Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Home building industry

Trung LUU (Western Metropolitan) (19:06): (713) My question is for the Assistant Treasurer, and the action I seek is for the Allan government to step in and extend the liquidated builders scheme to help families who are in financial ruin from the collapse of Chatham Homes and those in similar situations. My constituents the Strachan family, primary teachers with a combination of 20 years, with two kids, a three-year-old and a six-month-old baby, had saved to build their family home. But when Chatham Homes went bankrupt in October 2023, they had not taken out insurance for dozens of homes that they were in the process of building. Like many other Victorian families, the Strachan family lost their deposit, leaving them tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. It may not be much compared to the billions of dollars Victorians are in debt, but to families like the Strachans it is their life savings.

This is not the first time that the building industry has left Victorians at great risk. After the collapse of Porter Davis Homes the government instituted a bailout for all victims of collapsed builders within 12 months, ending on 30 June. Victims of the Chatham Homes collapse have not been offered this assistance from the government. In a cost-of-living crisis and a housing crisis it is no longer a financial burden but a great mental health and wellbeing concern to families in these situations. The longer the government sits on its hands, the longer my constituents continue to suffer and struggle to make ends meet. So my question is: will the government extend the financial relief to these Victorian victims of the collapsed Chatham Homes and make a circumstance in which they can survive during their hardship?