Rising above the torment - collectively we're making a difference!
Dear Supporters,
We have exciting news to share.
Melissa and I were invited by Natasha Mann (Deputy Secretary, Better Regulation and NSW Fair Trading Commissioner) to speak at the NSW Fair Trading and SafeWork NSW leadership conference - held earlier this week in Parramatta.
Since our first conversation, after our story was first shared in NSW Parliament by David Shoebridge (the NSW Greens lead federal senate candidate), Natasha has struck us as someone who has a strong sense of empathy towards our situation and as a leader who is focused on transforming her new portfolio for the better. As a result, we humbly took up the opportunity to share our account of the past 3 years, in front of 50 of her most senior directors.
We shared the ups, the downs and everything in between.
In telling our story, we made sure not to sugar coat things, as we wanted everyone in the room (and online) to understand the significant cost we, along with our kids, have suffered. This has been costly physically, financially and emotionally. The absent intervention, lack of scrutiny and protections in our case, ultimately, entrusted us to Metricon, Australia's largest residential home builder, to right the wrongs we were squarely accusing them of and they consistently denied and/or blatantly lied about - which is now being investigated. This multi-billion dollar revenue and asset company with a penchant to fight dissidents (I mean customers) in court, seized even more power and control and chose to intensify efforts against us to prolong our suffering, crush us and push out the possibility of justice ever being achieved.
This said, Fair Trading has chosen to take the higher path, through:
1) listening and understanding from our experience,
2) learning from the failings which occurred; and
3) reinventing themselves by tuning into and reaffirming their "why",
Taking ownership for mistakes is a brave and noble path. Ultimately, it is the only way forward for trust and relationships to be repaired. A failure to acknowledge mistakes (as is currently the case with Metricon) will only lead to more pain - including for my family, who still remain out of our home (it now being 3 years since a house fire ravaged through it whilst we slept). This said, we still hold onto hope that we will hear an apology from Metricon and that they will try and right the wrongs committed to my family.
Please continue to share this petition widely among your friends and connections because whilst tentative steps have started in NSW, which we're pleased about - reform is still desperately required, not only in our home state but nationwide.
As shared in the below link, we will continue to use our voice - so that our suffering may mean others don't need to.
Many thanks,
Salv and Melissa Barbagallo
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