Q1 Homes: Sole director Paul Callender gives evidence in hearing on company’s collapse

The director of a failed builder has claimed he did clients a favour by transferring contracts to a company run by his wife shortly before the company collapsed leaving tradies and customers millions of dollars out of pocket.

THE director of a failed builder has claimed he did clients a favour by transferring contracts to a company run by his wife shortly before the company collapsed leaving tradies and customers millions of dollars out of pocket.

Queensland One Homes sole director Paul Callender gave evidence this morning on the second day of a five-day public hearing into the collapsed builder in the Federal Court in Brisbane.

Paul Travis Callender and Amber Patrice Callender. Photo: Facebook

Q1 Homes went into liquidation in July, 2017, owing more than $5.8 million to more than 130 tradies and taxpayers and leaving families with incomplete homes.

The hearing is the fulfilment of an election-even funding promise from the State Government and seeks to examine Q1’s business model in detail and what led to the company’s failure.

Edward Moon, appearing as counsel for the examination, asked Mr Callender why building contracts were signed over to Empire Constructions in late June, shortly before Q1 went into administration.

Paul Travis Callender and Amber Patrice Callender. Photo: Facebook

Empire Constructions is run by Mr Callender’s cosmetic surgery nurse wife Amber Callender.

Mr Callender told the court he “felt bad” for clients and did not want them to go through the “rigmarole” of the process run by the regulator, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission. He said the advice from his lawyer was to initiate a deed of novation, which is an agreement to transfer one party’s rights and obligations under a contract to a new third party.

“From my experience from previous QBCC jobs we have done (they take) anything from 12 months to two years,” Mr Callender told the court.

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Paul Travis Callender and Amber Patrice Callender. Photo: Facebook

“So you saw it as a big advantage for the customer to go over to Empire?” Mr Moon asked.

“I thought it was an extreme advantage for the customer and an extreme advantage for the QBCC. If Empire did not take over the build then the QBCC would have been liable for tens of millions of dollars in insurance claims.”

Mr Callender said most of the jobs were “weeks away” from completion.

The hearing continues with Mr Callender’s accountant Kevin Dellow due to give evidence this afternoon.