‘Sisyphus would be proud’: Queensland tribunal orders repairs to pool that doesn’t exist
Tribunal immediately stays own order for repairs after noting that they were ‘impossible’ to carry out on the non-existent pool In an act it compared to the ancient Greek myth of a man forced to roll a rock up a hill forever, a Queensland tribunal has ordered a company to make repair works on a pool that no longer exists. It then stayed its own order, because the pool no longer exists. Continue…
A Queensland tribunal has ordered a company to repair a pool that no longer exists, a decision that has been likened to the myth of Sisyphus. The tribunal, the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, was called upon to decide a case brought by building firm Abel Gaspi Apolonia against the commission's directive. The issue arose after the pool's coping, a finish installed around the edges to prevent leaks and slips, had not been installed correctly and sustained damage from heavy rain in 2021.
The commission directed the company to repair the pool within 12 months of practical completion. However, when the tribunal heard the case, they discovered that the pool had already been removed years prior, making the order for repairs impossible to implement. Tribunal member Peter Roney KC stated, "Sisyphus would be proud," highlighting the absurdity of the situation.
The tribunal stayed its order, deeming it a waste of public resources to decide a matter of little practical significance. The company argued that the pool was defective before the repairs and that the damage resulted from natural causes rather than poor workmanship.
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