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I've been looking at the prosecutions and the costs tradespeople get hit with by the Board and want to know why an unqualified person endangers the life of a member of the public and get fined and pay $113 court costs but if a tradesperson makes a mistake they gets hit with over $4,000 in costs and a fine and upskilling (sometimes).
I believe we have already paid the costs as part of our levies. What do you lot think?
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I doubt that any tradesman would disagree with you. I am waiting, as I'm sure Badger is too, for the verdict on the gas death in Ruakaka last year. The papers says that it was going to court at the beginning of April and there has been nothing since
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This is something the Federation has been worried about for a long time. When you look at it we pay thousands of dollars for lawyers to investigate and prosecute members of the public and that comes out of our $86.00 prosecutions levy, but if you are prosecuted under the discipline process, where you pay $175.00 discipline levy you get hit with thousands of dollars of costs as well as fines that are heavier than what the public get.
So we are being penalised for taking the time and putting in the effort to be legal. The Board will have to think carefully about the levies as in the Amendment Bill last year it was written that the Boards protection for their unlawful activities only lasts until the levies are changed.
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Very interesting point - if I played devil's advocate then I would say that if a tradesperson does something illegal then they should know better than a member of the public and so be hit harder - BUT I don't think we should be paying for member's of the public to be prosecuted full stop. The full cost of that should be borne by the public. The way it stands now you would be better not to be licensed, take the risk, and if caught the penalties are truly minimal.
I agree Watchdog that there is some double dipping going on here - you pay for the costs of discipline through a levy and then get hit again if you are disciplined. I do support a fine for discipline and I do support some rectification training - after all that is the MAIN point of it all - we want to ensure tradespeople do understand how to do something properly.
Of course all this is said on the supposition that the charges are correct and have been investigated properly - and at the moment I would say my faith in that system is very low. We know that the investigations have been pretty poor in many instances, none worse than Badger's situation, but others have also been found wanting. Having sat in on a couple of different types of hearings the Board have been involved in (not just discipline) I have been aghast at the poor performance of an outfit that has such a high wage bill. It does beg the question of exactly what we are paying for.
The question of accountability of tradespeople needs to be mirrored back to the Board and its staff. Where does their accountability sit? At present it appears way below that of the people they are disciplining.
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Well said Jaxcat. Look at poor old Badger who actually had to pay to get a course written and then attend as the only student just to meet the Boards punishment. What sort of shit is that?
And while we are on his case the Board have never gone looking for the people who did the gas fitting that Badger was cleared of. Why not?
So where is the fairness in that case which really does need a judicial review. Maurice Williamson needs to get off his arse and hold the Board accountable for all their actions instead of letting them stumble through affecting our lives. Perhaps its time to lay the complaints with the charities commission.
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Breaking news - looks like Williamson is a goner Watchdog! We might have to find a new Minister for the PGDB. So much for the guy who said he had to be hands off on the Board as he couldn't possibly interfere in the operational matters - looks like he picks and chooses how that applies. Karma is a wonderful thing!
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tidy..... 8)
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Good job, he deserves that and more! Hopefully karma will take a huge dump on him for 2014 and beyond! :D