How Subcontractors Get Paid in QLD (Security of Payment Explained)
Queensland has one of the strongest security of payment regimes in the country - and most subbies have never used it. This is the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 in 90 seconds: the payment claim, the 15 business day schedule window, what silence costs the builder, the 25 business day payment cap, and how adjudication through the QBCC works.
Transcript
Not being paid on a Queensland job? There is a law built for exactly this. And it is one of the strongest in the country.
The Building Industry Fairness Act. Security of payment, Queensland style. Built to get subbies paid in weeks, not years.
Step one. A valid payment claim. The work identified. The amount claimed. Served on time.
The builder then has fifteen business days to respond with a payment schedule. Or a shorter period, if the contract says so.
And here is the lever. Silence means they become liable for the full claimed amount. And they are barred from raising reasons at adjudication.
Queensland also caps subcontract payment terms at twenty five business days.
Adjudication goes through the Q B C C registry. Not a private authority. Generally thirty business days to apply, for a standard application.
An adjudicated amount is a debt due. Unpaid, it allows suspension of work, and judgment.
The windows are strict, and public holidays move real dates. Verify every deadline against the Act before you act.
Know your position before you pick the fight. Free tools below. And know what you're signing.
General information about Australian subcontracts, not legal advice. Get advice on your own contract and facts.