We lost $150,000. This painful experience is not ours alone. Around Western Australia and Victoria, countless families have been deceived by unscrupulous house relocation companies, leaving them in financial ruin. Weatherboard and asbestos house relocations have become lucrative avenues for dodgy contractors who exploit gaps in the current regulatory framework.

Imagine scraping and saving your entire life, investing all your hopes and dreams into relocating your home, only to be met with contractors who vanish after taking your money, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Our dream turned into a nightmare, and this reprehensible behaviour destroys the financial stability of not just individual households and families, but entire communities.

Over 100 businesses in Western Australia alone have been severely impacted, with many families losing their life savings without a house or trapped in half-finished weather damaged relocations, and left with unbearable financial burdens. The emotional and financial toll is immeasurable, leaving countless people devoid of hope and security. It is crucial to put an end to this exploitation.

We are calling on the Australian government to regulate house relocation companies strictly. This entails thorough vetting and licensing processes for contractors, implementing mandatory insurance policies to protect customers' investments, and setting up a dedicated taskforce to investigate dodgy practices and enforce legal action against fraudulent operators. Legislation must be introduced to ensure transparency in contractor operations and provide a safety net for affected consumers. Also to apply the Maximum deposit rate of 6.5% introduced in WA under the Home Building Contracts Act for building contracts priced between $7,500 and $500,000 to these dodgy Contractors. Charge Contractors who do not follow the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012, which requires contracts to be clear and fair.

Immediate action is needed to protect vulnerable consumers from unethical practices and stabilise confidence in the housing industry especially with the current WA Housing Crisis where buyers are being exploited by these Contractors.

Please sign this petition to urge the government to enforce stringent regulations and prevent more heart-breaking tales of loss and betrayal like ours and many others across the country. Together, we can ensure a safer and more reliable house relocation market in Australia to essentially reduce the significant WA Housing Crisis burden.