ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell issued an alert about Matthew Rixon on Monday, and warned the builder was also known to operate under a number of aliases in the ACT and NSW.

Mr Rixon was fined $72,500 for a total of 29 offences in Newcastle Local Court in March, and owes NSW Fair Trading $19,000 in fines. The NSW authority said Mr Rixon had entered into building contracts without appropriate licences, and had also taken payment for materials and work and then not completed the job, or has completed the work to a poor standard.

“The Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) believes that Matthew Rixon and his associates may be back operating in the ACT and surrounding region” Mr Corbell said.

“People in the ACT have been caught out before paying Mr Rixon money for services that he did not complete or for work that he did complete to but to a very poor standard. He is not licensed to undertake residential building work and should not be engaged for that purpose.’’

A spokesperson for Mr Corbell said the ACT warning came via NSW Fair Trading, which was recently contacted by two people – one in the ACT, and one in the nearby region – who believed they may have employed Mr Rixon to undertake building work.

“The ORS has been advised by the ACT consumer that they have engaged Duke Fencing to undertake work. The consumer has paid a deposit but to date no work has commenced on the property,” the spokesperson said.

“NSW Fair Trading has been liaising with the ORS and recently released information citing a number of companies known to be affiliated with Mr Rixon. Duke Fencing was listed as one of these companies.”

The ACT and NSW authorities said Mr Rixon sometimes went by the aliases Matt Geoffrey and Matthew Ewing, and had also traded under a number of names in the ACT and NSW, including Rixco, Deck A Day Pty Ltd, Tomaree Building Services, Quality Building Solutions Pty Ltd, Quality Fencing Solutions, Affordable Fencing Solutions, Affordable Home Improvements & Maintenance Services and Affordable Home Solutions.

NSW Fair Trading also warned Mr Rixon may have contracted a business in the ACT to prepare marketing materials for a range of businesses under names including Duke Group, Shire Property Pty Ltd, Duke Builders, Duke Fencing, Duke Tourism, Duke Property, Duke Lawns and Duke Hospitality.

“I urge consumers to be vigilant in ensuring that they deal with reputable service providers as building work is a licensed activity and must be done by a licensed builder. If you believe you are currently engaged in business dealings with Matthew Rixon or someone by the name of Matt Geoffrey or Matthew Ewing, you should contact the Office of Regulatory Services – Fair Trading – on 6207 3000 immediately,” Mr Corbell said.

NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rob Stowe told The Newcastle Herald in April that Mr Rixon was not licensed by the authority, and they were attempting to have him banned from contracting or engaging in any building, fencing, or landscaping in NSW.

Mr Stowe also warned that Mr Rixon had attempted to open virtual offices in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.

Further information about engaging the services of a builder is available on the ORS website.