May has delivered no shortage of movement across the test and tag space - from policy shifts and industry events through to practical compliance challenges that are becoming harder for growing businesses to ignore. With EOFY now in sight, the timing couldn’t be more relevant.
Federal Budget 26-27 - What Matters for Test & Tag
The latest Federal Budget included some new measures that may be relevant to businesses managing electrical safety and compliance.
One of the biggest is the proposed move toward free public access to Australian Standards, which could make it easier for businesses to reference key compliance documents without the usual paywall.
There’s also the continuation of the $20,000 instant asset write-off, which may be welcome news for businesses considering equipment upgrades heading into EOFY.
On the workforce side, the broader push to ease labour shortages continues - although whether that meaningfully helps hands-on industries in the short term remains to be seen.
If you missed our full breakdown, we’ve detailed what the Federal Budget could mean for the test and tag industry.
Winter Tag Colour Change Incoming
With winter fast approaching, here's a quick practical reminder for businesses working under the construction, demolition and mining testing intervals - the test tag colours switch to blue from June as part of the seasonal rotation.
For businesses managing scheduled inspections across worksites, fleets or larger equipment programs, these changeovers can creep up very quickly if consumables haven't been planned ahead.
If this sits within your area of responsibility, now's a good time to make sure you're ready for the switch before June arrives.
If you need a refresher, read our test tag colour requirements guide.
We're at HIRE26
We're officially at HIRE26 in Sydney at Booth 41, talking all things test and tag for the hire and rental industry.
As part of our partnership with the HRIA, it’s a great opportunity to connect face-to-face with hire businesses looking to strengthen their compliance processes, bring testing in-house, or simply make their current setup more efficient.
Scott Beel, our CEO, and Matthew Cane our resident test and tag expert will be there across the event, so if you’re attending, come over and say hello.
If you’re attending HIRE26 and test and tag is anywhere on your radar, make sure you stop by and have a chat with the team.
A Growing Challenge for Multi-Site Compliance
After touching on multiple product recalls last month, it's worth reinforcing that electrical safety and compliance are an ongoing process - not a set-and-forget exercise.
As more businesses look to bring testing and tagging in-house, one challenge we’re seeing more often is what happens once compliance extends beyond a single location.
What works well when one person is managing testing at one site can quickly become harder to control across multiple branches, teams, or contractors.
Different people may test differently. Records get stored in separate places. Testing intervals can be interpreted inconsistently. And without a clear process, accountability becomes much harder to maintain.
From what we’ve seen working with businesses across a wide range of industries, it’s rarely the testing itself that becomes the issue - it’s consistency. For businesses growing their operations, it’s an area worth thinking about early rather than once the cracks appear.
20 Years in Business (And Something Big is Coming)
This year marks 20 years in business for Test & Tag Training and the wider EXELTest&Tag group.
That’s two decades of helping businesses train their teams, strengthen compliance and navigate an industry that’s changed significantly over the years.
From evolving standards and shifting compliance expectations through to changes in equipment, record-keeping, and how businesses manage testing internally, plenty has changed. But our focus on electrical safety and helping raise awareness across the industry hasn’t.
A genuine thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way.
To mark the milestone, we’re also gearing up for our biggest EOFY campaign yet across Appliance Testing Supplies - with major specials and bonus offers we think might just turn a few heads.
If test and tag equipment upgrades are on the radar, it may be worth keeping an eye on Appliance Testing Supplies over the coming weeks.
