Real Housewives of Melbourne star’s husband accused of owing half a million dollars in tax
A successful property developer and husband of one of the Real Housewives of Melbourne stars is facing legal action, accused of failing to cough up more than half a million dollars in tax.
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A successful property developer and husband to a “Real Housewife of Melbourne” is facing legal action, accused of failing to cough up more than half a million dollars in tax.
Andrew Norbury, director of architecture firm Metier3, is being chased by the taxman for $557,033 in tax allegedly withheld over a 15-month period.
Court documents obtained by the Herald Sun allege Mr Norbury, who is married to Melbourne socialite Lydia Schiavello, withheld tens of thousands of dollars between November 2016 and August 2018 while he was head of the Melbourne-based company.
A statement of claim filed by the Australian Taxation Office with the County Court earlier this month outlines 10 separate occasions when Mr Norbury is accused of withholding funds, with amounts ranging from $47,000 to $78,000.
The tax office is suing for the outstanding debt — plus interest — and their legal costs of $1434.
Documents state if Mr Norbury pays the total amount within the time frame issued by the County Court, the matter “will come to an end”.
Mr Norbury told the Herald Sun he was “working to resolve the matter”.
The award-winning design studio Metier3 was established by Mr Norbury more than 30 years ago and is behind a series of landmark structures in Melbourne including the University of Melbourne’s Business and Economics centre, high-end retail stores and luxury alpine accommodation.
The company also designed a four-star hotel in Marysville with the help of Ms Schiavello, who studied interior design at RMIT.
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The couple were married in Florence in 2013 and live in a multimillion-dollar mansion in the leafy suburb of Malvern.
In an early season of the popular reality TV show, Ms Schiavello boasted of using the couple’s private jet to fly to Thredbo Mountain every weekend during the snow season.
Unlike other partners of the Real Housewives of Melbournecast, Mr Norbury has stayed out of the spotlight and rarely featured in the series — which is expected to return to Foxtel for its fifth season later this year.