Coral Coast Homes victims snap

SHANE McMullen is at his wit's end after Building Services Authority (BSA) officials gave little hope he could recover money lost when Coral Coast Homes and Steelsmart Home collapsed.

“I feel like I've failed as a father - I'm supposed to put a roof over my children's heads, and I can't,” Mr McMullen said.

“The BSA and the Office of Fair Trading both say there is nothing they can do.”

BSA general manager Ian Jennings admitted he would not have built a house with Coral Coast Homes from “about March or April”.

He made the startling confession at Tuesday night's meeting with Office of Fair Trading regional manager Peter Nell and customers of the collapsed builder - sparking angry jeers from the crowd, with some people handing over money to the company as late as May.

BSA started investigations in April last year, but Mr Jennings admitted suspicion the business supplied inaccurate information.

“I did not believe every word that John Biles said,” Mr Jennings said.

“Why didn't BSA act sooner? It's a tightrope we walk.”

The company's licence was suspended on May 25, and finally cancelled on June 24, citing “Failure to satisfy financial requirements”.

Mr Biles is currently excluded from holding a contractor's licence or being an influential person in a building company for five years.

But Coral Coast Homes and Steelsmart customer Robert Thompson said it was not enough.

“Next week, it will be two years since I had the floor laid - and I'm still waiting for the rest of the house,” Mr Thompson said.

He said it was “ridiculous” that Mr Biles could return to the industry within such a short timeframe.

Member for Burnett Rob Messenger said he was “very disappointed” with the response of the BSA and the Office of Fair Trading.

He said customers were so frustrated they had approached police in hope of a prosecution for fraud.

“I will be asking Police Minister Neil Roberts why police can't investigate whether fraud was committed,” Mr Messenger said.