Fighting for Subbies Rights
Les Williams from Subcontractors Alliance has come though for the Subcontractors of Queensland again. Someone please give this bloke the Order Of Australia or whatever the highest honour is, he has done more for subcontractors than any ten men.
- A second term Palaszczuk Government has committed to defending subcontractors who are victims of Cullen Group and Queensland One Homes.
- Labor has confirmed they will provide funding for legal action to secure public examination under the Corporations Act 2001 of the persons of interest in these liquidations.
- The funds will be made available from the QBCC.
My advice to the directors of both of these companies is to vote for the LNP, it's your only hope because we all know they will do nothing for subbies. they only work for their big end of town mates who fund their campaigns.
The shockwave from this funding promise will be a powerful deterrent to any builder who thinks they can run up huge debts with subbies and then liquidate it away. There is one person on the Gold Coast who has done this 3 times now and there are many others but their days are numbered.
Statement from Les Williams
Company directors who wish to engage in targeting subcontractors revenue and their advisors, need to understand that we are sick of it and we demand action and are now getting it. That's why I recently wrote to the PM and requested the serious financial crimes unit of the AFP be asked to investigate these insolvencies and those associated with them. This funding is a real good start.
This public examination funding will allow the liquidator of both Cullen and Q1 Homes to subpoena information and documents related to the insolvency of both companies and further examination of all related parties in a court of law.
The Subcontractors Alliance has held serious concerns about the lawfulness of 35 main contractor insolvencies in Queensland since Walton (2014) that has cost over 4000 subcontractors hundreds of millions of dollars.
Further we have previously expressed our concern at the lack of prosecutions in this regard and the extremely poor investigations and conduct of some legal and insolvency professionals.
We welcome this funding.
22.11.16
We try to stay apolitical but sometimes that's just not possible when you see subbies and their families going down in flames on a daily basis.
After 4 years of extremely hard work and effort by Subcontractors Alliance to get The Building Industry Fairness Act through Parliament to protect subbies money, we have to tell it like it is.
The LNP won't commit to supporting the new legislation so they don't get our vote. Stuff the elitists, you have already done enough damage, this is what we think of you clowns >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SUBCONTRACTORS ALLIANCE NOTICE
The Subcontractors Alliance asked the following political parties ‘can you give subcontractors an unequivocal yes / no answer to these 2 questions’
- Do you support all of the reforms contained in the Building industry Fairness Act ?
- Do you support the roll out of Project Bank Accounts to private sector projects after the one year pilot period?
LNP
We received no answers to our questions from the LNP, they just couldn't be bothered, they must have had a fund raising dinner to attend at their mates MBQ Headquarters.
It's no secret the LNP are in bed with the MBQ and HIA. Both oppose the Building Industry Fairness laws particularly the roll out of project bank accounts to private sector projects to the point where the MBQ launched a massive and hugely expensive political advertising campaign against Labor's legislation.
LNP Policies
The LNP policies (LNP web-site) should be a serious concern for subcontractors, suppliers and small business in general.
Again the LNP say they will remove ‘red tape’ – the guise used by the Newman Government in 2014 to amend the Building & Construction Industry Payments Act and the MFR licensing policy.
Both amendments have inflicted serious financial pain on subcontractors and suppliers since. ($500m)
Of further concern is the LNP were warned (in 2014) of the financial destruction their 2014 changes would cause small business and ignored the warnings.
They are fully aware of the resultant significant financial damage to building industry small business yet look set to embark on that destructive path again.
Ministerial Council
The LNP policy document (web-site) shows a plan to establish a Ministerial Council (infrastructure bidding) that includes so called peak bodies, infrastructure and construction companies, professional advisors to the infrastructure industry (legal, accounting and engineering firms).
As with 2014, there are no subcontractor groups included.
Under this LNP policy document the ‘big end of town’ will be deciding policy that benefits ‘the big end of town’ just like 2014 and 75,000 Building Industry Subcontractors and Suppliers will become invisible again.
The powers given to the Ministerial Council under this policy document are:If certain elements of procurement process don’t add value - we will change them.
- If some contractual arrangements or terms inefficiently shift risk or obligations - we will change them.
- If standards and specifications are inappropriate - we will change them.
- The Council will look at areas for improvement including:
- Procurement processes • Contractual arrangements • Standards and specifications
Our observation
Points 1 & 3 may be perceived as providing an avenue for the return of cheap imported building materials at the expense of the QLD first policy, giving increased builder profits and decreased public safety.
- You only have to look at the Grenfell Tower London fire to see the catastrophic damage cheap imported products can cause.
- Point 2 when combined with cutting red tape may be perceived as providing an avenue to continue with unfair contracts and an avenue to attack project bank accounts or whatever the Council perceives benefits ‘the big end of town’.
- The last time they cut red tape in 2014 was the disastrous MFR changes that have cost the subbies and suppliers of Queensland 500 million dollars.
It is trade contractors and small businesses that employ Queenslanders not the big end of town - without us there are no jobs, less construction and the economy of Queensland suffers.
The economy only exists if money flows through and people get paid. Concentrate money in one class of people who cannot or do not pay their bills and you have an aristocracy that does not grow the economy.
ONE NATION
We have not had the courtesy of a response from Pauline Hanson to our 2 questions.
The serious concern we have is Pauline Hanson’s relationship with the MBQ and her belief the Building Industry Fairness laws are ‘no good’ because ‘the MBQ told her so’. So we are still not aware if Pauline Hanson consulted more widely than the MBQ.
We asked Steve Dixon the questions directly at a forum held in Buderim (15/11 /17). Steve Dixon indicated that he supported subcontractors getting paid.
LABOR PARTY
The Building Industry Fairness laws are labor legislation passed 2 days prior to the election announcement. They have received royal assent but sections of the legislation that includes project bank accounts need proclamation.
HETTY JOHNSTON (independent contesting Macalister)
Hetty Johnston AM, AM, is the Founder and Chair of Bravehearts, Australia's leading child protection organisation.
This is from Hetty Johnston (email)
‘I’m your girl! I once started a group called BIAG (Building Industry Action Group) with an earthmoving contractor from Jimboomba and others to deal with just these issues on large sites. Hetty said;
- My husband is a tradie.
- We have two small businesses.
- I hear you!
- You will have a friend in me for sure.’
KATTER AUSTRALIA PARTY
- Mr Robbie Katter of KAP answered ‘Yes’ to both of our questions.
PLEASE DRAW YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS and cast your vote for a person or party that supports our struggle to get a fair deal for subbies who have been ignored for far too long.
Les Williams
SUBCONTRACTORS ALLIANCE