Directors fined $ 6000

Licence breaches hit solar bosses

THE former directors of a solar energy franchise found themselves in hot water after an investigation by the building regulator.

Ashley Leonard Nuttall and Gregory Dean Bennett, who operated the deregistered Solarhart Townsville franchise, were fined following a hearing in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

The men were found to have contravened the conditions of their licence by co- ordinating the installation of 182 hot water systems.

QCAT sessional member Wayne Pennell said the men, directly or indirectly, caused the installations to be carried out by another company in breach of their licence.

The disciplinary action comes five years after the Queensland Building and Construction Commission first commenced investigations into the installation of hot water systems by companies in the region.

The commission alleged that Mr Nuttall contravened the licence by co- ordinating the installation of the 182 hot water systems by NQ Go Green Technology Pty Ltd between June 1, 2010, and February 1, 2012.

Mr Nuttall never had a cence with the commission.

Mr Bennett did hold a building commission licence, and was the nominee for the company, but was not licensed for the installation works.

The commission warned they could not install hot water systems without an appropriate licence.

“Although the company could sell the hot water systems, the company’s licence was a Restricted Builders Licence which did not allow the company to install or co- ordinate the installation of hot water systems,” Mr Pennell said.

Mr Pennell said the saving grace for both men was that the installation of the hot water systems had been carried out by licensed contractors.

“There had never been any complaints lodged with the commission about those installations,” he said.

Solarhart Townsville went into voluntary administration following the commission’s investigation and was deregistered in April last year.

Mr Pennell noted that there was no defective work or insurance claims outstanding, and all subcontractors had been paid by the time the company was deregistered.

But he found both men were “equally responsible” for the activities of the company at the time and fined them $ 6000 each.

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