Boss of collapsed building firm sells mansion, goes camping

The builder behind the major Queensland construction company that has suffered an $11m collapse has hit the road weeks after the sale of the family’s waterside mansion on the Sunshine Coast.

The Murphy residence in blue-ribbon Buddina

Sunshine Coast builder Ben Murphy has hit the road with wife Amanda and kids for a caravanning holiday.

Murphy and wife Amanda posted an Instagram picture last week with their children enjoying a road holiday at an undisclosed location.

BA Murphy Constructions boss Ben Murphy. The Sunshine Coast-based construction firm went into liquidation last month.

The trip comes just weeks after the waterfront mansion, which Murphy lists as his residence, was sold for an undisclosed amount, according to publicly available real estate records. The rumoured price tag was $5m.

The four-bedroom home with pool in upmarket Buddina was held in the name of Amanda Murphy, who with Ben is also director of a company called BAM Super Qld.

BA Murphy, one of the largest building companies in south-east Queensland, collapsed last month owing almost $11m to contractors and employees.

The Murphy residence in blue-ribbon Buddina.

“We have never travelled around Australia nor camped or caravanned,” says the Instagram post, which has since been deleted. “But 2021 almost sent us around the bend so we figure now is the time to regroup and show our little cherubs this beautiful country we live in.”

The latest developments have not gone down well with subbies - hit by the collapse of the company just before Christmas - becoming furious. Liquidators FTI Consulting declined to comment.

Documents lodged by FTI with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission last week revealed BA Murphy owes 550 creditors more than $10.8m after the collapse of the company and its NSW and Victorian arms. The BA Murphy group entered liquidation on December 21, 2021.

Ben and Amanda Murphy did not respond to a request for comment.

BODY COUNT

Handling disputes amongst unit owners must be a stressful job with the government watchdog in charge of the process looking for its third commissioner in as many years after the resignation of Michelle Scott.

The Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management handles the disagreements a body corporate can‘t resolve.

There are more than half a million registered strata title lots across the state and disagreements range from pets to car parking.

There are now concerns that staffing levels at the BCCM are not keeping pace with the number of unit complexes and strata title units going up around Queensland.

The watchdog‘s latest decision, to ban smoking on a balcony in Gold Coast high rise, took nine months from the time it was lodged. Maybe the backlog is the reason Scott has resigned after only 18 months in the job.

She took over the role from Chris Irons who spent five years at the helm before he became a consultant for dispute resolutions. Maybe he saw the need for professional intervention before a dispute got caught in lengthy delays at his former workplace.

A spokesperson for BCCM says an acting commissioner has been appointed while the recruitment process for a permanent replacement is undertaken.

“As is the case with all independent bodies, BCCM constantly monitors its staffing levels to ensure it keeps pace with the demand for its services,” the spokesperson says.