What’s happening with the halted Greenwich Construction projects

August 15, 2025

This article was first published by Inside Local Government on 13 August 2025. Click here to view the full article.

Griffith City Council has requested an update on two Argyle Housing projects and the Hanwood Amenities Block which have ground to a halt following the insolvency of Greenwich Constructions.

A motion from councillor Christine Stead asked council to investigate whether and how it could reimburse tradespeople who have been left ‘holding the bag’ following the Greenwich Constructions receivership.

The motion asked a report to include options on how Griffith City Council can assist resolving these debts irrespective of the Greenwich Voluntary Administration process.

Angela Ellis, who owns and operates Ellistricity with her husband Paul spoke at the August 12 council meeting, pleading for support on behalf of tradespeople who worked on the projects and remain unpaid.

She critiqued the council for initially employing Greenwich Constructions on the Hanwood projects, allegedly without checking their financial position first.

“I hope you realise the human consequences … This is not just about policy breaches or governance failures. It is about real lives – our families have been under severe financial strain, marriages have been stressed due to uncertainty and lost income, businesses are unable to employ new staff or invest in growth because cash flow is locked up in unpaid work,” she said.

“I feel there is a lack of due diligence and disregard for the impact on local livelihoods that cannot be brushed aside … I hope this might be an opportunity to show accountability, restore some trust and prove that this failure will not happen again.”

Mayor Doug Curran clarified that Council was responsible for the Hanwood Amenities Complex, but was not responsible for the two housing projects which are managed by Argyle Housing.

He additionally said that Greenwich had been chosen for the Hanwood project because nobody else had applied for the tender.

“The other thing that’s really important to note is that we have to let the administration process go through. I know that puts businesses in strain – I honestly do and that is not our intent … I understand the heartbreak.”

“We went to the Greenwich people and said ‘Are you still solvent?’ We sat down with them in a room and the two directors told us everything was fine … We have tried to act diligently in every aspect here.”

Councillor Curran said that they simply did not have the information on Argyle Housing projects and couldn’t release it even if they did, and that they couldn’t pay out the bond until the administration process was complete.

Councillor Shari Blumer pitched an amendment to the motion for council staff to investigate possible safeguards and policy amendments to limit the risk of similar things happening in future.

An amendment from councillor Scott Groat removed the Argyle Housing projects from the motion, leaving council only investigating how to reimburse and support those affected by the Hanwood Amenities Block project.

The motion was passed unanimously.