Dodgy builders under the spotlight

It has been a tough time in the building game, from supply chain and labour impediments that still haunt the industry well after COVID lockdowns were over, to red tape and compliance barriers that slow the whole job down, resulting in many builders reconsidering their future.

To top this off, due to the high demand for building and renovation projects, unscrupulous unlicensed builders and trades are damaging the industries reputation.

So, it comes as great news the relevant authority for compliance in this sector, the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has announced that it has unregistered and unlicensed practitioners in its sights as it moves to crack down on Victoria’s dodgy builders.

The VBA has issued a warning to Victorian consumers about the dangers of engaging unregistered or unlicensed workers and launched a new online link where consumers can provide a tip off about potentially dodgy practitioners.

Master Builders Victoria (MBV) acknowledged this announcement as a necessary initiative to clean up the industry and return some confidence to the job.

MBV chief executive officer Michaela Lihou said her organisation welcomed the VBA’s renewed focus on unregistered or unlicensed workers in a bid to protect consumers from uninsured and unqualified operators and the potential safety and financial dangers they bring with them.

“There’s too many of them out there putting both consumers and the reputation of our industry at risk and we’re urging the VBA to use all powers at its disposal to stamp out these clearly illegal practices.

“Our members have worked hard to earn their registration and our industry and consumers both deserve to be protected from the efforts of dodgy builders who seem to think they can get away with doing the wrong thing.”

The VBA says it has visited more than 1,100 building sites since October and has committed to continuing its statewide inspection blitz, with unregistered operators potentially facing fines of up to $99,000 for an individual and almost half a million dollars for a company.

However, Ms Lihou said the key to strengthening the Victorian building industry is to tackle its challenges from both ends.

“We definitely need the government to send a strong message to illegal operators that there are significant consequences for bad practices, but at the same time, we’re urging the government to better support the good guys of the industry who are committed to doing the right thing.

“For some time now, we’ve been advocating for a range of reforms to unlock construction in Victoria in the face of unprecedented housing demand and better support the industry to get on with building better buildings.

“The VBA’s crackdown is a great first step, we now hope we can work collaboratively with the government and our key industry stakeholders to push forward with creating solutions to issues such as residential contracts reforms to alleviate builder solvency challenges and securing a desperately need pipeline of skilled trades.”