessed, I'm not sure if I need to do this to enable me to work? any help is much appreciated! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausborn Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Get your abn number and your white card/ blue card , you will need it for health and safety induction on site. That's all you will need to jump in with a brickie gang on the goldie. White card is the new blue card. If your working for someone on a hourly rate you should expect them to be paying your super and work cover now. Because the boss will be paying these on top of your hourly rate you should be looking for around $30-$35 a hour working for someone on Gold Coast at moment. I've still got the old blue card. Take a drive around, coomera, and the back area of dreamworld wherever you see building going on and just stop and talk to brickies and just ask if they are looking for a trowel to get started. If all else fails theirs usually brickie jobs in Wednesday and Saturdays paper in employment section, and ring them early for them advertised jobs down there. If you want to go out on your own and work as a contractor, you will need to do a business course , about $300 . Then apply for a contractors license and get your own public liability insurance. Hope helps ya. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Hi Stevec, it used to be a blue card and this is still valid, but as you will be new it will be a white card, you can do this on-line for Queensland (google blue dog) but this may not be acceptable in other states, so you will need to check this out if you work over the border in NSW. It may be best to do the one day course, again just google up white card and you should find plenty of courses near you. Applying for and getting an ABN is easy, but you will also need to ensure you have all the insurances. Cannot see any problem in finding work if you put yourself out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevec88 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 What a reply this is a great forum! Thanks so much that is all the information I needed really helpful! Right I've got a lot to do best got on it! Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevec88 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Just to check, do I need to get insurances as ausborn says I don't and Keithandlinda says i do? Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Just to check, do I need to get insurances as ausborn says I don't and Keithandlinda says i do? Thanks again If you are going the ABN way as self employed you will need insurances, on the books white card and trowel. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevec88 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Thanks for your reply, so by 'going the abn way' does that just mean being self employed as opposed to being employed full time? Is this similar to cis in the uk having a utr number? And what insurances do you need to get? I assumed you would be covered under the contractors insurances who you work for? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausborn Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Thanks for your reply, so by 'going the abn way' does that just mean being self employed as opposed to being employed full time? Is this similar to cis in the uk having a utr number? And what insurances do you need to get? I assumed you would be covered under the contractors insurances who you work for? Thanks This depends on what you want to do. If you want to work on your abn and just work with a bricklaying gang , the contractor employing you should be paying your work over and super payments now. Therefore you won't need to take out your own insurance as your boss would pay your work cover which you need incase of site injury. All you basically need to get a start with a brickie crew is white card and a abn number. I pay this to anyone that has worked for me, likewise with everyone else I know. As far as I'm aware the tax department wants to eventually change this and wants employees that just work for a subbie to be on a tax file number and slowly get rid of employees using a Abn number when they just work for someone. If you decide to get your contractors license and work for yourself finding your own work, you will need public liability insurance. To cover for 5 million , I think it's roughly $30 a month which is a basic cover residential builders will except. You will also need the contractors license for this as well as your abn number and pay your own work cover and any other insurance you decide you want to be covered by. ive got rid of my employees now and made it simple for myself. Less stress. I'm in a partnership bricklaying now just doing residential homes. Plenty of work about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 I work in construction and we require $20million insurance cover from our subbies. You will really need to find out from the start as to exactly what an employer is paying in regards to work-cover and super when working on your own ABN, and also what insurances, if any that the employer requires from you, or at least ask if his insurance covers you. I would not make any assumptions. Like the UK did a few years back the Tax Man here is trying to define employed and self employed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausborn Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 It's a case of deciding what you want to do really. Commercial jobs or residential work. Houses I do mainly are lowest brick on a single small block.Not much really matters unlike going on a big site with a lot going on. Health and safety isn't a big issue on my sites like it is a bigger sites. I very rarely go on a site with multiple buildings being done now.When I was doing residential work on big sites, and had 4 or 5 blokes working for me ,a lot more is involved. You have health and safety officers/ supervisors and all trades ect all on site. My jobs are nothing like that, I got sick of all that. I know plenty of subbies working with 5 million cover on public liability doing lowest homes for project builders. Not conflicting anything written above mine is more than that but my situation varies where I work. If I was you I would just find some residential brickies to jump in with. Pick it up as you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Yep go with residential, though the same rules of law and regulations apply, you are not policed as much and do not have to conform to the bigger contractors rules as much. Just trying to inform and make you aware of as much as possible, so you can make more informed calls. Good luck again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevec88 Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 I have been on the gov website to apply for my abn but under the business activity description section the closest option to my profession is apprentice, trade assistant, labourer. So I picked this option and the next page says I'm not entitled to an abn, but there was no option for a trade professional or anything? Not sure where I went wrong though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholls4 Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Hi sorry to jump on this post but have posted and got no replies. Does anyone know if my husbands gold card is recognised in Australia we are hoping to get sponsorship and move to gold cost from the uk. He is an experienced civil site supervisor lots of jobs advertised and applied for but not getting any replies! Has anyone had any similar Experiance? Also construction site supervisor is on the skills list but not sure if this would include civil site supervisor? Doesn't seem to be anyone to ask all these questions to! Any help greatly appreciated :-) x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keirkevin Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Hi looking to move to darwin in a few weeks , is there any white card tickets for plant op /machine work ? If so some info would be excellent thank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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