Work in progress

Helen Penrose, history of the Plumbing Industry Commission .

This book was commissioned to record the history of occupational licensing of plumbers in Victoria and the role of the Plumbing Industry Commission, which was formed in 1914 as the Plumbers and Gasfitters Advisory Board. This book reminds us that plumbers are guardians of public health and safety.

Plumbers have been licensed in Victoria for far longer than they have been asked to be registered. Licensing is the official authorisation of appropriately qualified plumbers to carry out their work. Registration is the creation of an official list or register of appropriately q ualified plumbers. The Sewers and Water Supply Branch of the Department of Public Works issued plumbing licences from the mid-1860s. A formal system of registration for plumbers and gasfitters did not commence until 1890. Plumbers and gasfitters were asked to register with the Board of Public Health. Meanwhile, gasfitters were regulated by private gas companies and not required to hold licences by law until 1988.

In 1914 the Plumbers and Gasfitters Advisory Board was formed under the arm of the Board of Public Health. This Board was short-lived, collapsing in 1917 and not re-formed until 1932. The Board has played a vital role in the Victorian plumbing industry since this time. Understanding the history of the Board’s development will illuminate for the reader the background to many contemporary issues facing the Plumbing Industry Commission today.