Australia gets national scaffolding association

In an effort to represent industry interests on a broad, national scale, the Scaffolding Association of Queensland (SAQ) is transitioning to the Scaffolding Association of Australia (SAA), effective immediately.

The SAA will work with scaffolding companies across the country to promote safety, professionalism and best practices.

At their last general meeting in November 2022, then-SAQ members voted unanimously to transition from a state-based association to a national company limited by guarantee.

“This national scaffolding association has been a long time coming, and we’re thrilled to be launching into the industry after having successfully represented our Queensland state-based members for many years,” said Erryn O’Brien, general manager of the SAA. “We have a great range of benefits to offer to scaffolding companies big and small all over Australia, and we’d love to invite them to become a part of the united industry voice we’ll be providing.”

Promoting its members and acting as their voice in the construction industry, the SAA will provide a range of services including advocacy, support and networking opportunities.

The association said it will tackle the difficult issue of scaffolding-related training in Australia, which leads into the skills shortage that the country is currently facing. Scaffolding training is notoriously underdeveloped and basic scaffolding tickets are handed out after as little as a five-day training course, sending under trained and under qualified people into a high-risk industry.

The SAA also said it will lobby government bodies to ensure that legislation impacting the scaffolding industry are reasonable and consider the options of scaffolding companies.