Builder of collapsed home has licence cancelled

The builders of a Sydney home that collapsed last month have been banned from working, indefinitely, after authorities cancelled their licence.

Almost a month after the Condell Park home collapsed, with the family inside narrowly escaping injury, Fair Trading NSW cancelled Hemisphere Construction’s building licence on Monday.

The company’s licence already had conditions applied to it in the days following the collapse, which meant it could not enter into any new contracts as investigations continued. At the time, a spokesperson for Hemisphere said they would work with authorities to investigate the cause of the failure.

“We have maintained an excellent track record in construction and this incident is deeply distressing to our staff, contractors and family,” they said.

The cancellation means the company cannot continue construction on any of its worksites, and must remove any signage related to their work.

Reached by phone at Hemisphere’s head office on Friday afternoon, the company’s director George Khouzame said he would only speak to the Herald journalist who had previously covered the collapse of the Condell Park home. “I have no comment at the moment,” he said.

The company’s website is not currently online, but an archived version of the site speaks of Khouzame’s glowing record.

“The only information George requires from you is your vision,” it read. “The rest can be left in Georges [sic] trusting, knowledgeable hands.”