Security of Payment in ACT

The lead Act in ACT

In ACT, progress-payment rights are governed by the Building and Construction Industry (Security of Payment) Act 2009 (ACT).

• The ACT’s Act follows the East Coast payment-claim / payment-schedule / adjudication structure.
• It operates as its own jurisdiction, with local procedural detail and nominating authorities — the mechanics are governed by the ACT Act.
• Confirm the current ACT Act (or get advice) for what a valid claim requires and the timeframes that apply to your job.

The process, in short

Like the rest of the East Coast model, the process runs from a payment claim, to a payment schedule in reply, to adjudication if the claim is short-paid or unanswered, and then to enforcement of the adjudicated amount. The specific timeframes and requirements are set by this state’s Act — each is a defined number of business days that varies by jurisdiction, so confirm the current Act rather than relying on a number from elsewhere.

Where it leaves trades exposed — and what you control

The statutory right is powerful but reactive: you invoke it after the work is done and the money is already at risk, on strict timeframes, and a winning determination is worth little if the payer is insolvent.

What you do control is the record you bring to it. Adjudication is fast and document-based, so a claim is worth roughly what the evidence behind it is worth: a written quote the client accepted, the job broken into defined stages, dated sign-off on each stage as it was completed, site photos and diary entries from the relevant days, and an invoice raised against that stage at the time. Stagex keeps that record. It does not hold, secure or release your client’s money and is not licensed to — they pay you directly — and it changes nothing about what this state’s Act entitles you to.