Contractors issued with demerit points for breaches of legislation increased in 2020/21, with Queensland’s building industry watchdog issuing demerit points to almost 600 contractors.
This was a 15 per cent increase on the previous year, with 596 Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) licensees issued 4696 demerit points in 2020/21.
QBCC Commissioner Brett Bassett said a combination of a review and implementation of new processes attributed to the demerit points increase and a crackdown on licensees who failed to rectify defects.
“We were able to take action quicker against those licensees not doing the right thing, and in turn, demerit points increased because we had a greater presence in the industry,” he said.
“The demerit point system is designed to encourage change. They are recorded on the public register to serve as a warning to homeowners, subcontractors and suppliers and to encourage licensees to comply with their legislative obligations.”
Demerit points ranged from contractual offences, failure to rectify defects, carrying out work without a nominee and failing to pay insurance premiums.
He said the threat of demerit points should be a deterrent for contractors who didn’t abide by the legislation.
A person who accumulates 30 demerit points within a three-year period will face disqualification from holding a QBCC licence for three years.
In October 2020, demerit point allocation and disqualification procedures were also introduced for certifier licences.