Big Games jobs boost for Coast
TWO Commonwealth Games gold medallists and their development company have become embroiled in the collapse of Gold Coast building company Queensland One Homes with 25 of their clients’ new homes originally contracted to the now-unlicensed company.
Queensland One Homes is in liquidation and related company Empire Constructions Pty Ltd is completing about 30 homes it had under way. Of those, 25 are on behalf of clients of FRD Homes Pty Ltd, which is directed by former Olympic swimmer Dwade Sheehan and ex-world champion rower Cy Pearson.
The pair are co-directors with former Queensland One Homes executive Dale Turner, who started at the company a week before Queensland One Homes went into liquidation.
The FRD clients’ homes are being completed by Empire Constructions Pty Ltd, which is related to Queensland One Homes and under investigation by the building watchdog.
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission said it was “investigating matters related to FRD Homes Pty Ltd” but that it had not received any complaints about FRD from any building and construction industry participants.
“The QBCC Enforcement Unit has been undertaking investigations that include financial checks and an examination of senior FRD Homes Pty Ltd staff and any roles they may have previously held in the building industry,” a statement from QBCC said.
After being contacted by the Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday, FRD removed all reference to Queensland One Homes from its website, which had previously referred to the collapsed company as a “building partner”.
Mr Sheehan yesterday said FRD had never had any legal partnership with Queensland One Homes, Empire Constructions Pty Ltd, or any other builder.
He said his group simply “referred or contracted builders for homes on behalf of clients purchasing land in our developments and that ensuring the homes were built was their “number one concern”.
“It is our understanding that those homes are now being completed by Empire Constructions (Pty Ltd) and we are working with our clients and related parties to ensure those homes are completed as soon as possible,” he said.
“We are in communication with our clients on a daily basis to help them with their concerns throughout this process.
“Our people are visiting sites across our related developments to ensure that those outstanding homes are progressing in the hope that they will be completed as soon as possible.”
Mr Sheehan said he had not been told of the QBCC probe and said his companies had not, now or ever, had any financial or other interest in Queensland One Homes or Empire Constructions Pty Ltd.
“While FRD is a creditor and owed money in the collapse of Queensland One Homes, ultimately our number one concern is to look after our clients and ensure that their homes are completed as soon as possible.” THE State Government is still confident the Commonwealth Games will generate about 30,000 jobs.
A Griffith University report commissioned by the Government reportedly shows next April’s Games will provide 16,000 direct jobs and deliver $4.6 billion in benefits to the Gold Coast.
Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones told the Bulletin the report forecast a $2 billion boost to Gross State Product and $2.6 billion in additional infrastructure investment accelerated by the event.
“The Griffith University report confirms what we always knew that the Commonwealth Games will be a game-changer for the Gold Coast,” she said.
“This report confirms the Games will deliver 16,000 direct jobs and we fully expect that the Games will support well in excess of the 30,000 direct and indirect jobs we originally anticipated.”
Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor said the report confirmed the Games would play a “catalytic role in transforming the Coast as a world-class destination”.
Opposition Games spokesman John-Paul Langbroek called on the Government to release the report rather than use Cabinet and the excuse of commercial-in-confidence information to hide its findings.
“Gold Coast residents deserve to know the facts," he said. “This event is too important for our city and our region to get wrong and we need all the facts on the table.”