Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Ministers statements: construction industry

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts) (12:08): I rise today to update the chamber on the work that we are doing to fight for subcontracted tradies and clean up payment practices on Victorian job sites. Victoria is the fastest growing state in the country, and as we grow we want to make sure that we are growing well. Subcontracting tradies keep Victoria’s building industry growing, and the government is fighting to ensure that they get paid fairly and promptly for their hard work on the goods and services that they provide to building and construction projects. For too long, hardworking tradies who deliver safe and high-quality homes for Victorians have been targeted by bad faith employers who move the goalposts and withhold money when subcontractors claim payment for their work.

That is why we initiated the parliamentary inquiry into the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 2002. Today we make good on that promise by the introduction of the Building Legislation Amendment (Fairer Payments on Jobsites and Other Matters) Bill 2025, enacting 15 of the recommendations from the parliamentary inquiry to make sure that subcontracted tradies can have confidence that they will be paid on time and to the full agreed amount for their work. This is a game changer for Victorian subcontractors and consumers. It will also build confidence in the building industry, and it is one aspect of the nation-leading reform that we are driving, complementing the Building Legislation Amendment (Buyer Protections) Act 2025.

Unfortunately, the Liberals and Nationals opposed the buyer protections act, which is about making sure that we are protecting the hearts and wallets of people who were otherwise burnt by the Porter Davis collapse and a number of other instances from May 2023. The Building and Plumbing Commission is continuing its work as a tough new regulator to make sure that we are bringing together a range of reforms to put consumers and buyers at the very heart of a robust building system. On this side of the chamber we are fighting for consumers, for tradies, for workers and for the Victorian building industry. I would encourage those opposite to get on board while we continue that work.