Peasea - it is usually your local association secretary that asks you to send a copy of current PL insurance rather than Society.  Ours requests it annually at billing time and chases everyone up until they have sent it.  I believe an insurance company may query paying out if you had let your licence lapse - given that insurers hate paying out for anything!!  Best not to court disaster I think. 

Course costs have risen that's for sure - can't say quality has always though.  The costs have risen because now the PGDB requires courses to be written by technical writers so that it passes their requirement.  These courses cost between $2500 - $5000 to have written and then you must pay for the facilitators (in the old days the merchants, suppliers, manufacturers just did their own at absorbed the cost), the venue and supper if provided.  This is what makes them relatively expensive compared to the free ones.  If the nature of upskilling changes we may see a return to the free type course.  But free is of course not free really, someone pays - we just hope it is someone else.

Hi Peasea
I had a laugh about that - I think we have a pretty on to it Secretary who diarises these things.  Interesting your association doesn't ask for it though.  My understanding is that points are still required up until 31 March 2011 for licensing 2012.  However it is a moving target at this stage.  The gazette notice that the RRC wanted disallowed, didn't get disallowed because the Minister and Government along with ACT voted against it.  The whole situation is a shambles - and I wouldn't be surprised to see a heap of plumbers and drainlayers not with enough points to relicence next year.   The system is corrupt as it is and wide open to wroughting.  The sooner it is gone the better.