ACFA Welcomes Government’s Housing Construction Apprenticeship Incentive

Calls for Clarity on Eligible Trades

The Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association (ACFA) welcomes the Federal Government’s $626.9 million Housing Construction Apprenticeship Incentive Program, set to launch on 1 July 2025, providing $10,000 in staged incentive payments to eligible apprentices in the residential construction sector.

This initiative is a critical step in addressing Australia’s housing crisis, with a national target of 1.2 million new homes over five years, requiring an additional 90,000 skilled workers in the industry. ACFA strongly supports this investment in workforce development and the Government’s commitment to growing skilled trades.

ACFA has contacted Andrew Giles, Minister for Industry, Skills, and Training, along with Sussan Ley, Shadow Minister for Industry, Skills, and Training, requesting confirmation on whether the MSF30322 Certificate III in Cabinet Making and Timber Technology will be included as an eligible apprenticeship under the program.

Cabinet Making: Essential to Construction and Recognised as a Priority Trade

Cabinetmaking is a fundamental trade within residential and commercial construction, responsible for essential interior elements such as kitchen joinery, bathroom vanities, wardrobes, and bespoke storage solutions. Without cabinetmakers, homes and commercial buildings cannot be completed to a functional and liveable standard.

Furthermore, cabinetmaking is already listed on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, acknowledging its critical role in the construction industry and national skills demand. Apprentices training in priority occupations are eligible for additional financial support, reinforcing the need for cabinetmaking to be included in the Housing Construction Apprenticeship Incentive Program.

Clearer Guidelines Needed to Support Workforce Growth

ACFA urges the Government to expedite the announcement of eligible apprenticeships under this program to provide certainty for apprentices, employers, and training providers. Delayed clarification could result in missed opportunities to attract new entrants to the industry, making it harder to meet the Government’s housing targets.

Cabinetmakers are the finishing trade that brings homes to completion, and it makes absolute sense that the MSF30322 Certificate III in Cabinet Making and Timber Technology is included in the incentive program. Without cabinetmakers, homes remain incomplete. The sooner we receive confirmation, the better we can support apprenticeship growth in this essential trade.

ACFA Stands Ready to Support the Implementation

As the leading industry body representing cabinetmakers, joiners, and the broader furniture industry, ACFA is committed to working with the Government and industry stakeholders to ensure apprentices in this vital trade receive the support they need.

ACFA commends the Government for investing in the skilled workforce needed to build Australia’s future, and we look forward to cabinetmaking apprentices being recognised under this initiative.

ACFA calls on the Government to provide clarity sooner than later on the eligibility criteria for apprenticeships under this incentive, ensuring cabinetmaking is rightfully included and apprentices are encouraged to enter and remain in the industry.

Dean Brakell

CEO
Australian Cabinet and Furniture Association (ACFA)

RTO: 90432

Media Inquiries:

For Media Inquiries, please get in touch with our Training Department via 1300 342 248 or info@acfa.net.au

The ACFA Team have put together a list of the different public holidays seen around the country. Click on a State or Territory for the list to drop down:

WorkSafe Victoria v A Worldwide Pty Ltd (2024),

Arrow Worldwide Pty Ltd (offender) was recently fined over $413,000 after a serious forklift incident left a truck driver with life-altering injuries, including the amputation of both legs.

Initially fined $140,000, the penalty was significantly increased on appeal due to the severity of the breach. The court noted that, but for the plea of guilty, the offender would have been sentenced to pay a fine of $800,000 with conviction.

Although Arrow Worldwide had been in operation for 30 years with no prior convictions and had a positive reputation as a good corporate citizen—regularly donating to charitable organisations and sponsoring various clubs and events—these factors played a subsidiary role in determining the penalty. The court emphasised the importance of setting a penalty that would act as a warning not only to the offender but also to others who might hear of the matter.

WorkSafe attended the workplace following the incident and observed that the offender had failed to demarcate a driver safety zone which ensured that truck drivers were segregated from forklifts during the task of loading vehicles.

By its plea, the offender acknowledged that it failed to provide a safe system of work for the task of loading and unloading vehicles at the workplace which:

• Required there to be no movement of machinery and persons at the same time within the area in which the forklift was used to load/unload;
• Required transport drivers to be located in an area that was free from interaction between equipment, machinery and persons (the driver safety zone) before the task was commenced; and
• Required transport drivers who attended the workplace to be instructed in relation to the loading and unloading exclusion zones, and in particular, the need to remain within the driver safety zone while the activity took place

The incident highlights critical safety failings that could have prevented the accident. Forklifts are essential tools in our industry, but they come with serious risks. Ensuring that clear safety protocols are in place, such as segregating drivers from forklifts, is not just best practice—it’s a matter of life and death.

Let’s take this as a stark reminder of the importance of forklift safety. Review your workplace procedures, make necessary adjustments, and always prioritise safety to avoid devastating consequences.

Engineered Stone Ban

Since the engineered stone ban took effect on 1 July in Victora, many stone suppliers and manufacturers have been subject to unexpected WorkSafe inspections. As a result, hundreds of illegal benchtops have been detected.

Scores of stone suppliers and manufacturers have faced surprise WorkSafe inspections and hundreds of illegal benchtops have been detected since Victoria’s engineered stone ban took effect.

Victorias WorkSafe’s Silica Field Team conducted visits to 52 industry sites over the past month, issuing 25 compliance notices. During these inspections, more than 65 samples of suspected engineered stone, as well as products labelled as porcelain and sintered stone, were seized for testing to determine their silica and resin content.

In addition, nearly 1,000 banned engineered stone benchtops have been placed under non-disturbance notices to prevent their distribution to Victorian businesses and consumers.

WorkSafe Victoria also issued improvement notices to duty holders who lacked the required hazard control statements or did not provide adequate information regarding the silica content of alternative products, such as porcelain or sintered stone.

WorkSafe Victoria has made it clear that they will take firm compliance and enforcement action against any duty holders who violate the engineered stone ban. This could include prosecution and substantial fines.

JULY ENFORCEMENT ACTION

Furniture suppliers will be required to provide safety warnings to consumers about the dangers of toppling furniture, after the Assistant Treasurer, the Hon. Stephen Jones, made a new information standard for toppling furniture, the Consumer Goods (Toppling Furniture) Information Standard 2024.

This new standard applies to certain types of furniture and will require suppliers to attach a permanent warning label to furniture; include safety information and advice about anchoring furniture in manuals and assembly instructions; and provide warnings about the hazards of toppling furniture in furniture stores and online.

Suppliers must comply with these requirements from 4 May 2025.

Products the mandatory standard applies to

Freestanding household furniture can be dangerous if it falls or topples over.

Warnings and safety information must be provided when supplying these 3 categories of furniture.

Category 1

A clothing storage unit or bookcase with a height of 686 mm or more. A clothing storage unit is an item of furniture intended to primarily store clothes. It has one or more doors or drawers.

Category 2

Entertainment units of any height typically used for housing televisions, home theatre systems or gaming consoles.

Category 3

Hall tables, display cabinets, buffets, and sideboards with a height 686 mm or greater.

Products the mandatory standard does not apply to

The mandatory standard excludes:

• furniture that was bought by a consumer and is being resold
• second-hand furniture, including furniture that was previously bought and used commercially
• furniture designed to be fastened to a wall or other structure and that can’t be used unless it’s attached.

Commonwealth, State and Territory Work Health and Safety (WHS) Ministers met on Friday 22nd March 2024 to agree on a number of key implementation matters associated with a prohibition on the use of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs and to endorse a stronger regulatory framework to manage the risk of exposure to respirable crystalline silica from other materials and products.

Ministers agreed draft amendments to the model WHS laws to give effect to the prohibition on the use of engineered stone from 1 July 2024. These amendments:

• make clear that the prohibition applies to engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs,
• specify that all sintered stone and porcelain products (including benchtops, panels and slabs) are excluded from the prohibition, and for the avoidance of doubt, clarify that porcelain products and sintered stone for this purpose are products that do not contain resin, and
• clarify that finished engineered stone products (such as jewellery, garden ornaments, sculptures, kitchen sinks) which do not require processing or modification, and pose minimal risk to the health and safety of workers, are not prohibited

Ministers agreed jurisdictions may adopt a transition period for contracts entered into prior to the announcement of the prohibition. This means that work that involves the supply, installation or processing of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024 would be exempt from the prohibition provided the work is carried out under, or for the purposes of, a contract that provides for the installation of engineered stone entered into on or before 31 December 2023. Activities undertaken during this period must be appropriately controlled and will be subject to stronger WHS regulations for high-risk crystalline processes, also agreed at the meeting

Once amendments are finalised, Ministers agreed to implement these regulations by 1 September 2024 for all work with substances containing at least 1 per cent crystalline silica. In the interim, regulations prohibiting uncontrolled processing of engineered stone, sintered stone and porcelain benchtops, panels and slabs will continue to apply.

Safe Work Australia will provide advice relating to further development of the exemption framework to WHS Ministers for consideration by the end of April 2024.

Ministers agreed to meet again in May 2024 To read the full details of the communique click the below link, Friday 

Supporting the Industry

ACFA will keep the industry updated in relation to the ban on engineered stone and developments from further Ministers meetings and will continue to raise our industry challenges through representation on the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Work Health and Safety Committee and Silica Reference groups.

If you haven’t already done so, ACFA would encourage you to speak with your supplier on alternative options as more options continue to become available that may suit your business or customers

ACFA Award Finalists Announced ahead of Industry Dinner.

The industry is set to come together on Friday 15th of September as the winners of the 2023 ACFA Industry Awards are announced. The Industry Awards have become a significant event in the industry’s calendar, with an entertaining night of dinner, drinks, and laughter celebrating industry excellence is being held at Dockside Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour and is a great opportunity to promote your business and network with industry and enjoy a well-deserved fun night out.

The evening is always renowned as a great night of networking and celebration of the industry.

ACFA’s CEO, Dean Brakell explained: “One of the aims of the National Industry Awards is to bring people together, face-to-face, to celebrate the industry and outstanding achievements. The Entertainment for the evening is always kept a secret by the ACFA Team until the night, with a room full of laughter heard. 

The finalists of this year’s awards can be found across ACFA’s social media and website and are ready for everyone to peruse this year’s projects. Each year the quality of entries continues to raise the bar, demonstrating the calibre of craftsmanship and professionalism of our industry. The 2023 awards capture the projects created between 1st July 2021 and 30th June 2023.

The independent expert judging panel consists of industry representatives who have a strong knowledge of the industry, operations, manufacturing, and trends. Bias towards any person or company is controlled through the ‘blind’ judging process – any reference to a company or person is removed from the material the judge’s reviews.  This ensures every entry is evaluated on equal grounds.

The 2023 ACFA Industry Awards Night was a clear demonstration of the way our industry continues to raise the bar with the outstanding examples of what our industry is producing.

The 2023 Awards were held on Friday 15th September 2023 in Sydney, to recognise outstanding achievements within the furniture, joinery and cabinet-making industry. The awards showcase the hard work, dedication and craftsmanship of individuals and businesses across the country.

The ACFA Industry Awards are an important event for the Australian furniture cabinet-making industry, as they provide a platform to showcase the best of what the industry has to offer. The awards also help to raise awareness of the industry and its importance to the Australian economy.

Jim Snelson, CEO of Polytec, Premium Partner for the ACFA Industry Awards, paid tribute to all those who had entered the awards; “Tonight is an opportunity to acknowledge, reward and cheer on all of those companies and individuals who have done an outstanding job over the last few years”

The ACFA/AWISA Cabinet Maker of the Year went to Northern Kitchens and Joinery, who was thrilled to take home one of the major awards of the night. “This award means so much to me and my team. It really is a reward to my whole team for the hard work they put into each job we produce. This is certainly a team award”

In addition to the awards themselves, the ACFA Industry Awards also provide an opportunity for networking and socialising within the industry. The awards night is a well-attended event, with 300 guests in attendance this year.

In his speech, the ACFA CEO Dean Brakell made the important acknowledgement “to thank all the industry suppliers who support and sponsor the ACFA Awards each year. Without you, this night cannot be the success it is. We look forward to seeing what projects 2024 has to offer”

As a specialised association, we are proud of what we have achieved.

The Victorian Government announced the end of native timber harvesting.

On 23 May 2023, the Victorian Government announced the end of native timber harvesting in Victoria 1 January 2024.

To assist and support downstream supply chain manufacturers of hardwood products, such as flooring, furniture, staircases, balustrades, architectural features, cladding and pallets, the Victorian Government will be providing grants and support through the Timber Supply Chain Resilience Package to assist business in the transition. The program will commence from 1 July 2023.

Register Your Interest

Businesses that may be affected by the end of native timber harvesting are encouraged to register their interest in the Timber Supply Chain Resilience Package.

Businesses that register an interest will be informed and invited to formally apply when the program opens on 1 July 2023.

To register an interest in support through the Timber Supply Chain Resilience Package you can complete the registration form below (by clicking the link) or call Business Victoria on 13 22 15.

Timber Supply Chain Resilience Package Registration Form

Addition: the closing date for applications to the Timber Supply Chain Resilience Package has been extended to Tuesday 30 April 2024. Businesses that process native hardwood to manufacture products such as flooring, staircases, furniture, doors, windows, cladding and pallets are encouraged to apply.

Up to $145,000 of support is available to manufacturers who are highly impacted by the end of native timber harvesting in Victoria, and grants of up to $3,000 for moderately impacted manufacturers.

Businesses will be contacted and will be provided further details on the specific grants and support available to them through the program.

Transitional Support

The following transition support options are available for workers, families and employers:

• Native timber downstream impacted supply chain manufacturers should contact: Business Victoria 13 22 15
• Native timber sawmill employers should contact: DEECA Forest Transition Team 1800 318 182
• Directly impacted native timber workers and families should contact: Worker Support Service 1800 177 001
• Directly impacted Opal Maryvale Mill workers and families should contact: Opal Worker Support Service 1800 177 001
• Native timber workers, families and communities seeking jobs, skills and training support should contact: TAFE Gippsland Jobs and SKills Centre 1300 282 317