There is an urgent community need to have easy access to realistic and clear information on how the domestic building industry works and how it is governed.
With a national focus, each state and territory has its own regulators, building act, regulations, even its own consumer laws.
Federation of stares is starting to fail us as we are only 25 Million people.
Money matters when we are talking about who controls the building industry.
There is not one “lone consumer,” there is a complete hierarchy of power, influence, and control above their rights. This hidden ladder of power is not apparent until the consumer has a problem with part of the building supply chain, and then it becomes immediately obvious.
Collectively we have spoken to many families over the years who have been trapped in a “shonky builder” scenario. That shonky building practitioner story now regularly fills a news timeslot on TV like a soapie, by its nature repetitive with the same rogue cast, scripts, and modus operandi.
There is an endless parade of tragic stories where ordinary people, and families, young and old, are destroyed and left financially and emotionally ruined by this inherently flawed and derelict system.
The building sector and those industries that feed off it defies change, maintaining the status quo, being continually endorsed by the vested interests of the other sectors in the spheres of power.
The ever-rising number of reprobate and rogue practitioners coupled with slipshod governance, the chaotic enforcement and the continual endorsement of this known broken system causes extreme financial and emotional detriment.
The current building industry model is not a responsible nor a viable long-term industry position. Only a symbiotic strategy can provide a reasonable financial return on investment and endeavour for all.
Starting with the largest in the spheres of influence, the next post will look at the current role insurance plays for the building consumer in the state of Victoria.
Fiona O’Hehir & the Team