❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses construction delays impacting BGC customers due to COVID-19 stimulus grants, seeking support for homeowners, data on tribunal referrals, an apology, and rectification measures. The Minister acknowledges the issue, outlines support measures, provides tribunal referral data, and defends the stimulus grants, attributing delays to national and global factors and BGC's management.
AnsweredQoN 689Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
HOME
CONSTRUCTION DELAYS
689. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the construction delays impacting thousands of BGC
customers.
(1) Can the
minister advise what support will be given to affected home owners regarding
the impacts of construction delays due to the COVID-19 stimulus grants?
(2) Can the
minister advise how many BGC customers' cases have been referred to the
State Administrative Tribunal?
(3) Will the
government apologise for its well-meaning yet catastrophic COVID-19 stimulus
grants, which have resulted in crippling financial hardship for thousands of Western
Australians?
(4) What
action is the government taking to rectify the impact of the COVID-19 stimulus
grants that were, unsurprisingly, exploited by property developers and have
resulted in an overcooked market?
CONSTRUCTION DELAYS
689. Hon JAMES HAYWARD to the Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the construction delays impacting thousands of BGC
customers.
(1) Can the
minister advise what support will be given to affected home owners regarding
the impacts of construction delays due to the COVID-19 stimulus grants?
(2) Can the
minister advise how many BGC customers' cases have been referred to the
State Administrative Tribunal?
(3) Will the
government apologise for its well-meaning yet catastrophic COVID-19 stimulus
grants, which have resulted in crippling financial hardship for thousands of Western
Australians?
(4) What
action is the government taking to rectify the impact of the COVID-19 stimulus
grants that were, unsurprisingly, exploited by property developers and have
resulted in an overcooked market?
AnswerView source ↗
(1) Building a
new home is a major life event and is stressful at the best of times. Delays in
construction times is a national issue that resulted from worldwide supply
chain challenges and skilled labour shortages following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cook government has delivered on a range of measures to assist consumers facing construction delays, including
doubling the maximum payouts available under the state's home
indemnity insurance scheme; allocating additional staff to manage the timely
processing of building complaints in the building and energy division of the
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ;
smoothing the pipeline of government projects to free up skilled labour for the
private sector; funding a targeted $1.5 million overseas marketing campaign to
attract building and construction workers from overseas; and, as part of the
2023–24 state budget, allocating $4.2 million for a $2 000 completion
grant for construction apprentices.
(2) In 2022–23,
43 complaints related to BGC and its registered building contractor brands were
referred to the State Administrative Tribunal.
(3)–(4)
I do not accept the premise of this part of the question. The introduction of
the state government's building bonus and the Australian government's
home building incentives had an immediate and positive impact on Western Australia's
construction industry. Construction industry delays are a national issue
resulting from worldwide supply chain challenges and skilled labour shortages
following the COVID-19 pandemic. These are being addressed through the measures
outlined in the response to part (1). I also make the point that BGC is not a new
company. It is experienced in managing the peaks and troughs of the residential construction market, so it is disappointing
that in the most recent period, it appears it took on more contracts than it was able to manage.
new home is a major life event and is stressful at the best of times. Delays in
construction times is a national issue that resulted from worldwide supply
chain challenges and skilled labour shortages following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cook government has delivered on a range of measures to assist consumers facing construction delays, including
doubling the maximum payouts available under the state's home
indemnity insurance scheme; allocating additional staff to manage the timely
processing of building complaints in the building and energy division of the
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety ;
smoothing the pipeline of government projects to free up skilled labour for the
private sector; funding a targeted $1.5 million overseas marketing campaign to
attract building and construction workers from overseas; and, as part of the
2023–24 state budget, allocating $4.2 million for a $2 000 completion
grant for construction apprentices.
(2) In 2022–23,
43 complaints related to BGC and its registered building contractor brands were
referred to the State Administrative Tribunal.
(3)–(4)
I do not accept the premise of this part of the question. The introduction of
the state government's building bonus and the Australian government's
home building incentives had an immediate and positive impact on Western Australia's
construction industry. Construction industry delays are a national issue
resulting from worldwide supply chain challenges and skilled labour shortages
following the COVID-19 pandemic. These are being addressed through the measures
outlined in the response to part (1). I also make the point that BGC is not a new
company. It is experienced in managing the peaks and troughs of the residential construction market, so it is disappointing
that in the most recent period, it appears it took on more contracts than it was able to manage.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.