Because not everyone in a plumbing business is a plumber, we've extended our activities to include the administrators they depend upon.

While it's true that The Master Plumbers and Gasfitters Association of WA exists to support licensed plumbing contractors and their businesses, it's also true that most of them are understandably focused on technical matters and practical ‘hands-on’ activities.

Meanwhile, other people in their businesses are managing everything - or nearly everything - that falls under the broad heading of 'administration'. They are often family members and carry important responsibilities in areas such as financial control, recruitment, industrial relations and workplace health and safety.

Although these people are expected to understand and comply with laws and regulations that become more complex every year, they generally do their jobs without access to professional support and advice. This means they may be unwittingly putting themselves and our members at risk of corporate or individual penalties for non-compliance.

That's we have established the WA Plumbing Industry Business Administration Alliance. As well as being a networking opportunity for business administrators in plumbing contracting businesses, it's a way for us to engage with them, give them the recognition they deserve and help them to support each other, share experiences and learn from subject matter experts.

We'd like to hear from people who have administration roles in our members' plumbing businesses and want to know more about the Alliance. If that's you or someone you know, please send an email to mail@mpawa.asn.au