Annual Report 2007-08 - Plumbing Industry Commission

The Commission provides technical information to
plumbing practitioners to help them comply with
regulatory requirements.
Ensuring consistency in
plumbing standards
The National Plumbing Regulators Forum
(NPRF) was established in 2002 to facilitate
greater national consistency in plumbing
standards across all Australian States
and Territories. The Forum provides an
opportunity for Government regulators to
exchange views on policy and technology
developments across the plumbing industry.
In 2004, the NPRF developed the Plumbing
Code of Australia 2004 on behalf of
the Commonwealth Government and
each State and Territory Government.
The Code is a uniform set of technical
provisions for plumbing work and allows
for State variations to provide additional
requirements or cater for specific
community expectations.
The Plumbing Regulations 2008 will call
up the Plumbing Code of Australia 2004,
providing a national and consistent
approach to the application of plumbing
standards in the Victorian Regulations.
Involvement in the review and
development of standards
In 2007–08, the Commission participated
in the Water Efficiency Labelling and
Standards (WELS) Forum to review WELS
progress. A future proposal to provide a
star rating for instantaneous water heaters
and clothes washers/dryers and three-litre
single-flush toilet cisterns was outlined.
The Commission also contributed to a
review of Australian Standard AS/NZS
3500 Part 4 – heated water, concerning
a proposal to limit the amount of cold
water draw-off from non-circulating
Heated Water systems. It participated in
a review held by Australian Scientific on
the reduction of flows on plumbing and
drainage systems.
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