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PUBLISHER’S LETTER www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Production Manager Greg Swain, B.Sc.(Hons.) Technical Staff John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Peter Smith Ross Tester Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc, VK2ZLO Rick Walters Reader Services Ann Jenkinson Advertising Enquiries Leo Simpson Phone (02) 9979 5644 Fax (02) 9979 6503 Regular Contributors Brendan Akhurst Rodney Champness, VK3UG Julian Edgar, Dip.T.(Sec.), B.Ed Mike Sheriff, B.Sc, VK2YFK Philip Watson, MIREE, VK2ZPW Bob Young SILICON CHIP is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 003 205 490. ABN 49 003 205 490 All material copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Printing: Hannanprint, Noble Park, Victoria. Distribution: Network Distribution Company. Subscription rates: $69.50 per year in Australia. For overseas rates, see the subscription page in this issue. Editorial & advertising offices: Unit 8, 101 Darley St, Mona Vale, NSW 2103. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9979 5644. Fax (02) 9979 6503. E-mail: silchip<at>siliconchip.com.au ISSN 1030-2662 * Recommended and maximum price only. 2  Silicon Chip Queensland TV repairs need a safety check, not a licence Predictably, the Publisher’s Letter in last month’s issue has brought forth howls of anguish from all those affected by the new Queensland legislation requiring electronics servicemen to take out an electrical contractor’s licence. I have had quite a few people phone me to rant about how unreasonable the new re­quirement is, how they might avoid it (they can’t) and whether there are any sanctions (fines of up to $30,000). In every case, I have agreed that the requirement is unrea­sonable (stupid, ridiculous and ludicrous are other words that come to mind) and advised the person concerned to log on to relevant website (www.eso.qld.gov.au) and wade through what they must do. In some cases people have said that they could not understand the requirements on the website. Yes, I’m not sur­prised. The trouble with these people is that they think it might be logical and sensible – it isn’t and nor is the language and presentation of the website. I have also advised every caller to contact their local Member of Parliament and make their feelings known in the stron­gest possible fashion. That is what they should have done some time ago when we were campaigning for the right of everyone to do their own electrical wiring and related issues. Interestingly, on January 8th, the Brisbane “Courier Mail” ran a story stating that only 11 of an estimated 1000 repairs has applied for the licence, in spite of the new regime taking effect on 1st February 2003. A spokeswoman for Industrial Relations Minister Gordon Nuttall said that “the Government had done all it could do to alert repairers to the new licensing requirements”. Yeah, yeah. Funny that they did not take out any adverts in SILICON CHIP or other relevant magazines. No, whether you are a repairer or just a consumer, you should get onto your local member of parliament and tell him or her that the situation is ridiculous. Furthermore, tell them that if the Electrical Safety Office was really interested in safety, they would not require electronics repairers to take out an irrele­vant licence. At this stage the politician might be wanting an intelligent alternative. You can give them this: If the ESO is really concerned about the safety of repaired electrical and electronic appliances, why don’t they require that a standard safety check be done and each appliance be fitted with a sticker to say it has passed. The safety test could include physical and electrical checks of the power cord, insulation resistance and so on. Wouldn’t that make more sense? The relevant portion of the Electrical Safety Act should immediately be sus­pended, repealed or otherwise nullified, to allow some common­sense to be brought to bear. But again, I’m not hopeful. Leo Simpson Special note: due to a printing problem, many readers in Western Australia have had difficulty obtaining a fault-free December 2002 issue. We arranged for the issue to be reprinted and sent to WA but evidently many readers were still unable to get copies from newsagents. To help those readers, we can supply the December 2002 issue for $6.60, including postage, until the end of March 2003. www.siliconchip.com.au