Home building industry
Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (18:13): (758) My adjournment tonight is directed towards the Assistant Treasurer, and it concerns the liquidated builders customer support scheme. Customers of Montego Homes and Chatham Homes today are ecstatic after the government finally announced an extension of the scheme – after the government was dragged kicking and screaming by the Liberals and Nationals. We heard voices in the debate, like Jess from Doreen, who made it quite clear in the media – I know on the front page of the Whittlesea Review yesterday she made it quite clear – that the government should offer them the same support as offered to Porter Davis customers. We saw that many other families, including at least a dozen from Mount Duneed, got coverage on the front page of the Geelong Advertiser, and I know my colleague Mrs McArthur has been quite a big advocate for those families as well. They say that their local member did nothing and that they were a bit puzzled as to why he was not speaking out publicly. It was only the Liberals and Nationals that offered that vocal support and emotional support to them in their time of need. I am very pleased that the government made this decision – only a day after over a thousand signatures were tabled in this place calling on the government to extend that support. However, despite the announcement, constituents of mine in Wollert and others around have already raised issues of noncompliance.
Exactly one week ago, on 28 February, the Supreme Court ordered Apex Homes into liquidation. Like Montego and Chatham and Porter Davis – literally exactly the same – Apex failed to take out appropriate insurance on behalf of some of their customers. Unfortunately, the government’s extension only applies to builders liquidated up until 20 February. We believe the government must extend the scheme indefinitely until the Victorian Building Authority can get on top of their enforcement of domestic building insurance requirements under law. Jonathan Dhondee from Narre Warren actually wrote to me. He has a family of four, two young girls, and has lost a $41,000 deposit. There are at least a dozen customers in Victoria and at least five families he knows of that have been affected as well. We cannot have this heartbreaking situation continue where the great Australian dream becomes the great Labor nightmare for many of these families, so I seek the action of the minister to extend the support scheme to cover families affected by the Apex Homes collapse as well.