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Plumbers say Federal Budget missed an opportunity

PR Newswire

Mount Claremont, W.A., Oct. 9, 2020 /Medianet/ --

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9 October 2020

Plumbers say Federal Budget missed an opportunity

Master Plumbers Australia and New Zealand (MPANZ) says that while the 2020 Federal Budget contained welcome news for licensed plumbing contractors, it missed an opportunity to provide one kind of much-needed stimulus.

MPANZ Chairman Robert Pearshouse said, “Being allowed to write off the full value of assets purchased between now and the end of June 2022 and offset business losses against profits made in the previous two years will help many of our members.”

“We also obviously welcome the new JobMaker scheme and the expansion of the apprentice wage subsidy. This support will help our industry overcome a long-term shortage of apprentices and qualified tradespeople. As well as being good news for employment, it means the industry will have greater capacity to provide businesses and households with the plumbing services they need.”

On the other hand, Mr Pearshouse says it is unfortunate the Federal Budget did not include any policies designed to stimulate consumer spending on maintenance and repair work. He says this type of work is the main income source for many licensed plumbing contractors and is vitally important for the community.

Mr Pearshouse explained, “Most of our members run small to medium businesses, many of which are family-owned. They generally work in local areas and suffer when cash-strapped commercial or residential clients decide to postpone expenditure on plumbing or gasfitting work. 

“This isn’t just an industry problem. It is a broad social and economic problem because neglected plumbing can have serious consequences for health and safety. There are environmental considerations too, because even simple things like dripping taps can add up to a huge wastage of water.”

He added, “MPANZ and our member associations across Australia will be attempting to engage with national and state governments to make them more aware of the need for action in this area.” 

All media enquiries:
Ms Kyla Jones
Secretary
Master Plumbers Australia and New Zealand
Telephone: (08) 9471 6661 / 0433 144 648
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