Thursday, 7 March 2024

Home building industry

Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:21): My question is to the Assistant Treasurer. Apex Homes collapsed on 28 February 2024, leaving families shattered. Yesterday the government chose to cut off eligibility for the liquidated builders customer support payment scheme at 20 February 2024. Is the government deliberately excluding families affected by the Apex Homes collapse?

Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:21): I am delighted to again receive another question from the member for Kew on these issues. What is always surprising, every time I have been asked to answer a question here, is that those opposite never, ever attack the businesses that have potentially engaged in illegal activity. You never go after them. You never turn around and say it is the fault of these businesses.

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the minister is not dealing with the matter, which is actually a very, very serious matter, and I would ask you to bring the minister back to the question that was asked.

The SPEAKER: Minister, I ask you to come back to the question that was asked.

Danny PEARSON: Let us just work our way through this briefly. Businesses in many cases have behaved in the most appalling way possible. They have behaved in some of the most egregious ways, and that has resulted in people going through unimaginable sorrow. I want to thank the member for South Barwon in particular, who is not here, as well as a member for Yan Yean, who is here, for their advocacy. These hardworking local members have been strong advocates on behalf of their communities, raising this as an issue. The issue has been the appalling behaviour of the individual businesses involved, who have got neither care nor responsibility for these individuals. The issue here is in relation to Montego Homes. Montego Homes, as I understand it, was originally in administration and then they went into liquidation. It is not the government’s role –

James Newbury: On a point of order, Speaker, under standing order 58, the question actually related to Apex Homes.

The SPEAKER: The Assistant Treasurer was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Danny PEARSON: It is not the government’s position to be funnelling taxpayer funds to businesses which have not yet entered into liquidation. The issue here is that when Montego Homes went into liquidation that is when the government stepped in. The member for Kew asked a question, ‘Why did you put 20 February as the date?’ Let us just think about that for a moment. Let us suppose, for example, we turned around and said, ‘Don’t worry about it, if you go into liquidation between now and 30 June, we’ll step up and cover the bill.’ What incentive do you think that would create for those businesses to take out insurance? There would be none. It would be effectively a moral hazard where businesses could act any which way they like and the state would be on the hook. That would be entirely irresponsible, and that demonstrates why those opposite are manifestly incapable of understanding government.

Jess WILSON (Kew) (14:25): Jonathan from the Narre Warren South electorate said:

The stress of losing our deposit and House dream is real!!! We are living a nightmare …

… we need the government to step in and assist us and include Apex homes as part of the liquidated Builder scheme extension.

Given Apex Homes collapsed on 28 February, before the government’s announcement yesterday, will the Assistant Treasurer now extend support to Jonathan and other families affected?

Danny PEARSON (Essendon – Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC) (14:25): What I would say is this was not a fund just designed for Montego. We have indicated that it is for businesses that collapsed between 1 July 2023 and February 2024.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Berwick can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Berwick withdrew from chamber.

Danny PEARSON: I am very happy if the member for Kew would like to provide me with additional information. I do say the member for Kew usually does tend to follow through on these things, unlike some opposite. I am very happy to receive that information and take that on notice.