Greetings from South Aus

[sapyro]

Hi!

Any other aussies watching this forum?

[Ralph]

Yes there are pleanty of Aussies out there

there are over 400 over at truebluepyro ;)

[Knox-Pyro.com.au]

Hello I'm from Vic . I have a full license . I have a license to import and a license to sell fireworks. Any one else licensed in Australia .

[Ralph]

comeon I know there are pleanty of you lurking around pipe up and say hello

Knox pyro many of us are underground amature pyros we make what you buy so cheaply with much hard work and usually more expense many of us have a real passion for what we do and devote much of our time to it

[Knox-Pyro.com.au]

That's also the reason why its so heavily restricted for us licensed operators you blow an arm off we get another 200 pages of restrictions .

[geelongfwks]

Hi.... Steve, Geelong Fireworks here.
If you want to GET LEGAL we run a one week course, check our advert on the sponsors page.
Hello to Knox Pyro :-) and everyone else.
Let's support David and his site - I have got some great ideas from his videos as well!

[Ralph]

That's also the reason why its so heavily restricted for us licensed operators you blow an arm off we get another 200 pages of restrictions .
I'm not sure you completely understand what the average amateur does. the most common shell size made is 3" which frankly isn't capable of blowing ones arm off.

Say what you want about us but we are the real artists the one with passion in our hearts. We put blood sweat and tears and a considerable risk (legally) into painting our dark canvas. So don't you dare think of us real artists as a nuisance while you sit there making collage

By the way Steve if you can manage to put up a coarse that will allow an amateur to leggaly manufacture ill be there tomorrow.

[geelongfwks]

Hi Ralph.
I don't think legal pyro manuf. from a hobby point of view will ever happen in Australia.
To do "it" legally, you would have to get approved as a manufacturer from WorkSafe or your state's equivalent.
From memory apart from the specially built buildings, enormous safety distances between them and anything else and the $5000.00 licence fee, I don't think it is feasible for the "average joe" out there. Hence there are "you guys" and "us guys" :-) in Australia. Having said that getting a licence and going legal is THE way to go, whether through my company or any other.

[Ralph]

Hi Steve yeah I know about that specialty buildings and the land are not within my current budget (I'm not yet fully qualified as a chemical engineer) but it is my plan one day to become legal (Ive looked into what I should be earning and what banks will be willing to lend me). For many amateurs getting legal your way isn't really the way to go as it gives a government inspector the right to search your home at any time they see fit, which for many of us would mean putting down our paint brush picking up a magazine scissors and glue. and it really gets me fired up when someone like knox pyro (whos website shows pictures of starmines under the heading of "fountains" ) has a go at us artists who are actually passionate about what we do. I personally would get little joy from firing a shell made in china by a worker earning $3 per hour, the colors that I see in the cheap rubbishy shells used in professional displays disappoint me. Knox may have a piece of paper saying he knows how to use an E-fire system. I have a wireless e-fire system I built with my own two hands in the magazine with more safety features and user freindlyness than a commercial one that also says I know how to use a firing system. When a bright eyed young boy thirsty for knowledge at a fireworks display says "Walf how do they make the cowas" I can provide an answer (obviously depending on what they will be able to understand) but I can give a correct answer even explaining of the unique discrete energy levels of each element and how they are affected by the different anions affect the emission spectra, were as your average licensed pyro will say "blackpowder and chemicals" or " blackpowder and magnesium". When I was younger and I asked those very same questions the hillbilly's that got their licences told me that kind of rubbish

[Knox-Pyro.com.au]

Everything you make is an illegal firework and cant be sold so its rubbish to me . If you think the colored fountains on my website are star mines then you dont even know what your talking about if you can take a better static photo then go right ahead and advertise your own products on your own website at lest I'm running a legal business with all proper certifications and permits . if your worried about worksafe checking you home setup out then there must be something your trying to hide you must be cutting corners and doing things illegal . Passionate people get a license and do things by the book Worksafe can check my setup any time they want to . My factory in china pays the same wages to the workers as people here get payed So tell us another lie . If you think you can make a better product then let us see some . I build my own firing systems to Australian Standards and requirements do you even know what the Australian Standards are for firing systems or are you just guessing ? Not all my products are up on my website yet, and i have 1000 of photos to add , Getting an acceptable photo is difficult when your trying to do a show and film it. Every product i sell i have seen it made and had a go at making it in my china plant and i have tested it to meet my requirements and worksafe requirements .

I have spent to much time with an un licensed know it all , that makes his own rules up as he goes along , lets see your products for sale .

You seem to be a person knocking peoples businesses because they wont sell to you because your not licensed .

[Knox-Pyro.com.au]

Its come to my attention Ralph is not from Australia so he probably dose not know about Australian regulations Or the fact that all fireworks are illegal in Australia unless used by licensed pyros and he should not be commenting on Australian regulations if he dose not know about them . America has way different rules and regulation governing fireworks than Australia has . We dont have consumer fireworks in Australia if your caught making fireworks in your house you can lose your house if you store inappropriately then you can get massive fines and face court and jail sentences .

[displayfireworks1]

Wow, here is something I never anticipated going on in the Australian forum. I am trying to stay out of it to some degree. It looks like fireworks are very tightly regulated in Australia. I would love to learn the history behind the regulation. Hell you can not even smuggle them across the border, you are surrounded by ocean. What I know of Ralph he is a good guy and it looks like the fireworks hobbyist are frowned upon by folks in the business. But this may be the result of all the regulations; do people in the business feel the hobbyist is to blame for these regulations? It would be great to get some background. Is it difficult to get a license to purchase fireworks legally in Australia?
Just as a side note is Knox-Pyro.com a company that sells fireworks because I request companies selling products on the discussion forums be a register advertiser.
Ralph is from Australia because I mailed something to him in Australia.

Dave displayfireworks1 pyrotalk.com Administrator

[Ralph]

Knox I'm Am from Australia and I am not at all upset about not being able to purchase fireworks, the last time I sought to purchase fireworks was on a trip Europe (8 years ago) and they were purchased and used fully abiding by that countries laws.

Sadly I do understand the regulations that we as Australians are subject to and one day wish to personally manufacture devices legally.

I do not wish to create a hostile environment I simply am standing up for my fellow artists who dedicate time effort and money into their (unfortunately illegal) art form, when you accuse us of being a nuisance.

Also Im just going to throw this question out there, Why would someone pay and suffer the expensive restrictions of shipping 1.4g product when if the workers were being paid identically to Australian workers the same product could be made domestically by simply importing the the raw materials(which is far cheaper as the regulations on oxidisers/dangerous when wet/flammable solid ect. are not so strict)which would carry the added benefit of an Australian made label.

I don't want to discredit your business in any way (in fact I wish that you prosper and your sales increase 4 fold) what I do wish is for you to recognise that there are artists out there and we do not wish you harm, I am constantly campaigning on the safe manufacture storage and use of pyrotechnics (as most of us are) I began making black powder for around 10 years now(what I count as the true begging of the hobby) and have not had a single accident

anyway Ill stop rambling now