My name is Stephen Parry, and I am one of thousands of Australians battling the consequences of substandard work in the home building industry.

I trusted a major home builder to deliver the brand-new, quality home I paid for.

When I decided to invest my hard-earned money into a brand-new home with Metricon, it was meant to be a dream come true, a place where, as they advertise, I could 'love where I live'. Instead, it has turned into a nightmare. Floor tiles costing thousands of dollars were installed with severe scratches, and when I brought this to Metricon's attention, they refused to satisfactorily address the issue. I am now burdened with thousands of dollars in costs to fight them because the QBCC process is extremely lengthy and has dragged on for an exhausting five months so far. Meanwhile, Metricon and other builders hide behind complex processes and standards to avoid taking responsibility, knowing many homeowners simply cannot continue paying a mortgage, rent, legal costs, and expert reports while waiting months or years for a resolution.

This situation is not unique to me. Across Australia, brand-new homeowners are being let down by builders who fail to deliver on promised quality. Recently, complaints against home builders have been on the rise, with issues ranging from structural faults to poor finishing and defective installations. Yet, the pathways for homeowners to seek redress are so cumbersome that they deter many from pursuing justice. Builders are aware of this and use it to their advantage, leaving families in distress and financial hardship. This broken system allows them to continue operating with little regard for the contracts and quality guarantees they provide.

We need immediate reforms in the building and consumer protection frameworks to ensure that builders are held accountable. First, the process for dispute resolution with builders must be expedited significantly. The QBCC and equivalent bodies in other states need more resources and authority to enforce timely resolutions. Second, a statutory builders' warranty must be reinforced to cover all aspects of a new home, not just structural issues for a limited number of years. Lastly, builders found repeatedly offering substandard work need to face significant penalties, including bans on operating within the industry.

The time for change is now. I urge you to please join me in making this petition count.

We call on the Australian Government and state building regulators to:

• Fast-track building dispute resolution processes and impose strict timeframes for outcomes.

• Require builders to rectify defects within a specified timeframe or face automatic penalties.

• Ensure contracts and clauses are fully transparent and explained in detail before signing.

• Strengthen statutory building warranties to cover defective workmanship more comprehensively.

• Increase penalties for builders who repeatedly deliver substandard work.

• Introduce stronger enforcement powers to ensure defects are rectified promptly.

• Create greater transparency by publicly recording substantiated findings against builders.

For most Australians, a home is the largest investment they will ever make. Families deserve confidence that builders will deliver the quality they promise and be held accountable when they fail to do so.

Sign this petition to send a strong message to governments, regulators, and the building industry that Australians will no longer tolerate defective workmanship, endless dispute processes, and builders avoiding accountability for the homes they are paid to deliver.