1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,519 Speaker 1: Right now. The government this evening is announcing a suite 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: of changes to crack down on cowboy builders and on 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: shoddy work. This is beefing up the ability to basically 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: take the disciplinary action against dodgy builders. It's also going 5 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: to become easier to work out if a builder has 6 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: been suspended. Chris pink is the minister, he's with me now, 7 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: good evening. 8 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 2: Good evening to you, So talk us through it. 9 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: What kind of action can be taken against a shoddy builder? 10 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: And how do you know who a shoddy builder is? 11 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, good question. I mean, at the moment, there are 12 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 2: disciplinary boards that are meant to maintain standards when a 13 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 2: builder does poor work, but at the moment they can't 14 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 2: actually initiate their own investigations. And if councils don't tell 15 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,319 Speaker 2: them about bad work that's going on out there, then 16 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 2: the cowboys and just to be clear, it's relatively few 17 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 2: out there, but the high profile cases make everyone nervous. 18 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 2: You know, they sort of go undetected and they recavoc 19 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 2: and what that means is that new Zellas don't have 20 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 2: so much confidence in the system as they should. 21 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: So how will this change? What will be the process 22 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: then if it house will have to tell, are they 23 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: going to be forced to tell or what? 24 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: No? No, I mean, I'm certain encouraging counsels to be 25 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 2: more upfront about that rather than simply complaining about, you know, 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 2: some bad work that's going on out there. And to 27 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 2: be fair, some of them are, but as with all 28 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 2: these things, that's a bit inconsistent out there. But not 29 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: only will the boards be able to initiate investigations on 30 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 2: their own account, they'll also have greater powers to take action. 31 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 2: So if they've given a training order, we're a bit 32 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 2: more you know, remediate action is needed on the part 33 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 2: of the builder to actually be able to enforce that. 34 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 2: They'll also be able to make it clear when there's 35 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 2: being disciplinary action because at the moment, the consumers a 36 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 2: bit in the dark. You know. You think your classic 37 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 2: young couple looking to buy their or build their first home, 38 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 2: and it's not clear on the website that that someone 39 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 2: who's lost their license building practitioner license for disciplinary reasons. 40 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 2: So a bit more clarity I think will help in 41 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 2: that regard as well on a buyer beware kind of basis. 42 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: Right, and who sits on those boards? 43 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 2: Oh well, I mean they're expert people who've got a 44 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 2: bit of background also maybe sometimes a legal background, and 45 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 2: the point of them is to do the occupation or 46 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 2: licensing stuff, and you know, we just need to give 47 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: them the tools. And actually partly it's about the powers 48 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 2: that they can exercise, but even having codes of ethics 49 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 2: so that when there is unethical action and you know 50 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 2: sometimes is for all or bad behavior or insolvencies magiced 51 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: away by a company closing up shop and then setting 52 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 2: up down the road else arounder a different name, so 53 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 2: there'll be a mechanism for that to be held to account. 54 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: Code of ethics sounds a bit wishy washy. Is that 55 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:33,520 Speaker 1: actually going to make a difference? Is that actually, I mean, 56 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:34,119 Speaker 1: what's in it? 57 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 2: Well, I mean, I think it's a suite of tools, 58 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,679 Speaker 2: but it's basically I mean, you know, it sounds a 59 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 2: bit technocratic, but actually at its heart, it's about having 60 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 2: some standards that the reasonable person would think, well, if 61 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,920 Speaker 2: I'm going to have someone take tens of thousands of 62 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 2: dollars as a deposit alone, put put more on the line, 63 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 2: you know, half a million dollar of a house new build, 64 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 2: for example, then there's got to be some standards and 65 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: accountability and again just to emphasize, most builders are actually 66 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 2: great people doing great totally of cowboys sort of ruin 67 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 2: it forever. 68 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: So you hand your ten thousand dollars over they do 69 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: something unethical, what can you actually do about it with 70 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: the code of ethics? What's the practical application of it? 71 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:13,399 Speaker 1: What do I do? 72 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean if there's a code of ethics 73 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 2: in place, and in a couple of instances, so electricians 74 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 2: and plumbers, there isn't one. So we need down a 75 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: place so we can say, well, actually, if you've behaved 76 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,240 Speaker 2: in an unethical way, there's actually something to measure. It's 77 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 2: not just someone sitting on a board somebody's saying tut tut. 78 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 2: There's actually something against which they can be held accountable 79 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 2: in terms of the ten or twenty or more thousand 80 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 2: dollars worth of deposit, for example, on a relatively modest 81 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 2: renovation that might be. You know, that's at the moment 82 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 2: that goes back to that problem of the council being 83 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 2: on the hook for having signed off work if that's 84 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 2: done in a dodgy fashion that's not picked up. Okay, 85 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 2: part of a bigger reform that we do need to 86 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 2: do for that accountability. 87 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: Something happens to the new I've had a new bill built, 88 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: something goes wrong, either the guy takes off with my 89 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: money or they do a bad job on the roof. Whatever. 90 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: I go to this board, do I and I say, look, 91 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: they've breached the code of ethics. What can the board 92 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: then do to this person? 93 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 2: Well, they can suspend or cancel their license. And at 94 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 2: the moment, though, see that's actually not much good to you. 95 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 2: So your your question's actually a good one because that 96 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 2: highlights a bit of a current gap in the system. 97 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 2: Because that doesn't get you your ten or twenty thousand 98 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 2: dollars back. No, that doesn't get you deposit back because 99 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,919 Speaker 2: it it doesn't get me a new roof. No it doesn't. 100 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 2: But I mean there are other mechanisms and unfortunately you 101 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 2: know the gaps in those as well, and so we're 102 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 2: looking at it the whole liver, right. 103 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: But this is about dealing with the trade themselves. This 104 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: is about their registration, and so the moral of the 105 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: story is if they're not registered, then don't go near 106 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: them and check if they're registered first, because if they've 107 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: been deregistered, is for a reason great advice, all right, Yes, okay, 108 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,479 Speaker 1: very good. Well, wish I didn't have to give it, 109 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: but there we are, Chris Pink building a construction minister 110 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: and I said you on the show. For more from 111 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 1: Hither Duplessy, Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks it'd 112 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.