If you want to take advantage of the Queensland Government’s Tradies in Paradise initiative and help flood-affected areas recover, make sure you know how to become licensed in Queensland.  
 
If you’re already licensed interstate, you may be eligible to apply for a licence under mutual recognition.  
 
There are some special rules to consider: 

• We may only issue a licence equivalent to the one you have. 
• You need an active interstate licence to qualify for mutual recognition. 
• If you have a condition or restriction on your interstate licence, the same will be imposed on your Queensland licence.  

 
For more information 

Visit our mutual recognition page so you can start working in paradise sooner. 

To find out more about Tradies in Paradise, including how eligible workers can register or apply, visit qld.gov.au/tradiesinparadise 
 

As a result, in November 2017, legislation was introduced requiring licensees to notify the QBCC of safety matters occurring on building sites.

It is an offence if a licensee does not notify the QBCC in the fastest way possible, which is in addition to the requirement to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ). The quickest way is through this online form.

In addition to investigations and enforcement by WHSQ, where building or other work on a building site under the licensee’s control may have caused death or grievous bodily harm or involved a serious risk to the health or safety of a person, the QBCC also has a legislated role concerning safety.

Where there has been a safety incident, the QBCC has discretionary power to suspend or cancel a licence, impose a monetary penalty, impose conditions on a licence, or reprimand licensees.

All licensees, including head contractors and sub-contractors, should have safe systems of work in place and be able to appropriately evidence these systems when required. This means having documented safety plans and showing that they comply.

The QBCC and WHSQ work closely and share information to collaboratively monitor safety issues and risks, including identifying licensees that potentially pose a high safety risk.

We all have a role in ensuring we operate within a safe and successful building industry. Licensees are encouraged to review the suitability of their safety systems, as this ensures that plans are fit for purpose and are being properly complied with on-site and within their scopes of work.

Learn more about the requirement to notify the QBCC of a Safety Matter.

Tour topics 

Session 1—Concreting

We partnered with experts from Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) to provide information on:

• preparation for driveways and paths - best practice
• surface cracking/crazing
• curing of concrete
• control joints.

Session 2—Trust accounts framework presentation and Q&A session

QBCC trust account experts provided an overview of the trust account framework, including:

• how to determine trust account eligibility and setting up a trust account
• the responsibilities of trustees, contractors and the rights of beneficiaries
• the extension of the framework roll-out phase dates
• a half-hour Q&A session with trust accounting and BIFOLA experts.

Training session—Retention trust account training

Who should attend: Current and potential future trustees who need to complete mandatory training.

This training is essential for current and prospective trustees and will cover:

• when trust accounts are required (working out 'eligibility')
• preparing, operating and administering trust accounts (e.g. payments, record keeping, notices)
• compliance obligations and penalties
• tools and resources available.

Digital show bag

Thanks for attending the Tradie Tour. We’ve pulled together additional resources and information to support each session below.

Concreting

Trust accounts framework

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) supports Queenslanders by:

• providing Australian-leading insurance that helps to safeguard building work
• helping make sure builders are licensed, work is done to standard and any defects are rectified
• helping protect the building and construction industry from unscrupulous contractors
• working to help tradies get paid.

For licensees

• Protecting your payments
• Options for resolving payment disputes
• Adjudication
• Monies owed complaint
• Preventing and handling disputes
• Home warranty insurance obligations

For home owners

• Using licensed contractors
• Queensland Home Warranty Scheme
• Building or renovating
• Defective work
• Subsidence
• Contracts

For licensees

For property owners

QBCC Commissioner Richard Cassidy said there was a range of information and resources online for people and businesses affected by floods or seeking flooding assistance.

“Events like this have a huge impact on the community and we're here to help,” he said.

“We encourage anyone affected by the floods to take extra steps to stay safe during the clean-up and know there are a number of helpful guides and tips on how to start the clean-up, and how to do it safely.

“There is a flood cleaning checklist which looks at where to start with general cleaning as well as what to do with cavity walls, concrete floors, plaster board and fixtures and fittings, to name a few.

“A floods health and safety checklist looks at initial post-flood safety and awareness around electricity and gas supply, as well as strip-out and clean procedures for insulation, water damaged furniture, carpets and any other absorbent items.”

Mr Cassidy said it was important people followed these simple steps to stop any further damage to their properties, as well as keep them and their families safe.

“We know this can be an emotional time and having these checklists on hand helps take the guess work out of what needs to be done next,” he said.

Further fact sheets and checklists are available on the QBCC website.

If you don’t have internet access, please phone QBCC on 13 93 33.

Defects in concreting work

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Examples of defective building work relating to concrete paths and driveways include, but are not limited to:

• plastic shrinkage cracking
• cracking at internal corners
• cracking at penetrations
• inconsistent colour
• inconsistent surface finish
• surface levels not graded to disperse ponding water.

Learn best practice

To prevent defective work occurring contractors are able to refer to industry publications produced by:

• Concrete Institute of Australia
• Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia
• Australian Standard AS 3727 – Guide to Residential Pavements by Standards Australia.

These organisations provide best practice in the preparation, design and installation of concrete paths and driveways.

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Requirements at each step

Contractors are responsible for:

• preparation of substrate
• reinforcing mesh
• the placement of the concrete
• curing of the concrete surface to maintain an aesthetically pleasing finish
• cleaning 

Substrate preparation

Subgrade preparation can be a relatively simple process due to the light loads the concrete slabs are exposed to. A uniform foundation is essential and any poor quality, highly compressible, wet or weak foundation soils should be removed. Adequately compacted suitable sub-grade should be provided to prevent settlement.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement should be generally installed within the top half of the concrete slab with a minimum of 30mm cover. Mesh should be held into place with chairs suitable spaced to prevent sagging. Mesh should not be dropped into place or allowed to be driven over by the concrete truck for access.

The industry publications provide specific details in relation to subgrade and reinforcing.

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Joints

Isolation, control and expansion joints should be provided to minimise cracking during the drying period. Industry publications provide details of placement, type and spacings of joints that provide best practice for installation of concrete driveways and paths.

Pouring

It is important for contractors to be aware of the prevailing weather conditions when deciding the timeframes to pour the slab.  Weather conditions such as ambient temperatures exceeding 30° or high wind may impact on the concrete resulting in cracking or flaking of the finished surface.

Cleaning

You should clean areas adjacent to the concrete slabs as soon as possible after the placement to remove any concrete slurry or splatters from other structures.

Curing

Curing the concrete slab correctly will ensure performance of the slab and surface are achieved. This can be achieved by primarily by providing a chemical curing compound or wetting the slab to prevent the slab prematurely drying out during the curing process. The industry publications provide detailed methods in carrying our curing processes.

An installer is a person in the chain of responsibility in relation to non-conforming building product laws. Therefore, you need to ensure the products you are installing are listed on the WaterMark Schedule of Products (refer to the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) website) and that the product is WaterMark certified to meet the regulatory provisions.

According to the ABCB website, if a product listed on the Schedule of Products is to be installed in Australia, including those purchased via online stores the product must be:

• WaterMark certified
• marked with the WaterMark trademark, WaterMark licence number and the applicable product specification
• listed on the WaterMark product database, and
• provided with a Scope of Use statement specifying its intended use.

Any associated product packaging and promotional material must also be marked with the WaterMark trademark and licence number.

QBCC recommends referring to the Manual for the WaterMark Certification Scheme to ensure the product you are installing complies.

ABCB also states, if your client is supplying their own plumbing products for you to install, remember to ask them to look for the WaterMark and to only supply you with WaterMark certified products. Buying WaterMark certified products means they are fit for purpose, authorised for installation and safe for you and your clients.

The use of NCBPs is a nation-wide issue that affects everyone. While Queensland has a rigorous building certification process, safety is always of the utmost importance, and our buildings need to meet high standards. 

The Non-Conforming Building Products Amendment to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act 1991 (the QBCC Act) commenced on 1 November 2017. The laws place greater obligations on everyone in the chain of responsibility to ensure their products are fit for the intended use. 

The laws ensure every person in the chain of responsibility for building products is accountable, with the intent to improve the safety of Queensland buildings.

The QBCC Act defines building products and non-conforming building products as:

• A building product is any material or other thing associated with, or that could be associated with, a building.
• A building product is a non-conforming building product for an intended use if—
  • a. the association of the product with a building for the use—
    • a. is not, or will not be, safe; or
    • b. does not, or will not, comply with the relevant regulatory provisions; or
  • b. the product does not perform, or is not capable of performing, for the use to the standard it is represented to perform by or for a person in the chain of responsibility for the product.

Compliance with the relevant regulatory provisions means—

• a. in relation to relevant work mentioned in the definition relevant work, paragraph (a)—the building assessment provisions under the Building Act 1975; or
• b. in relation to relevant work mentioned in the definition relevant work, paragraph (b) or (c)—the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018.

A person (or company) is in the Chain of Responsibility if the person:

• designs, manufactures, imports, supplies; and
• they know, or are reasonably expected to know, the product will or is likely to be associated with a building; OR
• installs the product by carrying out relevant work; OR
• who is an architect or engineer in designing a building, specifies a product be associated with a building.

A person (or company) is the installer if they:

• personally install
• supervise the installation
• carry out the relevant work
• engage a person to do an activity mentioned above.

For more information about NCBPs and your responsibilities as a person in the chain of responsibility visit Non-conforming building products on QBCC's website.

For more information about WaterMark Certification visit the ABCBs website at abcb.gov.au.
 

We have a range of online resources that may help you if you have been affected.

• Rebuilding after a natural disaster

Home owner

• Tips for rebuilding after a flood
• Home owner’s guide to rebuilding after a flood
• Find a local contractor

Contractor

• Contractor’s guide to rebuilding after a flood

If you need to get in touch with us, you can:

• call us on 139 333
• submit a general enquiry