Greetings,
I live on the island state of Tasmania, I learnt distilling undertaking an internship at a licensed distillery I have built to use once licensed, 6" four sieve/plate column still hand made by myself.
Over the last couple of years I have been traveling around Tasmania and NSW touring the distilleries meeting the folks behind the scenes discussing their distilling techniques, some distilleries produce from paddock to bottle, that is they grow their own grain, totally self sufficient which is a real feat as any of you would know that goes this route, I take my hat off to them.
I have been involved in the hobby distillation scene for a number of years now and promote safety, knowledge and interaction between the hobbyist and professional, hopefully Australia will soon legalise home distillation as New Zealand did many years ago. I do feel it would also be prudent that the hobbyist needs to display their knowledge of distilling and safety measures undertaken whilst distilling and pay for a permit.
In finishing, I hope I can add to the discusion and help as best as I can.
JayD.