NSW Fair Trading to get extra powers to crack down on dodgy builders and tradies to be paid quicker

TRADIES will be paid quicker and Fair Trading NSW will be given extra powers to crack down on dodgy builders under a shake-up of laws surrounding construction contractors.

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TRADIES will be paid quicker and Fair Trading NSW will be given extra powers to crack down on dodgy builders under a shake-up of laws surrounding construction contractors.

The changes include a ­reduction from 30 days to 20 days in the maximum time a head contractor has to pay a subcontractor.

NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean.

They will also be able to claim a payment at least once a month for completed work and make a final claim if a contract is terminated.

“Subbies can go months without pay, not because they haven’t done the work, but because the contractor above them can take months to pay them,” NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean said.

“These changes also ­encourage contractors further up the chain to better manage their money, and not leave subbies in the lurch.”

Other changes include giving NSW Fair Trading the power to enter a worksite and inspect paperwork to make sure a company is complying.

Fair Trading NSW will be given extra powers to crack down on dodgy builders under a shake-up of laws surrounding construction contractors.

The government is also consulting the construction industry on setting up a statutory trust to protect subcontractors from head contractors going broke.

“We’re going to do a regulatory impact statement, including a cost-benefit analysis, which is the next step,” Mr Kean said.

Originally published as NSW Fair Trading to get extra powers to crack down on dodgy builders and tradies to be paid quicker