Ravenhall prison construction
Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:19): My question is for the Minister for Small Business and concerns a firm, RPR Trades, which has incurred a significant debt while supplying labour on the Ravenhall construction project. Minister, an RPR Trades client, Cellcon Australia, went into voluntary liquidation late last year leaving accumulated debts of almost $650 000 for work carried out on this Ravenhall project, a state government project of course. Whilst there is no dispute between RPR and Cellcon, there appears to have been aggressive behaviour by John Holland, who were withholding significant progress payments. RPR Trades has sought to honour wages and payments in full to all employees and stakeholders on Ravenhall, entering into an understanding that they would be afforded some degree of protection on the basis it was a state project. They received zero compensation, and I therefore ask: what action will you take as small business minister to ensure RPR Trades is not hung out to dry and is paid for work it has done on this state government project?
Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (12:20): I thank Mr Davis for his question around really the intersecting financial arrangements between, it seems, three companies engaged in work on a state project. In the first instance I just want to call out Mr Davis’s comment that RPR Trades have sought to pay all wages and entitlements to their staff through what has been a challenging period when they have got a customer that has not been able to meet the payments required, as I understood the question. We thank them for that, and it is obviously a good thing that they have sought to look after their people as best they can.
Your claims about aggressive behaviour by John Holland I probably need some more detail on. In Minister Wynne’s portfolio the building regulator has a vehicle by which such disputes are facilitated. In my own portfolio the Victorian Small Business Commission can assist with the resolution of disputes between companies. But this is the first time this matter has been raised with me, Mr Davis, so perhaps I could suggest you email me the details and I will endeavour to ensure that the parties involved are provided with advice about what supports are available to them for these circumstances, of which I obviously only have a bit of the detail.
Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (12:22): I thank the minister for that. This matter has been sent, I should say, to the Treasurer as well as to me, and I will pass that material on to the minister. But in this instance the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002 does not appear to assist RPR Trades at all, and I therefore ask: will you meet with this small business to help them find a solution, ensuring they are paid properly and the jobs are retained, given that this was in fact a state government project?
Ms PULFORD (Western Victoria—Minister for Employment, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Resources) (12:22): I thank Mr Davis for his further question. The security-of-payments legislation that Mr Davis referred to does not fall within my portfolio of responsibilities, and so, whilst trying to be helpful, I think that probably the best course of action, rather than speculating about these individual commercial arrangements between companies with which I am not familiar, is that if Mr Davis sends this information to me I will ensure that the parties are pointed in the right direction for what we can all hope is a satisfactory resolution to their issues.