Not Fit for Purpose

Industry Part 1

This overview is of an industry plagued with problems, not least caused by the disproportionate number of unscrupulous practitioners that it attracts but also the vested interests of the member associations and the deliberately ineffectual and yet calculated agencies surrounding this imploding mess.

In 2021, $44.6 billion worth of building permits were issued in Victoria, yet the industry is a disaster of epic proportions. Its reputation is soiled; consumers are growing tired of the stupid rhetoric the collective marketing flying the flag high as more families fall prey to the never-ending unethical behaviour.

The industry lurches from crisis to crisis, with bankrupt builders, negligent practitioners, corrupt practices, combustible cladding, unregistered specialists and tradespeople, and the final nail; company phoenixing is rife. These poor and unethical practices are still permitted and remain unfettered at all levels.

This industry basket case will not be remedied by another conference, soiree, or backroom deal. The regulators need to regulate, not hedge and protect those unscrupulous practitioners that fall below par. The industry has become unsustainable due to years of policy failure and neglect; lowering the performance bar of what is acceptable does not work.

• corrupt practices need to be exposed and weeded out,

• poor product needs to be pushed out of the market

• remove the wimpy regulator jargon of “not fit for purpose.”

• serial offenders properly and permanently removed from practice

• truncate the life of the corporate junkies.

• get rid of BWI and return to first resort insurance

• require all practitioners to have professional indemnity insurance

The building sector is Victoria’s most significant employer; it is common sense for the future of the state economy that it stays on an even keel. This said, it should not be at the expense of the consumer who purchases its products or services.

Fiona O’Hehir & the Team

Having encountered many of these issues, we want to share experiences to assist others in avoiding what we did not. We are not lawyers, nor do we give