‘Sisyphus would be proud’: Queensland tribunal orders repairs to pool that doesn’t exist
News Source
•Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:00:12 GMT
📰 What Happened
A Queensland tribunal has ordered a company to fix a pool that no longer exists. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal then stayed its own order, because the repairs were impossible. 'Sisyphus would be proud,' the judgment begins. It compares the case to the Greek myth of a man forced to roll a rock up a hill forever.
The case came from building firm Abel Gaspi Apolonia. It challenged a direction from the Queensland Building and Construction Commission about work on a pool in Capalaba in 2021. The commission only discovered, when it checked, that the pool had ceased to exist some years ago. Tribunal member Peter Roney KC said this case has its own special place among the strange cases he has decided.
🔍 The Backstory
In Greek myth, Sisyphus was punished to push a boulder up a hill forever, only for it to roll back down each time. Judges use the story to describe pointless or impossible tasks. Here, the pool was part of the coping work, a finish around the edges to stop leaking, that the commission ordered repaired.
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission directs builders to fix faulty work. But when the building work no longer exists, the order becomes impossible to carry out. The tribunal noted the direction was 'almost incomprehensible'. The case also comes amid wider troubles for Australia's construction industry, with building firms struggling.
🎯 Why It Matters
The case shows how government orders can sometimes be impossible to follow. It also highlights bigger problems in the building industry. For homeowners, it is a reminder to check who is responsible for fixing faulty work.
A Queensland tribunal has ordered a company to fix a pool that no longer exists. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal then stayed its own order, because the repairs were impossible. 'Sisyphus would be proud,' the judgment begins. It compares the case to the Greek myth of a man forced to roll a rock up a hill forever.
The case came from building firm Abel Gaspi Apolonia. It challenged a direction from the Queensland Building and Construction Commission about work on a pool in Capalaba in 2021. The commission only discovered, when it checked, that the pool had ceased to exist some years ago. Tribunal member Peter Roney KC said this case has its own special place among the strange cases he has decided.
In Greek myth, Sisyphus was punished to push a boulder up a hill forever, only for it to roll back down each time. Judges use the story to describe pointless or impossible tasks. Here, the pool was part of the coping work, a finish around the edges to stop leaking, that the commission ordered repaired.
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission directs builders to fix faulty work. But when the building work no longer exists, the order becomes impossible to carry out. The tribunal noted the direction was 'almost incomprehensible'. The case also comes amid wider troubles for Australia's construction industry, with building firms struggling.
The case shows how government orders can sometimes be impossible to follow. It also highlights bigger problems in the building industry. For homeowners, it is a reminder to check who is responsible for fixing faulty work.