Logan businesses ‘blindsided’ after QBCC cancels building licences for missing annual report deadline

Eight Logan businesses have had their building licences cancelled for failing to file their annual reports on time with two ready to take on the industry watchdog’s decision.

Eight Logan businesses have had their building licences cancelled for failing to file their annual reports on time with two ready to take on the industry watchdog’s decision.

Logan painting business Benea Pty Ltd, flooded in February, is fighting to have its building licence restored after the Queensland Building and Construction Commission cancelled its licence for the annual report breach.

Benea was alerted to the loss of its licence after the QBCC swooped on 96 companies for not meeting the December 31 report deadline.

The Crestmead company was one of eight Logan businesses who had their building licences cancelled for missing the deadline.

Yatala-based business Doyle Timber Floors also had its licence cancelled with its owner and director James Doyle claiming the penalty far outweighed the crime of failing to hand in an annual report on time.

“We’ve been a family business since 1958 and this is just persecution of small businesses trying to survive,” Mr Doyle said.

“We spend a lot of time doing all the paperwork to take out QBCC insurance using their website and yet, even after I paid all my licences fees and insurance to QBCC, they still did not ring me to tell me that my annual report was late.

“I have received emails but nobody even rang me and now I have to find out how to get my licence back.”

QBCC said it cancelled the licences after issuing multiple reminders over a prolonged period to encourage the companies to comply with their financial reporting duties.

Four of the Logan businesses were from the Beenleigh-Yatala industrial area, two were from Jimboomba-Flagstone, one from Bethania and another from Cornubia.

All the Logan businesses had annual allowable maximum revenues ranging from $800,000 to $3 million (Category 1).

Benea director and founder Alin Benea said he was blindsided by the cancellation and was in the middle of two large painting contracts at St Laurence’s College at South Brisbane and at Trinity Lutheran College, at Ashmore Rd.

Logan-based Benea Painting has done some of the largest painting jobs for large companies and is currently painting two large schools. It was alerted to the loss of its licence after the QBCC swooped on 96 companies for not meeting the December 31 report deadline.

He said he would fight to get the licence restored immediately and contest the cancellation.

Mr Benea said he had just paid $2261.80 in March, just weeks before QBCC cancelled his licence.

“I believed that filing this annual report did not apply to companies with an annual turnover of less than $600,000 who had paid their licence fees,” he said.

“I am aware that I have to complete documents – but there are no outstanding debts and I am dealing with the ATO, which is a little bit more forthcoming.

“Our principal place of business has been 1.2 metres under water after the floods in February and we are still trying to clean that up.

“It’s a bit confusing because you would expect to do the reporting at the same time as you pay the licence renewals and I’ve just paid for three more years.

“This is persecuting the little guys and small subcontractors when they should really be concentrating on the builders who aren’t paying their bills.”

Other Logan businesses on the list for having their licences cancelled included Doyle Timber Floors, As Design and Construction, and Jeffrey Patrick O’Dea.

Calls to those businesses went unanswered.

Key Carpentry Corporate Services at Cornubia; DTM Air Services at Jimboomba and Bramic Concreting Services were all on the list.

QBCC Commissioner Anissa Levy said the tough measures were to protect consumers and ensure licensees were financially sustainable, could complete the projects they take on, and pay employees and suppliers.

“It is only fair and right that people are paid what they are owed for their labour and

materials, and our reporting requirements help to ensure that this happens,” she said.

As at 20 May 2022, almost 99 per cent of the 10,709 licensees Category 1-7 licensees have

lodged the required annual financial information.

Ms Levy encourages any licensee with concerns or questions about their financial reporting

to contact the QBCC to discuss potential options available to help them.

QBCC licensees have been required to comply with annual financial reporting requirements since 2019, under the Minimum Financial Requirements for holding a licence.

Of the 96 cancelled licences, two were from Categories 5 to 7 with maximum revenues ranging from $60 million to $120 million and one was in Category 4 which can earn a maximum revenue of between $30 million and $60 million.

Originally published as Logan businesses ‘blindsided’ after QBCC cancels building licences for missing annual report deadline