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Creative industry alarmed about new government proposal
PROFESSIONALS working in the decorative lighting sector are alarmed about proposed changes to the National Construction Code.
The National Construction Code regulates the design and construction of new buildings and redevelopments across the country. Under the draft slated to take effect in July 2019, existing allowances for decorative lighting will be significantly reduced. The manufacture, design and engineering of decorative lighting supports 2500 jobs across Australia.
Trent Dutton, President of the Illuminating Engineering Society (Australia New Zealand), is worried that the changes will have a significant negative effect.
“We have seen very little technical data to support the proposal and we suspect that limited assessment has been made of the economic impact of the change on our industry,” Mr Dutton said.
Mr Dutton is also concerned about the impact of the proposal on his company Rubidium Light, a lighting design and engineering company headquartered in Brisbane but operating across Australia.
“I worry that these kinds of increasing government interventions will end up making the places Australians live, work and play become dull, uninspiring and unproductive places," he said.
“Australia’s lighting engineering and design sector has some of the most talented people in the world. Governments should be cultivating this industry, not jeopardising its future.”
The concerns of Mr Dutton and the Illuminating Engineering Society are shared by the peak bodies representing lighting supply and manufacture and lighting engineers.
“Many of our members manufacture high-quality, bespoke lighting fixtures for lighting installations across Australia," said David Crossley, acting CEO, Lighting Council Australia.
“We’ve seen too many manufacturing companies driven to the wall and we’ve seen that once we lose manufacturing jobs, they are gone for good. Government needs to step in and halt this proposal before it is too late.”
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