Perth ‘builder’ slapped with $5k fine for falsifying work history
A Kwinana man claimed eight years of building experience, despite working as a courier during the specified period.
Wellard resident Surjit Singh has been fined $5,000 by Western Australia’s Building Services Board after falsely claiming he had over seven years of experience as a builder.
Singh became a registered building practitioner in April 2023 after completing a building diploma and presenting evidence that he had worked as a site supervisor in Victoria between 2014 and 2022, including an email supposedly sent by the firm’s director.
On closer inspection, however, an investigation by Building and Energy revealed that Singh’s declared experience as a site supervisor was false.
Instead of working as a site supervisor, as he had claimed, Singh had in fact worked as a courier for a different Victorian business for the majority of the specified period.
Building and Energy executive director Peter Stewart noted that Singh did not appear to have carried out any building services in Western Australia.
The Western Australian division of Building and Energy noted that obtaining registration through providing incorrect or misleading information is a disciplinary matter under the Building Services (Registration) Act 2011.
Singh has been fined $5,000 by the Building Services Board, and has also agreed to surrender his registrations as a building practitioner and a building contractor.
“This penalty should send a strong message that misleading conduct is unacceptable,” said Stewart.
The executive director added: “Western Australia’s robust registration processes ensure applicants have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to provide safe and compliant building services.”
Earlier this year, the state’s Building Services Board refused to renew registration for the Perth construction firm, Beyond Builders, after the company failed to complete 13 home building projects.
In Victoria, a Melbourne home builder was given a $20,000 fine for failing to pay an apprentice bricklayer what he was owed, while another Victorian builder was faced with 28 charges for pocketing $100,000 and then skipping out on jobs.
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