The Master Builders Podcast

We're bringing back Shaun Schmitke, MBA National Director of IR for more on the sweeping changes to industrial relations happening right now.    We caught up with Shaun to get the latest about proposed changes to industrial relations legislation and what this will mean for independent contracts, self-employed tradies and people in the industry who want to be their own boss. To learn more visit: www.defendyourrights.com.au

Are you starting up your first business?  Are you setting up your business systems and procedures? Is your business growing? Don't let tax time catch you out.  Our second Tax Time podcast guest says that preparing for paying tax is an essential part of your business planning and financial management.  Aaron Froud is a Partner at BellchambersBarrett in Canberra with over 20 years professional experience across business, tax and accounting engagements.  Aaron takes us through, the pitfalls, traps, hot tips, and latest advice on preparing your business for tax time.

Is it time you caught up on the latest news on tax deductions? Where can I find a one-stop-shop for the latest news on tax for small businesses? Is there an ATO website just for tradies? Where do I reach out for support? Our latest podcast guest has the answers and will tell you where to find everything you need to know.  Assistant Commissioner Tim Loh is the ATO spokesperson for Tax Time.  You may have seen him on morning TV breakfast shows across the country, and our Tax Time conversation with Tim has just dropped on Master Builders podcasts with your host Max Rafferty. This will be the first of a special two part series featuring conversations with tax experts. Stay tuned for our conversation with Aaron Froud from Bell Chambers Barrett, where we continue to ask the important questions for small business. For further information on tax and finding support: www.ato.gov.au/about-ato/contact-us www.ato.gov.au/cantlodgeorpay www.ato.gov.au/tradies www.ato.gov.au/business/small-business-newsroom www.ato.gov.au/buildingconstruction

We recently released our blueprint for future-proofing the building and construction industry’s workforce in wake of a shortage of half a million workers. With critical shortages across industries and skill levels hindering economic recovery and productivity growth, we chat with Jennifer Lawrence, Manager Industry Policy,  about what will be needed in the coming years and the policy priorities for attracting, recruiting, training and retaining workers for the industry. We also catch up with our Chief Economist Shane Garrett for the latest on inflation, interest rates and supply costs in the building and construction industry

We’d like to revisit a great conversation we had with Jock Merrigan Founding Director of Urban Habitats (SA) that we first released on our podcast channel in April 2021. Jock has over 20 years of experience in the residential building industry. We spoke to Jock about achieving unique quality outcomes. He shared with us his experience in growing a successful and sustainable business and giving back to the industry.

This is the second in a 2 episode series featuring Shaun Schmitke - Master Builders Australia National Director - IR/Safety/Contracts. We spoke with Shaun about the incorporation of prohibition on sexual harassment in connection with work into the Fair Work Act,  and expansion of the circumstances where employees can request flexible work arrangements.  Shaun takes us through recent changes now in effect, changes soon to come, and what's on the horizon.

What do recent and further changes to industrial relations legislation mean for your business?  This is the first in a 2 episode series featuring Shaun Schmitke - Master Builders Australia National Director - IR/Safety/Contracts. He takes us through recent changes now in effect, changes soon to come, and what's on the horizon.  Stay tuned for our second episode soon- looking at steps you can take and where to seek further advice.

Our podcast has dropped to celebrate #IWD2023! Featuring some of the industry's best and brightest, we speak with them about how they are supporting more women into trades.  With guest host Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn, hear industry insights from our three panellists: Grace Ferreira, Director of Master Builders Australia & Co-founder of Canberra-based Pacific Formwork and Precast Projects.Michael Foreman, Manager, Engineering - Fleurieu Connections Alliance & Port Wakefield to Port Augusta Alliance in South Australia.Bek Bishop, Co-Founder of Elite Building Services (Vic) Pty Ltd, a custom home builder in South-East Victoria & Gippsland. Our guests share their passion and stories around increasing female participation in our industry, sharing their knowledge through mentorship, and building programs that bring women and men together to support females in the industry.

We’re back! Back with our host Max Rafferty in 2023 to bring you in-depth interviews with people who know all about our industry and tell their stories in their words. Today we talk to two people with deep insights into things that matter in our industry. We meet Craig Edmunds, President of Master Builders Australia. He is an industry heavy weight with a passion for people and supporting them to reach their full potential in their careers. He spoke to our host Max Rafferty about where he started, his passion for giving back to the industry, the mentors who helped him along the way, and his 34 year career with Fairbrother. We also run the numbers with Shane Garrett, Chief Economist with Master Builders Australia.

In this episode we continue our conversation with James McGregor about how to sell sustainable energy efficient homes without sounding salesy as he talks us through a simple 4 step sales process. If you missed the first part just check it out in your podcast feed. James is the founder of The Blue Tribe Company and he helps companies to develop and sell products that align profit with purpose - in other words they are financially successful whilst making the world a better place. Over the past 12 months he has been working with the building industry to develop a sales training program to sell energy efficient homes because he believes that energy efficiency is a great way for builders to differentiate themselves from their competitors.  In this episode he walks us through a simple 4 step sales process that anyone can use.

In this episode Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw discuss sales and marketing of homes. Max talks with James McGregor about how to sell sustainable energy efficient homes without sounding salesy using a simple to use sales technique designed for builders. Now we had so much to cover on this topic that we have made this into a two part podcast episode.  The first part is how to talk to consumers about energy efficient homes which is probably not the way you are doing now and the second part is a simple 4 step sales process to help you sell without sounding salesy. James is the founder of The Blue Tribe Company and he helps companies to develop and sell products that align profit with purpose - in other words they are financially successful whilst making the world a better place. Over the past 12 months he has been working with the building industry to develop a sales training program to sell energy efficient homes because he believes that energy efficiency is a great way for builders to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

In this episode Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about the challenges of selling energy efficient homes. Max interviews Simon Dunstan who is the owner of SJD Homes and is a leader in sustainable housing solutions. He is also the man behind Melbourne's first zero energy home. In this episode he shares his wealth of knowledge on what he has learned on his journey of building and selling energy efficient and sustainable homes. Discover more at masterbuilders.com.au

In this episode of the Master Builders Podcast, host Max Rafferty and co host Robert Shaw talk about the business of building with Jock Merrigan.  Jock is the founding Director of Urban Habitats and has over 20 years of experience in the residential building industry. As an active member of the Master Builders Association of South Australia, Jock chairs the Housing Committee, and is a member of the Council of Management. Jock is also the State Representative for the National Residential Housing Committee. Jock is passionate about building design and in achieving quality construction outcomes that are unique to each of his clients.   This episode is sponsored by Master Builders Insurance Brokers (MBIB) Master Builders Insurance Brokers (MBIB) is a leading broker in the building and construction industry. They use their national muscle to leverage great ‘value for money’ insurance arrangements with preferred underwriters, ultimately keeping premiums down and policy coverage broad. Their brokers help you understand, select and manage the right cover for your business by using their years of experience in the building and construction industry. So if you’re a builder and want more than just an insurance broker visit mbib.com.au today. Get in touch with your local Master Builders at masterbuilders.com.au

In this episode of the Master Builders Podcast, host Max Rafferty and guest host Jock Merrigan talk about the business of building with industry leader Robert Shaw.   Now if you have been involved with Master Builders for any amount of time the chances are you will have heard about Robert.    Robert joined the National Board in 2015 and is Chair of the National Residential Builders Council.   He is a former President of Master Builders Western Australia and a current member of its Board of Management.  But importantly for the discussion in this episode Robert shares his 37 years of experience and knowledge in the building and construction industry that he has gained as a director of Daly and Shaw which specialises in residential unit development and homes, currently building between 50 to 100 dwellings per year.

This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Zero Energy Housing", co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw discuss the topic in full detail with Josh Byrne and Simon Dunstan. Josh, who is most known as the West Australian presenter of the ABC's Gardening Australia, started the Josh's House Project, a video series that documents the building process of Josh's zero energy home. Today he shares practical insights on the best ways to harness solar energy into daily life and explores its return on investment. Simon is the owner of SJD Homes and leader in sustainable housing solutions. He is also the man behind Melbourne's first zero energy home. Today he shares his wealth of information on the differences of building a zero energy home and the unique challenges it comes with, from construction to management to selling. HIGHLIGHTS 02:28 Josh Byrne defines a net-zero energy home 06:15 Building a cost-effective utilization of solar energy and batteries 12:19 John's recommended resources 16:20 Simon Dunstan builds Melbourne's first zero energy home 20:26 Differences and challenges in building a zero energy home 27:08 Trades, management & services 32:15 Consumer reaction to the display houses 34:42 Simon's advice and resources to builders RESOURCES https://joshshouse.com.au/ - The Josh's House Project http://builtbetter.org/ - CIC Knowledge Guide https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/ - Clean Energy Council https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/ - Sustainability Victoria https://www.masterbuilders.com.au - The Master Builders Australia https://www.sjdhomes.com.au/ - SJD Homes Website Email - marketing@sjdhomes.com.au   QUOTES 03:53 "But a more accurate term is net-zero energy homes and what it means is that a home is designed and built to meet its own energy requirements on an annual net basis. So when you have a home and you understand what its energy demand is, its matched with a rooftop PV system typically is the common renewable energy source for residential dwellings but that system is sized to meet the annual net demand of that home." 07:33 "Not only are these very efficient so that cost-effective and they demonstrate good return on investment for people who are putting these features into their home, but it also means that you can often time their operation, in particular with the water heating which can be programmed for during the day. You can time that with available solar." 07:50 "And so again it's not anything necessarily more difficult for the builder, it's just having the right approach to design; good quality construction to make sure you got a good airtight, well-sealed home; all the insulation detailing is done properly; all the things that should be done well." 10:31 "The payback period, in terms of return on investment of these batteries, is typically just outside their warranty period. Typically, warranty period being ten years for batteries and the payback periods for a typical home tends to be ten to twelve years. Now we're seeing that change very quickly as batteries become more popular, production volumes increase, and the cost is coming down rapidly." 20:31 "It's twofold. So the first part of it is really improving the house that is being built. So there's a lot of ways we're doing that but it's actually the build from itself so we try to do what we can in that space. So that is obviously things like the integrity, the insulation, the insulation itself, and the build itself, and the various products that we put in there. The other thing is also some of the appliances that we're using are going to be as efficient as we possibly can." 21:05 "So the other part of the equation is we need... to be able to produce our own energy. So in the particular house, we had a 5-kilowatt system and we also had a 9.8-kilowatt battery on it. So battery is one of the new, exciting parts because their consumption of power." 28:55 "That's the most encouraging part of the whole thing. We're not rediscovering the wheel and we're not asking a big cost... it's not costing us anything more other than the insulation to do these things. It's just a bit of care." 33:36 "We have also made a conscious decision that, as in the retail section that we're putting some of these extras in at cost price, we had great amount of uptake early on in the pace but in more recent times we've had a rebate in place there. That rebate is we sold 30 homes in a very short period of time." 34:47 "Guys, I would just say embrace it, be at the front of it, and don't be reactive with this because our involvement with various government departments and organisations... we've been moving to this for several years... It is going to be with us. So I think I would love the industry as a whole to be more proactive and reactive and really be at the table."

SUMMARY This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Open for Business with Mario Biasin from Metricon", co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about how builders can keep running their businesses during the current COVID-19 pandemic with Mario Baisin who is the CEO and one of the founders of Metricon, Australia’s leading residential builder.  In this interview Mario Biasin discusses some of the practical things Metricon have been doing during this COVID-19 pandemic - everything from working on site, to working with clients, all the way through to digital marketing to keep sales going. But Max also took the opportunity to learn from one of most successful builders in Australia to get his advice and business insights on the types of things you can be doing to not only manage the current situation but to also build your own successful business - because as you will hear, Metricon started out as a small home builder in Victoria and with some of the knowledge he shares in this interview Mario shaped Metricon into Australia’s leading home builder.   ------------------------------ HIGHLIGHTS 03:35 Introduction to Mario Biasin 05:07 The origin story of Metricon 07:07 How Metricon is managing COVID-19 13:05 Importance of online presence 18:40 Communicating with staff and customers 24:02 Top tip for builders ------------------------------ RESOURCES https://www.metricon.com.au/ - Metricon https://www.masterbuilders.com.au - Master Builders Website

SUMMARY This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Open for Business with Mark Little from Little Constructions", co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about how builders can keep running their businesses during the current COVID-19 pandemi. Featured today is Mark Little from Little Constructions. Mark discusses some of the practical steps he has been taking to keep building from how he is managing his sites, managing clients and how he is continuing to promote his business. ------------------------------ HIGHLIGHTS 04:49 Introduction to Mark and Little Constructions 07:08 Impact for COVID-19 on Mark’s business 08:49 How Mark is managing COVID-19 11:35 Conversations with clients 17:59 Promoting your business 20:52 Top tip for builders ------------------------------ RESOURCES https://www.facebook.com/littleconstructions/ - Little Constructions on FaceBook https://www.masterbuilders.com.au - Master Builders Website

In this special episode of the Master Builders Podcast, host Max Rafferty discussed managing COVID-19 on construction sites with the Senior Safety Coordinator for Master Builders Western Australia, Michelle DeGalt-Rohlf. Michelle explains some of the practical things that builders can do on site to manage risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the practices she discusses are not that difficult and most of what is discussed you can implement on your sites today. Simple things like social distancing and wiping down the door handles on your site sheds. Whilst this might slow you down on site - slow work is better than no work. If you want to get more information, Master Builders has safety experts in every state and territory. So if you need some help give you local master builders call or visit our website at masterbuilders.com.au

This episode of The Master Builders Podcast is called "Solar Power" and co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw talk about harnessing the power of the sun to the benefit of builders. Featured today are two interviews with experts on the subject, Alistair Sproul of the University of New South Wales and Rohan Forrest of Carter Grange. Alistair explains the systems and hardware of solar power and how people can utilise it for both business and home use. On the other hand, Rohan talks about designing and installing solar power for their clients. He also talks about the reasons clients actually switch to solar and shares some tips for prospective builders of the technology.   HIGHLIGHTS 04:38 Introduction to Alistair and defining solar energy 08:16 Traditional solar power and battery technology 16:22 Role of the inverter and effects of shading 24:03 Introduction to Rohan and Carter Grange 29:36 What drives clients to take up solar 33:56 3 tips for builders of solar   RESOURCES https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/ - The Clean Energy Council Website https://www.choice.com.au/ - CHOICE, Consumer Advocacy Group https://www.cartergrange.com.au/

In this episode of The Master Builders Podcast called “Building in Bushfire Prone Areas with Colin Wood”, co-hosts Max Rafferty and Robert Shaw sit down with Colin to chat about building in bushfire prone areas, with such factors as material selection and landscaping near the home being a major consideration. Colin Wood has been looking at the issue of building in bushfire zones for the past 25 years and as you will hear, Colin was right in the middle of the recent bushfires in the Shoalhaven area which is located on the South Coast of NSW where he is the Section Manager for Building & Compliance with Shoalhaven City Council. Colin is an Environmental Health and Building Surveyor and has 39 years experience with Local Government and Private Practice. He is the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors national representative on AS3959 and he has held that position since 1995. Colin is also the chair of the Construction Sub-committee to AS3959 (Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas). HIGHLIGHTS 7:39 Colin explains how he got into designing in bushfire prone areas. 10:49 Key factors that affect the development of bushfires 14:42 Overview of AS3959 16:43 When to use AS3959 22:53 Core construction requirements for homes in bushfire prone areas 28:55 Decking timber for bushfire prone areas RESOURCES www.masterbuilders.com.au/podcast www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/publications/building-in-a-bush-fire-area