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Morning, legend!
Hope the week’s treating you better than the site dunny. Today we’ve lined up a safety shake-up that could actually stick, free training that’ll level up your skills, and a quick look at how the construction industry is changing (hopefully for the better!)
Ready? You beauty. Here's what's coming up in today's edition:
🎯Quick Hits: SafeWork, digital training, and QLD tradies out on strike.
🗞️The Feature: Modern methods of construction; What it means for you.
💰Tool & Gear Deals: Big power, small power, and tight spaces.
Cheers,
Liam
QUICK HITS
Weekly Wrap Up
🚨SafeWork NSW just scored a $128 million boost over four years. This will allow them to bring on 50 extra inspectors including 25 focused on mental health risks like bullying and harassment. The funding also launches the Irreplaceable safety campaign targeting high risk industries. With one worker still dying every week on NSW sites the push is about tougher enforcement and making sure everyone gets home safe.
🏫Victoria's offering free digital training courses for construction businesses looking to level up their tech game. The Digital Jobs Program gives construction companies up to 5 vouchers per round for courses covering everything from Building Information Modelling (BIM) to AI and cybersecurity. Training runs from one-day workshops to six-week specialist courses, all designed to help tradies and their bosses stay ahead of the digital curve. Only catch? You need less than 200 employees to qualify for the six-week courses. Interested? Check out the details here.
🪧Queensland public sector tradies are out on strike. After months of stalled negotiations, they have walked off job sites to demand a 36-hour work week and 8% pay rise over three years. Up to 300 workers from QBuild, QHealth and Transport departments marched on Parliament House, demanding better conditions to stop skilled workers fleeing to private sector jobs. The unions say it's about work-life balance and keeping pace with commercial wages, while Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie questioned the shorter work week amid declining construction productivity rates.
THE FEATURE
Prefab Revolution: What Modern Construction Methods Mean for Your Work Site.
Factory-built homes are changing how tradies work, and it’s not all bad news.
Are Modular and Prefab homes a solution? Image supplied by NSW government.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) - think prefab, modular, and factory-built components - are finally hitting mainstream in Australia. The prefab market is expected to grow from $10.78 billion to $13.71 billion by 2030, but what does this actually mean for tradies on the tools?
Well, for one, it might mean less time getting rained on. QBuild's MMC program focuses on building more, better quality homes in less time, with much of the work happening in climate-controlled factories. This means more predictable schedules, less weather delays, and potentially safer working conditions. But going to work in a factory every day? That might not be for everyone.
The skills that are needed are changing, too. Prefab construction decreases construction timeframes and waste while increasing quality and productivity, but it requires more precision assembly work and understanding of modular systems. Think less rough framing, more technical fitting and integration.
The good news? Programs like Homes NSW’s MMC initiative are already generating fresh opportunities. Instead of replacing tradies, these methods demand newly skilled and re-skilled workers who can adapt to factory work life as well as high-precision on-site assembly. Far from taking jobs away, MMC is creating an entirely new wave of them.
So what’s your thoughts? does MMC look like the future of tradie work or just another passing trend? Hit reply to this email and let us know, we read every response.
TOOL & GEAR DEALS
Big Power, Small Power, and Tight Spaces.
Milwaukee's M18 FUEL combo kit is down to $710 with 9% off and it's proper value.
You get the hammer drill, impact driver, two 5.0Ah batteries, rapid charger, and case - basically everything you need to start or expand your red collection. FUEL brushless motors mean serious power and runtime that'll handle whatever you throw at. Check it out here.
This Vessel electric ratchet is the tight-space hero you didn't know you needed.
At $118 down from $165, the 400ER3 gets into spots where regular ratchets make your knuckles bleed - engine bays, behind panels, cramped electrical boxes. 400 rpm spins things fast, then stops at 1Nm to prevent over-tightening. Your wrists and sanity will thank you. Check it out here.
Makita 12V: Small but mighty
Makita's 12V combo kit is the Goldilocks of power tools; just right when 18V is too much. Down to $189 from $239, this CLX224 gives you drill, impact driver, two batteries, charger and bag. Perfect for cabinet work, electrical boxes, or anywhere finesse beats brute force. Compact enough to work overhead all day without your arms screaming. Check it out here.
SIGN OFF
That’s it for this week’s Smoko! Hopefully the stories hit harder than your first can of V for the week. Got a hot tip or reckon we should dig into something? Hit reply and let us know, we’re all ears.
Until next time, keep your boots dry and your tools sharp.
Cheers,
Liam