BUILDING COMMISSION AWARDED TOP HONOURS

							Media Release
From the Building Commission                                                            5 December 2005

BUILDING COMMISSION PROSECUTES SHONKY BUILDERS


The Building Commission is continuing its crack down on shonky builders who breach the professional
standards set by the Building Act (1993).

With 20,000 registered building practitioners in Victoria, a small number have demonstrated that they are
unfit to practice. Over the past 12 months, 12 builders have been prosecuted at the Magistrates Court,
while 63 have faced penalties from the Building Practitioners Board.

“The building industry is being sent a clear message that if builders don’t measure up to the standards
expected by the Victorian community, they will pay the consequences,” Building Commissioner Tony Arnel
said today.

“We are reprimanding those who reduce the generally outstanding quality of building work in Victoria.
Unscrupulous conduct will not be tolerated by those working within the building industry,” he said.

The high number of prosecutions comes at a time when building activity figures in Victoria are at the record
high of $15.7 billion for the 2004/05 financial year.

The builders who appeared at the Magistrates Court faced substantial fines with two receiving good
behaviour bonds without conviction.

“The professional conduct of our registered building practitioners is extremely important in maintaining
integrity and credibility of the building industry.

“Domestic and commercial builders, building surveyors, draftspersons and building inspectors who
undermine the integrity of the industry will have convictions against their names along with thousands of
dollars worth of fines and associated costs. The Building Commission will not stand for substandard work
that compromises safety or the industry’s integrity,” Mr Arnel said.

In addition to the Magistrates Court prosecutions, 20 registered building practitioners had their registrations
cancelled or suspended as a result of the 63 inquiries heard by the Building Practitioners Board, an
independent statutory body established under the Building Act.

“It has been a busy year and while I hope the number of builders facing penalties next year will decrease,
this reinforces that the Building Commission will not tolerate shoddy or unscrupulous work.

“For the builders out there that think they will get away with delivering substandard work, be warned. It is
not a matter of if you will get caught, it is when,” Mr Arnel said.

                                                    - MTC-



_____________________________________________________________________________________________
For further information, contact Richard Curran
Marketing and Public Relations, Building Commission
T: 03 9285 6335
E: rcurran@buildingcommission.com.au
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Breakdown of prosecutions and inquiries held from October 2004 to October 2005

                Number of inquiries                    Number of Prosecutions
                (heard by the BPB)                 (heard by the Magistrates Court)
                         63                                         12
           Registrations suspended from
                                                        Bonds & diversions issued:
                      inquiries:
                          7                       5 good behaviour bonds or diversions
            Registrations cancelled from
                                                 Convictions given from prosecutions:
                      inquiries:
                         15                                    6 convictions
          Total fines issued from inquiries:     Total fines issued from prosecutions:
                       $85,241                                   $42,250




                                               -ENDS-




_____________________________________________________________________________________________
For further information, contact Richard Curran
Marketing and Public Relations, Building Commission
T: 03 9285 6335
E: rcurran@buildingcommission.com.au