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Business

By Nicola Heath and Bec Zajac for Life Matters

How did the construction industry enter an insolvency crisis, and how can it get out?

Porter Davis Insurance Brendon Thorne HomeBuilder

"Our plan was to have a big-enough home that our kids didn't have to rush to move out," says Maria Tupou, pictured with her husband, Sio, and son, Slater. (Supplied: Maria Tupou)

Maria Tupou was having dinner with her husband, Sio, in April when he delivered some bad news.

Sio had just learned they could lose the $30,000 deposit they paid to construction firm Porter Davis to build their "forever home" in Wollert, a suburb in Melbourne's outer north.

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