More recently, the Victorian government has proposed new legislation to combat the cowboy culture that plagues the building industry. The legislation will require sub-contractors such as plasterers, carpenters, bricklayers, waterproofers, and concreters to be registered or licensed. This legislation is already in place in Queensland and NSW and will bring Victoria in line with industry standards in the other two states. Additionally, plumbers, electricians, and building practitioners are already required to be registered if they carry out work valued over $10,000, whether they are solo contractors or running their own company.
The move has been received by praise as well as skepticism. While many believe it should have been done a long time back, others feel there is no stopping the cowboys.
“The laws are already in place in Queensland and Victoria yet there are plenty of Cowboys with licences, doing substandard work. As long as the customers are willing to pay for jobs based on the lowest quote, nothing is going to change,” says bricklayer Brendan Lyons. “Customers lose the right to complain, if they never make quality their priority when hiring.”
Fair enough! The argument puts as much responsibility on the shoulders of customers as on the supplier. Put simply, the cowboys exist because the market favours them.
Today we see numerous sites that allow customers to compare quotes, as if that’s the only consideration. It’s not and it should not be made so. Tradie credentials including licences, certificates and insurance, past work experience and positive word of mouth all come into play.
To protect property occupants from hiring dodgy service providers, i4Tradies founder, Logan Nathan, has built a find-a-tradie platform that connects suppliers and customers in a way that makes it easy for the latter to ensure that the company they are hiring possesses all necessary credentials to carry out the work that lives up to Australian standards.
Maintenance plumber turned Industry Advisor, Matt Reynolds thinks the app holds a lot of potential.
“The idea is to let customers make an informed decision when hiring suppliers, as well as to help the suppliers put their licences, certificates, ratings and reviews right in front of their prospective customers, so quality work and having a qualified professional becomes more important than price,” says Matt from XRM Plumbing.
Today we see too many dodgy service providers flying away with good jobs as they undercut market rates, leaving the honest ones struggling for work. i4Tradies is a win-win, for customers as well as the suppliers.
However, there is one more thing Field Service Suppliers are concerned about. The tax. Many suspect the fee to get registered is a way for the government to collect more revenue.
Regardless of whether that’s true or not, the move will keep cowboys from snatching work from qualified professionals. Others believe that the initiative should be introduced Australia wide, instead of just for a few states.
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