Operation Hammer: Border Force-NSW govt sting on dodgy builders

A secret operation has targeted a number of Sydney building worksites amid reports of developers hiring unlicensed and unlawful non-citizen workers.

NSW Fair Trading, alongside Australian Border Force (ABF), has completed a highly coordinated and unannounced one-day operation targeting illegal practices on residential building projects.

Workers on apartment sites in northwestern Sydney ran last week as investigators in a joint NSW Fair Trading and Australian Border Force operation targeted unlicensed builders.

The secret operation took place last Thursday amid claims of a rise in developers hiring unlicensed workers – and, in some cases, illegal migrants – to get the job done.

Called Operation Hammer, the one-day state and federal sting targeted 26 Sydney new apartment sites, with investigators covertly scouted building sites in Schofields, Box Hill, Grantham Farm and Kellyville Ridge before making their unannounced visits.

Fair Trading investigators focused on licence checks – and ensuring workers were being correctly supervised – while ABF officers targeted “unlawful non-citizens”.

Nine of the 48 workers investigated were found to be unlicensed with each issued with an on-the-spot fine of $2200.

However, it is understood many others ran off as investigators approached.

Officers visited 26 North-West Sydney construction sites as part of ‘Operation Hammer’.

Further investigations are taking place into the building companies the unlicensed contractors were working with, to determine if these companies are fit to be licensed.

The sting was undertaken in response to industry stakeholders who had raised concerns with the government about an increase in unskilled workers in the NSW home building industry.

The concerns included that these workers were not ­licensed to contract work or who were also not being supervised by accredited contractors – issues that could lead to safety breaches and poor quality or defective buildings.

Under NSW building laws, a tradesperson must be licensed to contract to do residential building work valued at more than $5000, including the cost of labour and material, and to do any specialist work, regardless of cost, including plumbing, electrical wiring and airconditioning work.

The locations were covertly scouted ahead of time in Schofields, Box Hill, Grantham Farm and Kellyville Ridge.

Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said Operation Hammer was a warning to companies for them to stop employing unskilled and unlicensed contractors.

“We know there’s a strong correlation between builders breaking immigration law and those who don’t deliver quality to their customers,” he said. “Tolerance for poor-quality buildings and cutting corners for residents has worn out in NSW.

“This operation helps protect NSW residents from moving into poor-quality and potentially defective homes.”

The move to lift building standards follows the Mascot Towers and Opal Towers debacle, with the state’s building commissioner David Chandler leading the crackdown on dodgy developers.

Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann said many workers “cleared off” before investigators could talk to them.

“Our officers, with the support of Border Force, executed this operation efficiently and professionally,” she said.

“Many workers cleared off before they could be spoken to. If you have nothing to hide, there is no need to run.”

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