Minister takes Action

PETER Thompson has seen a ray of hope that his Rosedale home may yet be completed, after Minister for Public Works Robert Schwarten promised he would be covered by the Building Services Authority's insurance scheme.

Mr Thompson's house was left unfinished for more than two years, and he feared it would never be completed after the collapse of Coral Coast Homes and Steelsmart Products.

But Mr Schwarten told Mr Thompson last week that he has taken a special interest in his case, and has promised a payout of more than $167,000 to help him finish the house.

“(Mr Schwarten) told me he will oversee the case himself,” Mr Thompson said.

Although a meeting with Mr Schwarten yesterday was cancelled at the last minute, Mr Thompson said he hoped the insurance would come through within weeks.

“I'll wait until I see it in writing, but I'd like to think we could be living there by Christmas,” he said.

“We have the ray of hope, we're just waiting for it to turn into a big burst of sunshine and that will happen on the day we can move our furniture in.”

Mr Schwarten said he had spoken with BSA general manager Ian Jennings about the couple's case.

“It seemed a particularly sad case where the couple had shelled out money when they did not need to and as a result have an unfinished home,” Mr Schwarten said.

“The couple are receiving top priority and are entitled to access the BSA Home Warranty Insurance Scheme.”

He apologised for being unable to attend the meeting, and said he had been unable to rearrange his diary.

“I spoke to the couple and apologised for the misunderstanding and assured them that Mr Jennings would be visiting them to resolve the issue promptly,” Mr Schwarten said.

“Mr Jennings has advised me that he will meet with the couple soon and then update me on their situation along with that of other affected home owners involved with Coral Coast Homes.”

Mr Jennings said yesterday that 15 claims have been received from home owners who had contracted with Coral Coast Homes, with three approved for insurance and the remainder under consideration.

On Friday, Mr Jennings and the BSA insurance manager will travel to Bundaberg to meet with more home owners affected by the collapse of Coral Coast Homes, to discuss their claims.