Kristen Keogh: Tradie cops ban after dealings with training company Green Skills

A south coast plumber has had his contractor licence put on hold after using fake documents to become a builder.

A south coast tradie has been banned from working for 18 months after handing fake qualifications to the Fair Work Commission.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal’s John McAteer found Merimbula-based Keogh Plumbing Services’ Kristen Keogh had knowingly supplied false documents and was “not a fit and proper person” to continue work due to his character.

Tribunal documents reveal Mr Keogh’s history of dishonesty, with the licensed plumber having his gasfitting license cancelled for more than two years in 2014 after it was revealed he lied about his qualifications.

In 2018 Mr Keogh applied to have his license include building work in order to work on bathroom renovations, however his 2013 Certificate IV in Building and Construction Certificate, which cost him $20,000, was found to be fake.

The tribunal heard documents relating to Kristen Keogh were recovered when search warrants were executed on Green Skills.

Mr Keogh told the tribunal he believed his plumbing business made more than $500,000 per year.

Documents reveal Mr Keogh’s qualifications were obtained from deregistered training organisation Green Skills Australia Training Centre, which had been under investigation by NSW Police from May 2018.

Mr Keogh had been identified as a person who had submitted qualifications from Green Skills, documents stated.

The tribunal heard documents relating to Mr Keogh were recovered when search warrants were executed on Green Skills.

The Fair Work Commission cancelled Mr Keogh’s Contractor Licence in June last year and disqualified him from doing any building work for two years after finding him guilty of “improper conduct”.

The commission also found Mr Keogh had never met his referee or been employed by the company he claimed to have worked for to gain building experience.

On March 25, the tribunal reduced the disqualification to 18 months after Mr Keogh sought a review of the decision.

Mr Keogh told the tribunal he was “remorseful’ but added he felt he ‘did not lie”.

He admitted he lied on an affidavit stating his wife had undergone a complicated pregnancy at the time he applied for a building license.

The case was heard in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in late March.

Mr Keogh claimed he was defrauded by Green Skills, but admitted he had not gone to police or the ombudsman about it.

He received a 50 per cent refund from Green Skills before applying for the building license, but denied knowingly submitting fake documents.

His counsel told the tribunal a cancellation of his license would see his family “need to rely on welfare payments for food and shelter”.

The commission told the tribunal Mr Keogh had “not been honest to the regulator, not been entirely honest through the investigation process, and not honest during the proceedings”.

Mr Keogh’s ban went into effect on April 7 this year.