THE State Government and Victorian Building Authority (VBA) are encouraging Victorians to help them crack down on illegal building and plumbing practices across the state by reporting unregistered workers through a new dob-in form.
Currently, one in 10 complaints received by the VBA involves unregistered workers who often target unsuspecting Victorians through digital platforms including Airtasker, Hipages, and Facebook Marketplace.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said Victorians using unregistered builders are at risk when things go wrong.
“We’re cracking down on unregistered builders and plumbers because they are a danger to everyone—they cut corners, put safety at risk, and leave Victorians out of pocket when things go wrong,” she said.
The crackdown comes after the State Government announced an overhaul of the building regulator, replacing the VBA with a new and more powerful watchdog: the Building and Plumbing Commission.
Master Builders Chief Executive Michaela Lihou said the organisation supported the anonymous dob-in form.
“Our members have worked hard to earn their registration, and our industry and consumers both deserve to be protected from the efforts of dodgy builders who seem to think they can get away with doing the wrong thing,” she said.
The new watchdog will bring together all aspects of building quality control into a single agency, given powers to protect Victorian families and their homes, and be resourced to have more boots on the ground with a 50 per cent increase in auditors and frontline inspectors, as part of a $63.3 million investment.
To dob-in unregistered builders and plumbers who operate without proper qualifications, insurance, or compliance with industry standards, visit the VBA’s Report Unregistered Building and Unlicensed Plumbing Work form at https://bit.ly/4jqnmvO.
Victorians are encouraged to only hire practitioners who can prove their registration or licensing via https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/tools/find-practitioner.
