A builder operating in Werribee has been banned from the industry for two years after his application to challenge the disciplinary decision by the Victorian Building Authority was dismissed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
Andrio Torcasio had his registration as a Domestic Builder Unlimited cancelled disqualifying him from operating for for two years. Mr Torcasio was also penalised $15,000 for knowingly providing false information and obtaining registration on the basis of false information.
In renewal applications made in 2020 for his personal registration and for the registration of a building company, Mr Torcasio failed to disclose past insolvencies.
Mr Torcasio also had four different variations of his full name along with three different birth dates in the records of the VBA and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, therefore obscuring facts which could have otherwise prevented him from securing registion.
The VBA’s regulatory operations executive director David Brockman said that despite the VBA’s application process requiring him to, Mr Torcasio did not disclose this history when applying for registration.
“When these matters were identified, the VBA took swift action against Mr Torcasio, sending a clear message to other people wanting to do the wrong thing that this behaviour won’t be tolerated,” Mr Brockman said.
“We act swiftly and firmly in cases of non-compliance to ensure practitioners play by the rules and consumers can trust they’re being kept safe.”
Mr Torcasio’s company, JAG Building Group Pty Ltd, also had its registration cancelled and was disqualified from opertating for two years.
The VBA has an online consumer resource portal with information for anyone experiencing issues with builders.
Details: vba.vic.gov.au/check
