About Australian Plumbing Industry

Australian Plumbing Industry

Overview

Australian Plumbing Industry is the quarterly magazine of the Master Plumbers' and Mechanical Services Association of Australia (MPMSAA), the peak plumbing industry association based in Brunswick, Melbourne. Carrying the banner "Australia's industry and member news", it is the association's official journal for the plumbing and mechanical services trade, produced in industry and member editions and distributed nationally to plumbing businesses, contractors and industry partners. Recent issues run under the shortened running title Australian Plumbing Magazine, while the formal masthead name remains Australian Plumbing Industry magazine. The title is registered with ISSN 1325-6289 and Print Post number PP100019076. Its Spring 2026 edition, published from the association's Brunswick office, leads with the debate over Australia's gas transition, new lead-free plumbing product rules, National Construction Code changes and the association's growing international role — a typical mix for a magazine that blends advocacy reporting, technical guidance, member news and product coverage. It is a separate publication from the similarly named Master Plumber magazine produced by the Queensland association, and from commercial plumbing trade titles.

History

The magazine's publisher traces its origins to 1891, when 57 plumbing contractors established the Associated Master Plumbers of Victoria, paying a £5 entrance fee and £1 subscription. The association grew into today's Master Plumbers' and Mechanical Services Association of Australia, and its publishing operation is long-standing: in its FY2026 print media kit, the publisher states that "for over 130 years, Australian Plumbing magazine has been the leading source of industry news, innovation, and product information" — a claim of lineage that rests on the association's continuous publishing for its members since the nineteenth century. The magazine itself maintains a visible interest in that heritage: recent editions carry a recurring Heritage Collection column, and the association's heritage curator has written in the magazine about researching its historic ledger files and board minutes from 1892. The modern quarterly run is documented in the association's own online archive, which hosts full PDF editions from at least 2018 through to the Spring 2026 issue. Mastheads from that period record Kate Stephenson as editor in 2018, with Peter Daly as chief executive; Daly remained CEO through the Autumn 2025 edition. In 2025 Ashleigh Dalmau took over as chief executive, and the Spring 2026 issue reports her election to the World Plumbing Council at that year's World Plumbing Conference in Birmingham. Norm Anderson serves as association president and writes the magazine's presidential welcome.

Programming and Content

Each quarterly edition follows a consistent structure built around the working concerns of plumbing businesses. A presidential welcome and chief executive's commentary open the issue, followed by an industry feature on a major policy or market question — recent examples include the proposed transition away from gas connections, the phase-out of lead in drinking-water products from May 2026, and the usability of the National Construction Code. Standing sections include Tech Talk, practical technical guidance on installation and compliance questions; Tech's Most Wanted, which answers frequently asked technical questions; Around the Nation, a state-by-state roundup of industry developments; member profiles profiling plumbing businesses and their people; Business Insights, covering business management, workplaces and growth; vehicle reviews aimed at trade buyers; health and wellbeing coverage (one Autumn 2023 feature, "Reaching out to Bluehats", dealt with mental health support for tradespeople); trainer profiles linked to the association's apprenticeship programs; travel and lifestyle pieces; the Heritage Collection column; and a closing product news section showcasing new tools, fittings and systems from suppliers. The magazine also marks industry calendar fixtures such as World Plumbing Day, which an Autumn 2023 editorial described as "a timely reminder of the vital role that plumbing plays". Advocacy reporting is central: the magazine documents the association's submissions on licensing, contractor payment terms, apprenticeship incentives, continuing professional development and enforcement against unlicensed operators, and explains regulatory changes — such as Victoria's lead-free requirements and gas safety amendments — in operational terms for practitioners. Occasional supplements have included the association's group training news.

Audience and Reach

The magazine is written for plumbing and mechanical services businesses: licensed plumbers, gasfitters, contracting firm owners, apprentices and the suppliers and manufacturers who sell to them. According to the publisher's FY2026 print media kit, approximately 20,000 printed copies are posted Australia-wide each quarter — approximately 11,000 to Victoria, 5,000 to New South Wales, 3,500 to Queensland and 500 to other states and territories — with a further approximately 3,000 digital recipients, giving a publisher-stated reach of 23,000 industry professionals. The same media kit describes the title as Australia's largest-circulating magazine for plumbing professionals; that superlative is the publisher's own description rather than an independently audited figure. The association's corporate partner documentation for FY2026-27 similarly puts the magazine at approximately 20,000 print subscribers and 3,000 digital recipients. Distribution is anchored in the association's membership — the association reports more than 900 member businesses in Victoria — extended nationally through the state Master Plumbers associations whose members also receive the magazine.

Digital Presence

The magazine's digital home is the Publications section of the Master Plumbers website at plumber.com.au, where full editions are published as PDFs and can be read back to at least 2018. Presidential welcomes and feature articles are also republished as news items on the site, extending the print content to a general web audience. Digital recipients receive the edition electronically, and the association supports the magazine with a monthly eNews email to members, event promotions and social media channels that carry magazine stories between quarterly editions. The website itself is the association's main service hub, covering membership, training, continuing professional development and apprentice employment, with the magazine positioned as its flagship print and digital publication.

Ownership and Organisation

Australian Plumbing Industry is owned and published by the Master Plumbers' and Mechanical Services Association of Australia (ABN 56 296 473 997), a not-for-profit industry association headquartered at Unit 15, 306 Albert Street, Brunswick, in Melbourne's inner north; the association's Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre operates from the same Albert Street complex. The magazine is produced in-house: mastheads credit the association as publisher, with advertising handled by its own team on (03) 9321 0704 and advertising bookings managed through the membership team. Printing is by Southern Colour on FSC-certified paper using vegetable-based inks, with distribution handled by DD Mail, according to the magazine's imprint. Editorial responsibility within the association sits with its executive: Ashleigh Dalmau as chief executive (from 2025) and Norm Anderson as president, whose columns frame each edition. The publishing association also sits at the centre of the wider Master Plumbers network: a presidential message in a recent edition records that Master Plumbers Australia and New Zealand (MPANZ) represents the state associations of both countries at national level, with the Victorian association currently acting as its secretariat, and the association wholly operates Plumbing Apprenticeships Victoria, the industry's group training scheme — activities the magazine regularly reports on for members.

Contact and Availability

The magazine is published from Master Plumbers, Unit 15, 306 Albert Street, Brunswick VIC 3056. General enquiries can be made on (03) 9329 9622 or 1800 133 871, and subscription changes — including unsubscribing — are handled through the 1800 number or by emailing info@plumber.com.au; advertising enquiries go to advertising@plumber.com.au. Editions appear quarterly on a seasonal cycle (Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer), distributed to members and industry subscribers in print and digital form, with recent editions freely readable in the Publications archive at www.plumber.com.au/publications.