NECA calls for swift action on NSW Parliamentary Committee report validating industry safety concern

The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) has welcomed the release of Report No. 89 by the NSW Legislative Council Standing Committee on Law and Justice into the state's work health and safety scheme. The report is a significant and long-overdue acknowledgement of the systemic weaknesses NECA has raised on behalf of electrical apprentices, licensed workers and consumers.

“This report reflects the evidence NECA put before the Committee that fragmented regulation, poor information sharing between agencies, and inadequate incident triage have allowed serious risks to go unaddressed,” said NECA NSW & ACT Executive Director Mark Stedfut. “We are pleased the Committee has treated this as a systemic failure requiring systemic reform.”

“Apprentices form their habits and risk awareness by observing the behaviours of their employers and their supervisors,” said NECA’s Director for Policy, Technical, and Safety, Neil Roberts. “When poor practices are tolerated, those practices become embedded. This is particularly dangerous in trades with unforgiving hazards such as electrical work.”

“Where poor practices are tolerated, and the regulatory system fails to intervene, the risk compounds for the next generation of apprentices and for consumers relying on that work being done safely,” Mr Roberts said.

NECA particularly endorses Recommendation 20, which calls on the NSW Government to establish a dedicated, specialist regulator responsible for licensing, oversight and enforcement of safety standards for electrical and gas work.

“Responsibility for electrical safety in NSW is currently split across SafeWork NSW, Building Commission NSW, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), NSW Fair Trading and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), with incidents and compliance oversight falling through the cracks between them. Recommendation 20 offers the chance to bring licensing, technical oversight and enforcement together under one roof, so incidents are triaged by people who understand electrical risk, referrals happen without delay, and unsafe licence holders are held to account,” Mr Stedfut said.

“Done properly, this reform would deliver better protections for apprentices, licensed workers, and the consumers, who all rely on electrical safety. NECA stands ready to work with Government on the design and implementation of this regulator, to ensure it has the technical expertise, the powers and the transparency needed to make a genuine difference.”

NECA also welcomes the Committee's related recommendations on apprentice supervision and safety data as important companions to Recommendation 20.

- Recommendation 5, mandating initial and refresher training for those supervising apprentices, trainees and young workers, responds directly to NECA's evidence that a trade qualification alone does not prepare a licensed worker for supervisory responsibility.

- Recommendation 6, requiring apprentice incident and fatality data to be disaggregated and shared with responsible agencies and registered group training organisations, addresses information gaps NECA has long identified.

- Recommendation 7, establishing an Apprentices and Trainees WHS Advisory Committee, provides an ongoing mechanism for industry, government and training bodies to oversee these reforms.

“NECA supports Recommendations 5, 6 and 7 as a package with Recommendation 20,” Mr Roberts said. “Better supervisor training, better data and genuine oversight will all strengthen a specialist electrical safety regulator. We urge Government to implement them together rather than in isolation.”

The report also recognises the safety value of registered Group Training Organisations (GTOs).

“Registered GTOs provide a level of oversight, mentoring and pastoral care that isn't always available to apprentices employed directly by a single host business,” said NECA Training and Apprenticeships CEO Tom Emeleus. “This report rightly recognises that structured group training is part of the safety solution, and NECA welcomes recommendations that strengthen the reach of the registered GTO model.”

Recommendation 20 aligns closely with NECA's own long-standing history of formal submissions arguing that consolidating licensing, technical oversight and enforcement under one specialist regulator is the most effective way to protect apprentices, workers and consumers.

“NECA has now put this position to government through both the Committee's review and the ongoing Electrical and Gas Safety Review, and both have reached the same conclusion,” Mr Stedfut said. “We urge the NSW Government to treat these findings as complementary and align the outcomes of both reviews so reform is delivered consistently and without delay.”