We are a couple and small business owners whose lives have been devastated by a failed building project in 2020, Government Maladministration (deliberate wrongdoing!) at the VBA/BPC, and years of unresolved legal and tribunal proceedings at VCAT over more than 5 years.

As a consequence, we have sustained severe psychiatric injuries, and catastrophic financial damages, of more than $960,000.

We should have moved into a compliant home during November 2020. Instead, every day of our lives is filled with severe stress and anxiety. and we lost 8 precious people (family and friends) in our lives.

All donations will help us with urgent living costs, medical and psychological support, housing stability, medical reports, etc. while we are still trying to resolve the matter.

For more than 6 years we are paying interest on a construction loan for a dwelling that can never be lived in due to the non-compliance. This alone already added up to more than $90,000 since 2020.

In late 2019, we entrusted a builder and building practitioners with the construction of our dream home. The construction started in March 2020 but was never finished. All parties involved left us with an ongoing nightmare.

Most building practitioners failed to provide compliant building work, incl. plumbers. Despite non-compliance, they issued compliance certificates to the VBA/BPC.

What is wrong with these people?

In summary:

The lender valued the house (twice) at $0.

Demolition will be the only way to ensure full compliance with the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

What about the Victorian Government?

During June/July 2020, we asked for help from the building surveyor . The building surveyor acknowledged various issues, but these were never resolved.

In mid August 2020, the building surveyor referred the matter to the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) and closed his own case. The VBA never took action either.

During August 2020, we asked the VBA for help. The VBA refused a site visit. A document and photos which evidence the non-compliant building work were provided in October 2020. The VBA closed the complaint again in early December 2020. The relevant Minister failed to step in.

Upon request, the VBA visited the site in April 2021 and identified various plumbing issues, including defects related to the slab being 0.5m too low and the non-functional stormwater system.

Nobdy took action to address the matters.

After further complaints, the VBA conducted an 8-month investigation from July 2021 until March 2022. In May 2022, the VBA concluded again that the building surveyor had not committed any breaches and closed the case.

The VBA mentioned ongoing investigations into the building inspector and the builder, but never took any action.

Another 2 years later, during June 2024, VBA CEO, Anna Cronin, requested an independent investigation into the matter.

New investigation reports in August 2024 confirmed that the building work for ALL mandatory inspection stages was non-compliant. The reports also confirmed that the building surveyor, building inspector and builder had committed severe breaches.

How could the VBA have denied the breaches for 4 years?

The director for Compliance and Enforcement delibereratly shielded all building practitioners by not taking any action and telling us lies.

Even the 2024 VBA reports were materially manipulated to protect the building surveyor.

This is called Government Maladministration.

The VBA CEO confirmed in a letter in July 2024 the severe harm caused: “This issue has been ongoing for around four years and has been the cause of very significant mental health and financial impact…” and “…it has become apparent to me that a contributing factor to their ongoing mental stress has been the extensive correspondence required with various Government agencies.”

The VBA's failures were documented in the published report "Victorian Building Authority – The Case for Transformation."

https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/185745/VBA-The-Case-for-Transformation.pdf

Our story was one of the case studies in that report. The report was used to announce the VBA’s "rebranding" to the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC).

We were left without compensation, protection, or any practical pathway to recovery, despite the Government's admissions of wrongdoing that caused the severe injuries.

We feel exploited by a system that acknowledges its own regulatory failures, as exposed by the Weir report, yet leaves us to carry the devastating financial, emotional and personal consequences, without accountability, meaningful assistance or redress.

What happened to the building practitioners?

The BPC issued “Disciplinary Actions” in late 2025, more than 14 months after the August 2024 VBA Investigation reports. All building practitioners appealed these Disciplinary Actions. The disciplinary actions are therefore “stayed” while the appeals are on foot. In other words, there have been no practical consequences and it remains “business as usual”.

The BPC and the other parties also objected to our request to be heard at VCAT as a severely affected party (witness). This means the severely affected homeowners may remain unheard.

Does this sound right?

Did the members of parliament provide any support?

The following members of the parliament were contacted but did NOT offer any support:

Why did elected representatives not intervene in a case that involved documented regulatory failure and severe personal injuries?

Why is there still no resolution after more than 5 years?

From December 2020 onwards, the VBA and ministers "advised" us to resolve the building dispute at VCAT. A VCAT application was filed in October 2021.

VCAT's own guidelines state that domestic building disputes are generally expected to resolve within about 2 years.

So why, after more than 4.5 years, is there still no end in sight?

The answer is sad and simple: "unhelpful" lawyers, broken VCAT processes, and abuse of process by the other parties. For example, the builder filed his defence 2 years and 9 months late. The “expert” report also contained false and misleading information.

Why was filing almost 3 years late accepted by VCAT?

Nobody intervened.

In 2024, the respondents filed cost applications against us, which were unsuccessful but delayed the VCAT matter by more than 9 months and resulted in additional costs.

Nobody intervened.

In 2025, the respondents joined other parties, without merit. The This again delayed the VCAT matter by more than 9 months and resulted in additional costs.

Nobody intervened.

In December 2025, the mediation at VCAT failed as the respondents had no desire to resolve the dispute and offered a small fraction as compensation for the actual damage caused.

The pattern shows deliberate delay tactics to avoid a decision on the core defects for years, escalate costs, and further harm to us.

And then there was another devastating related matter from June 2025 until October 2026, inflicted by the building sureyor, which has caused us even more harm....

The real-life impact on us

If all parties had properly constructed and inspected the house, then we would have moved into a completed home in November 2020 and lived their lives in peace.

The misconduct of the building practitioners, their legal teams, and members of the Victorian Government agencies, robbed us of irreplaceable time with their loved ones and the simple joy of being together.

To us, this loss of time, safety, health, and dignity is unforgivable.

Our health has been severely affected. The stress and trauma have been and continue to be overwhelming.

Help is needed.

What did the Victoria Ombudsman say?

Complaints during 2022 and 2023 were closed. We were referred back to the VBA.

Yes, you read correctly.

In 2026 a meeting request was accepted. During this meeting, we provided the evidence of the VBA wrongdoing and described the real-life consequences.

This is what a Senior Manager at the Ombudsman, Michael Heffernan, wrote in his letter: “…we cannot identify any further steps we can take that will provide a meaningful outcome for you. As a result, we will not be taking any further action in respect of your concerns about VBA".

After a review, the Ombudsman's office declined to take further action on the basis that the VBA no longer existed, notwithstanding that the complaint concerned the VBA’s historical conduct and regulatory failures.

What is wrong with these people?

It is time to hold the Victorian Government accountable for the harm they caused to innocent people, like us.

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Thank you.