Fury at boss of collapsed building firm BA Murphy in Queensland

A since deleted post on Instagram has made tradies angry as the company owes creditors almost $11 million.

Tradies are furious after the boss of a major building company that collapsed late last year, leaving almost $11 million owing to contractors and employees, posted about his holiday on Instagram.

Queensland builder Ben Murphy is the owner of BA Murphy, one of the largest building companies in southeast Queensland, which went into liquidation last month.

But tradies weren’t impressed when he shared a since deleted photo of his caravanning holiday with his wife and kids, reported The Australian.

“We have never travelled around Australia nor camped or caravanned,” said the Instagram post, which has since been deleted.

“But 2021 almost sent us around the bend so we figure now is the time to regroup and show our little cherubs this beautiful country we live in.”

The prominent Coast building firm had several projects in the works across the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane prior to its collapse. Pictured is a BA Murphy construction site in Pelican Waters.

Just weeks ago the building boss also sold his waterfront mansion, which was held in his wife Amanda Murphy’s name, for the rumoured price of $5 million.

Liquidators FTI Consulting, which is in charge of administration, declined to comment.

But it lodged documents with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission showing BA Murphy owes 550 creditors more than $10.8 million.

The BA Murphy group entered liquidation on December 21, 2021.

The BA Murphy headquarters in Technology Dr, Warana.

A spokesman for FTI Consulting previously said the total figure owed to-date included about 30 BA Murphy employees, who had more than $400,000 outstanding, one secured creditor owed almost $1 million and about 500 unsecured creditors owed almost $9.5 million.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission in December pulled BA Murphy’s licence after complaints of non-payments to subcontractors.

Ben and Amanda Murphy also did not respond to a request for comment from The Australian.

Originally published as Fury at boss of collapsed building firm BA Murphy in Queensland