The integration of the Australian Petroleum Industry Contractors and Suppliers Association (APICSA) with the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association (ACAPMA) sees the former APICSA Council become the ACAPMA Equipment & Services Council.
On Wednesday 22 April, ACAPMA announced new arrangements for championing the interests of petroleum equipment and services businesses in Australia. These arrangements include the establishment of the ACAPMA Equipment and Services Council and the launch of a major new initiative to accredit industry contractors in the future.
In Melbourne recently, APICSA CEO Russell Dupuy and a number of APICSA Council Members met ACAPMA CEO Mark McKenzie to discuss how to give greater voice to the specific needs of petroleum contractors and equipment providers as a matter of priority.“At this meeting, I reiterated the absolute commitment of the ACAPMA Board of Management to make the integration work positively for all parties as soon as practical,” Mr McKenzie said.
Having officially ‘acquired’ the Australian Petroleum Industry Contractors and Suppliers Association (APICSA) in July 2014, and after 12 months of trying to operate APICSA as a discrete entity supported by the ACAPMA Secretariat, the decision to create the ACAPMA Equipment and Services (E&S) Council is expected to provide greater clarity for APICSA members. Most importantly, service provision and industry representation will be supported by a secretariat comprising six full-time employees and a track record of success in championing the bona-fide interests of the wider downstream petroleum industry. “The specific interests of E&S Associates will be championed by a dedicated Advisory Council that will set the policy agenda in consultation with the ACAPMA Board,” Mr McKenzie said.
Members of the Advisory Council will be elected by all E&S Associates for a two-year term. This term will be concurrent with the term of the ACAPMA Board and the Council will operate in full accordance with the existing ACAPMA Constitution and Rules.
The first priority of the new Advisory Council will be to oversee the development of an accreditation scheme for industry contractors.
“This issue is relatively complex and was the subject of a recent half-day workshop with key stakeholders in Melbourne,” Mr McKenzie said.
The workshop determined that the first step in resolving this issue would be to develop a training program for petroleum industry contractors and then formally recognise those providers who have successfully completed the training program via a national recognition program administered by ACAPMA.