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Morning, legends!
Howâs the week treating ya? Tuesdayâs still early dayâs, donât worry.
Weâre still warming up the engine here at Smoko Mail, but the eskyâs filling fast. Grab a cuppa, kick back, and letâs get stuck into whatâs coming up in todayâs Smoko:
Quick Hits: Book prizes, a tool thief, and putting tradies health first.
The Feature: A freeze on building red tape to boost productivity. But will it help?
Tools & Gear: A Saw, a Drill, and a Combo Kit Walk Into a Bar
Cheers,
Liam
QUICK HITS
Weekly Wrap Up
Darwin tradie puts down the tools and wins book prize. Painter-turned-author Darren McCallum turned his daughterâs phrase âmy wobbly bikeâ into a childrenâs book about perseverance and kindness. Inspired by his daughters Summer and Jazzie, The Wobbly Bike won the 2025 CBCA Book of the Year!
Alleged tool thief is charged after giant Melbourne find. Police raided a Doncaster home and uncovered over 200 allegedly stolen tools valued at about $100,000, including lasers, drop saws, and power tools. A 29-year-old man has been charged over a six-month theft spree across Melbourneâs eastern suburbs. Tool theft in is surging, with one offence every two hours in Victoria alone.
Tradies urged to put health first this August. Tradies National Health Month (1â30 August) is highlighting safety and wellbeing on and off the tools. Backed by the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, the push encourages tradies to tackle mental and physical health risks like falls, heavy lifting, and stress. With an average of 29 deaths a year on construction worksites in Australia (as well a all the struggles away from site), the message is clear: look after yourself and your mates. Helps always there if you need it.
THE FEATURE
Freeze on National Construction Code
Will it get more homes built?
Will cutting red tape sort it out?
Good news for trades: the federal government plans to freeze changes to the National Construction Code to try to speed up approvals and lower building costs for homes.
The idea comes before an âEconomic Summitâ (where all the big wigs from government, unions, and business get in a room together) that is aimed at tackling productivity.
Put simply, the freeze would limit most new changes to the building code, and would take a closer look at the existing code to try and weigh up the benefits of each regulation against itâs impact on how quickly and efficiently homes can be built. In theory, this would mean more homes being built, and more work for the trades. Which is a good thing. But I wouldnât be holding my breath.
TOOLS & GEAR
A Saw, a Drill, and a Combo Kit Walk Into a Bar
Small but mighty: the Razorsaw Ryoba flush-cut trim saw is a thin, flexible Japanese blade made for clean plug and trim cuts. One of the best blade manufacturers in the world, Timbecon has them on sale for $29 (was $35.90). Itâs a cheap, long-lasting bit of kit youâll actually reach for on finish work.
The DEWALT DCD805N is a compact brushless hammer drill that still delivers up to 90Nm of torque while fitting in tight spots. Discount Trader has it reduced to $189 from $299, so itâs a brilliant trade spare or backup when you want proper punch without hauling a Big Bertha everywhere.
Heaps of kit in one box: the DEWALT DCZ586 five-piece FlexVolt Advantage combo bundles drill, impact, circular saw, grinder and recip saw with a 6.0Ah FlexVolt and a 5.0Ah XR battery. If youâre looking for everything in one go, Sydney Tools has it for $1499.00, $200 off RRP. Not bad, not bad.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
You know itâs true.
WRAP UP
Thatâs a wrap for this weekâs Smoko Mail. Weâre still getting this thing rolling, so thanks for being here early and giving it a read. Keep safe on site, look after your mates, and donât forget to take a proper smoko when you can. Weâll be back in your inbox next week!
Cheers,
Liam