At least six workers were chasing Matthew Stephen, the One Nation candidate in the Longman byelection, with claims of unpaid wages or invoices when he sold his debt-laden tiling business on paper to an Irishman who had left the country.
Tilers have spoken to Guardian Australia and say Stephen owes them money, dating back to 2014.
In several of those cases, Stephen ultimately told them he had sold his company Aus Tile QLD and they would have to chase their debts from the new owner.
One French worker told the Guardian that Stephen, who is running on a platform that includes “jobs for Australians first and foremost”, left town without paying her entitlements, including wages and superannuation.
One Nation preferences are expected to decide the outcome of Saturday’s Longman byelection, with polls putting Labor and the Liberal National party neck and neck. However, the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, left the country on holiday as controversy embroiled the candidate.
The Guardian revealed on Monday the business was sold to an Irish novice labourer, Steven O’Donovan, who had left the country two years earlier. O’Donovan owns the company on paper, but his shares are “non beneficial” and held for the benefit of someone else.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents show the company’s registered address and principal place of business remains Matthew Stephen’s home address. Asic documents list O’Donovan’s address as a Darwin residence. However, when contacted by Guardian Australia, the resident, who said she had lived there since 2014, said she had not heard of him.
Most of the claims for unpaid wages can be traced back to the Hilton Hotel in Darwin, where Stephen won a contract to tile the bathrooms as part of a renovation in 2014.
Stephen’s company, Aus Tile QLD, was withheld payment at the end of the Hilton Hotel contract. The lead contractor claimed the work completed by Stephen was defective. Stephen then told many of his workers he could not pay his final invoice as a result.
In August 2014, Stephen wrote to several subcontractors to say that “after a lengthy legal battle, the payment dispute ... has been finalised”.
“Firstly can I just say thanks to you all for your patience throughout the past few months,” he wrote. “I know some of you questioned my motives and honesty with regard to payment for works carried out. This is understandable but I assure you all that I conducted business in the only manner that I could, in order to see this issue through to a positive resolve.”
He asked them to resubmit invoices and promised payment as soon as he received the settlement money.
In December, a lawyer representing two of those subcontractors contacted Stephen chasing the payments.
“He conceded the company was potentially going to be sold or otherwise was close to liquidation,” the lawyer wrote in an email to his clients.
After the company was sold, as registered with the Asic in August 2016, Stephen claimed he was not responsible for the company’s debts and directed workers chasing payment to O’Donovan.
Dale Moore contacted Stephen in 2017, chasing a three-year-old payment. At the time Stephen, who was a candidate for One Nation at the Queensland state election, posted on Facebook that he had received a telephone call “trying to extort money”.
Stephen claimed in text messages to Moore that he should chase O’Donovan, but that he did not have a phone number for him.
“He owes me around $4,000 to $5,000 and I’m on the lower end of the scale,” Moore told Guardian Australia. “Everyone else that I still keep in contact with are owed a lot more than me.
“It’s a bit of a slap in the face watching his videos, claiming he’s paid his bills.”
Gibson Onzi says he is owed $6,000 he was never paid by Stephen’s company. Steve Richter says he is owed $7,200. Matthew Young claims $6,500 in unpaid wages. Invoices from Timothy Blatchley total $10,200.
Young said the Hilton Hotel job was completed with “a lot of Irish workers and a lot of backpackers”.
Stephen posted on Gumtree and Facebook in 2014 looking for workers. One post on the “Irish in Darwin” Facebook page in 2014 gives Stephen’s mobile phone number and offers the prospect of visa sponsorship.
Perinne van de Plasse, a qualified tiler from France, said Stephen promised to sponsor her for a working visa.
“I did one job in Palmerston [near Darwin] and he never paid me and he told me some bullshit,” she said. “I went on this job one morning and I said I’m sorry I’m not working because Matt is not paying me anymore. I said I want my salary.”
Van de Plasse said Stephen never paid her entitlements, including superannuation. She says she is owed about $2,000 in unpaid wages.
Guardian Australia has offered Stephen and One Nation the opportunity to comment.
Stephen told Channel Nine on Tuesday morning the claims were lies and “political bastardry”, and that the claims were being pushed by Labor. He claimed not to have been contacted by contractors chasing payment.
“I don’t owe anybody any money,” Stephen said. “I’ve had the same email address and the same number for 10 years.
“I’ve met every single financial obligation of me. And if I owe anybody in this country any money, anybody at all ... please get in contact with me and we can sort it out.”
After Stephen’s interview, Today host Karl Stefanovic said Young had been contacted by Labor recently.
Contractors who spoke with Guardian Australia said they had no agenda or political affiliation. Some said Stephen’s public claims as a candidate, that he worked hard in order to pay his bills, prompted them to speak publicly.
