Ricky Aden Potter was convicted and fined a total of $8,000 in Maroochydore Magistrates Court for undertaking building work without an appropriate licence. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the home owner.
The charge related to the installation of a retaining wall and fence, and associated landscaping and drainage at a Sippy Down residence between April and October 2023.
QBCC CEO and Commissioner, Angelo Lambrinos, said the case served as a timely reminder for consumers to always engage licensed tradies, regardless of the size of the project.
“Owners should check if an individual is licensed, review their compliance history, understand allowable maximum deposits and ensure a written, dated and signed contract is in place before work begins,’’ Mr Lambrionos said.
“All this information and more is available on the QBCC’s Home Owner Hub – a free and practical online five-step guide to building and renovating to help owners avoid the most common pitfalls and understand the protections in place, like the QBCC’s Home Warranty Scheme [QHWS].”
Mr Lambrinos said the QHWS is compulsory government financial protection for owners undertaking specific, eligible residential building and renovation work.
“Cover under the QHWS is mandatory for all residential construction work performed in Queensland valued more than $3,300,’’ he said.
"This is a safety net that protects consumers from losses if a licensed contractor fails to finish work, fix defects, or if the build is affected by subsidence issues."
Mr Lambrinos said of the 900,000 QHWS policies that are active at any point in time, less than 2% result in a claim in any one year, which indicates a high level of compliant work.
"We know that most of licensees take real pride in their work and want to do the right thing, and this shows in the numbers,'' he said.
"QBCC compliance audits of active sites in 2025-26 detected the rate of unlicensed offending to be just over one per cent.
"However, even one case of deliberate or repeat non-compliance is one too many, which is why the QBCC will unapologetically enforce the law where someone knowingly or repeatedly does the wrong thing."
Meanwhile, licensees are being encouraged to take up the QBCC's new Digital Licence, which makes it easy for them to download their credentials to their phone, and for owners to check.
Since its introduction on 30 September 2025, more than 13,000 QBCC licences have been added to the Queensland Government’s Digital Licence app.
