The Centralian Advocate Tue 29 Mar 2022
Centralian Advocate; NewspaperNT
2022-03-29
Made available via the Publications (Legal Deposit) Act 2004 (NT).
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Alice Springs; Tennant Creek (N.T.) -- Newspapers; Alice Springs (N.T.) -- Newspapers; Australia, Central -- Newspapers
News Corp Australia
Darwin
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/866739
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/866741
02 NEWS Tuesday March 29 2022 NTNE01Z01MA - V1 Active Covid cases climb BETHANY GRIFFITHS HOSPITALISATIONS due to Covid have climbed with 16 people now admitted, including three in intensive care. There were 279 new cases reported in the 24 hours up until 8pm Sunday, taking the Northern Territorys active case number to 2158. Of the cases reported, 234 were in the Top End region, 17 in Central Australia, 10 in the Big Rivers area and one in the Barkly. Some 249 of the positive results came from a Rapid Antigen Test. There are still 17 positive results under investigation. Despite the slight increase in hospitalisations to 16, up from 14 on Sunday, there are no patients needing oxygen. Active case numbers also climbed to more than 2000 at the weekend. It marks the first time active cases have been that high since March 10. General inquiries: 8944 9900 Classifieds: 13 11 13 Business advertising: 1300 857 202 Circulation: 1800 639 700 Online: www.ntnews.com.au Editorial email: news@ntnews.com.au Other inquiries: online@ntnews.com.au Wicking ........................... 13 Your say..........................12 Advocate........................10 World .............................. 14 Quiz.................................19 Comics ............................ 19 Television.......................19 Business Daily...............20 Shares.............................22 Horoscopes....................23 Sudoku ...........................23 Crosswords....................23 Weather..........................31 Racing..............................15In si de IndexContacts Paech builder doubts Chansey Paech. A MEMBER of the Territory Labor cabinet has raised doubts about a government plan that would make university qualifications a condition of obtaining commercial building registration. Revealed exclusively in yesterdays NT News, critics of the plan say it will exclude builders with many years experience in favour of those with minimal experience and a university diploma. The government has identified two options around building registration reform, the first of which includes obtaining a Diploma of Building and Construction and the second a Certificate IV in Building and Construction. Minister Chansey Paech said historically the pathway to building and construction jobs was through apprenticeships. Himself a former horticulture apprentice, Mr Paech said the government should proceed with caution. Practical experience is the best training youre going to get when youre out on site. I dont want to see where we make it hard to get young Territorians into areas where they can develop skills. Many of those people who have finished those apprenticeships have gone on to run major businesses and companies have done an outstanding job, he said. Im very confident in the level of skills that are provided and the training thats provided here in the Territory. Ill work through those once I get more detail at hand. MasterBuilders NT executive director David Malone is critical of the changes and the governments consultation rollout, saying the government has already made up its mind about the changes. Licensing should be about can you build? and do you know what you are doing? The focus should be on practice backed by theory. Instead, we see a model tied to diplomas and degrees. Tradies will shortly need to prove how their knowledge and experience gained over a career compares to those pieces of paper. Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro described the government as elitist and out of touch. How the Gunner government thinks that a 21-yearold fresh out of university can bring more to the table than someone with 40-years experience in the industry is absolutely beyond me, she said. We will be working closely with MasterBuilders NT and looking very closely at what the government is proposing but it shows how elitist and out of touch they are. This is a blow to our construction industry and for every aspiring tradie coming up through the ranks who was hoping to have a long and prosperous career in construction in the Territory and is now shaking their head and wondering what type of leadership at the top theyve got and whether or not their career has just been canned. Jason Jones, managing director of Rusca Developments, says the current system requiring a Cert IV should stay the course. I think it is too far to go to university. I think the Cert IV and having that building experience is really important. I concur with (MasterBuilders NT) Dave Malone that having someone whos had a short amount of experience and university time to then come out and become a registered builder I think is going beyond where we need to be. CAMDEN SMITH Territory gets its very own cyclotron THE installation of a machine at the Alan Walker Centre which produces radioisotopes for medical imaging will create greater certainty for Territorian cancer patients receiving assessments. P4: FULL STORY Federal Labor's Powering Australia plan will cut power bills by $275 a year Authorised by L. Gosling, ALP, 3/266 Trower Road, Casuarina, NT 0810 Department of INFRASTRUCTURE, PLANNING AND LOGISTICS Have your say on building contractor registrations Attend a forum The Northern Territory Government is prioritising reforms to building regulations to ensure confidence in the local building industry. The introduction of commercial builder registration is a priority reform. The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has prepared a consultation paper outlining two registration options and is inviting feedback from stakeholders to nominate a preferred option. The Department will be holding forums to provide an overview of the proposed registration options: Darwin - 31 March 2022 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Kali Room, Mantra Pandanus Darwin Katherine - 7 April 2022 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Blue Room, First Floor, Big Rivers Government Centre Alice Springs - 19 April 2022 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Ghan Conference Room, Central Australia Development Office To register for a forum, visit dipl.nt.gov.au/building-reform Consultation is open until 21 April 2022. To view the consultation paper and provide feedback, visit dipl.nt.gov.au/building-reform