On 12 September 2019, the Parramatta Local Court convicted Anthony Lee Francis and fined him AUD 70,000 for seven offences under the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) and two offences under the Australian Consumer Law.

Verified by Lenz · Jun 10, 2026

The Short Version

Official NSW Government and NSW Fair Trading notices explicitly report that Parramatta Local Court convicted Anthony Lee Francis on 12 September 2019 and fined him a total of AUD 70,000 for seven Home Building Act offences and two Australian Consumer Law offences. Earlier reports of 14 charges do not conflict with later convictions, and no credible contrary source was identified.

Caveats

Most supporting news items are republications of the NSW Fair Trading announcement, not independent reporting.
Earlier reports referred to 14 charges laid; this claim concerns the final convictions and penalty, which can differ from the initial charge count.
The cited evidence is a regulator's post-prosecution notice rather than the court's full judgment text, though no conflicting court record was identified.

The Receipts

Consumers urged to avoid unlicensed contractor
NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading)Mar 22, 2019
Anthony Lee Francis aka Tony Francis aka Anton Francis, Steel Concrete Construction Pty Ltd and United Concrete Construction Pty Ltd
NSW GovernmentFeb 19, 2020
Do not deal with: Anthony Lee Francis aka Tony Francis aka Anton Francis
NSW Fair TradingFeb 19, 2020
Unlicensed builder convicted and fined $70,000 following NSW Fair Trading prosecution
Mirage News (republishing NSW Fair Trading)Oct 9, 2019
Unlicensed builder convicted and fined $70,000 following NSW Fair Trading prosecution
The National TribuneSep 23, 2019
Residential Focus - 9 October 2019
Holding RedlichOct 9, 2019
Sentencing Bench Book – Table of cases
Judicial Commission of New South Wales
Unlicensed builder convicted and fined $70,000 following NSW Fair Trading prosecution
Mirage NewsSep 23, 2019
Consumers urged to avoid unlicensed contractor
Mirage NewsMar 18, 2019
Unlicensed Man Fined, Ordered to Compensate Customers
Mirage NewsMar 8, 2023

+ 11 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Anthony Lee FrancisAustralian Consumer LawHome Building Act 1989 (NSW)Parramatta Local Court

On 12 September 2019, the Parramatta Local Court convicted Anthony Lee Francis and fined him AUD 70,000 for seven offences under the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW) and two offences under the Australian Consumer Law.

The Short Version

Caveats

The Receipts

Filed Under

More Fact Checks

Sections 259–263 of the Australian Consumer Law provide consumer remedies including refunds, repairs, and replacements.

Sections 54–56 of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (the Australian Consumer Law) establish consumer guarantees including acceptable quality, fitness for purpose, and correspondence with description.

The Australian Consumer Law requires that consumer goods be safe, durable, match their description, and work as expected.

Under the Australian Consumer Law, consumer guarantees automatically apply when businesses sell goods or services to consumers.

The Australian Consumer Law is contained in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).