The collapse of Real Property Constructions – and the enormous impact it will have on the Sunshine Coast – rightly raises many questions about the worth of Queensland’s watchdog in all of this.

For years, the Building Services Authority has been considered by many a ‘toothless tiger’ – too often it has let builders get away with murder – and then even allowed them back into the trade after burning sub-contractors to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.

Late today, the BSA was at pains to point out it had worked hard on trying to get RPC back on track – and accountable regarding its true financial position – before taking the action of suspending its licence on Friday.

But many rightly question why wasn’t the buying public – and indeed some of RPC’s own staff – better informed of what was going on?

Given that action had been taken against Dennis Musca by the BSA dating back to 2004 – why were sub-contractors, home buyers and others completely unaware of it?

Should it be the role of the BSA to send out smoke signals when the public could be at risk – or is that very act going to lead to a company’s collapse on the back of panic, which may or may not be substantiated?

From what the Daily presently understands, Dennis Musca had his fingers in quite a lot of pies.

And by all accounts, he had access to assets which, if sold, could have easily resolved the need for a $1 million cash injection which the BSA had been demanding for months.

According to the BSA, RPC was given plenty of opportunity to do so - and demonstrate it was in the financial position to complete more than 230 buildings on the go.

Yet it failed to do so. Dennis Musca didn’t even front the meeting on Friday when an 8am deadline was issued.

Given his track record, I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, should we?

The BSA argues that if it had flagged to the general public that RPC was in a fragile financial position, the collapse could have been even worse.

It said it tried to wait as long as it could so more homes were completed before finally stepping in.

Some are now suggesting that rather than just suspending a licence, the BSA or state government, given the size of RPC’s operations, would have been better to inject the cash needed, as a loan, and bring in experts to get RPC’s financial affairs in order.

But given Mr Musca’s apparent failure to provide real and accurate financials to the BSA, you can hardly blame them for not taking that chance.

What is clear from this whole, sorry affair, is that both RPC and the BSA have failed to be upfront with the public – and even in RPC’s case their own staff - in all this.

While home buyers will have their homes completed under Queensland’s insurance scheme, all the subbies – and RPC sales staff – who are owed tens of thousands of dollars, will get little.

Already some of them will be starting to put their homes and apartments on the market, after repeated assurances from RPC that they would be paid turn to nothing.

While the BSA has an excellent online search facility on its website to check out the credentials and history of builders, few homebuyers, I would suspect, would even know it's there.

Surely it could be introduced into the sales process that any such black marks on a company’s name must be disclosed before contracts are signed with hefty fines for those companies who fail to do so.

And given the millions being spent on advertising each year by the Queensland government, would it not be prudent for the government to start promoting the background checks available on the BSA site rather than having another company allowed to take so many people down the gurgler with them?

SPEAKING of being sucked in, that’s the sinking feeling I had after being roped into what has become a very public challenge to lose 20 kilograms in 20 weeks.

Fellow columnist Ashley Robinson rang me out of the blue last week to tell me of a plan he had helped hatch to have 20 high-profile people with generous proportions try to lose those proportions – or fork out $100 per kilo for the weight they didn’t lose.

So here I am rushing this column on a Monday afternoon in the hope that I can meet up with my new friend Jeff May at Beach House Fitness Centre in Maroochydore to start a 20 week program of pain and suffering.

Gotta love Ashley sometimes. Actually the guy could have saved my life.

After reaching a weight no longer recorded on normal scales, I was already aware I was at risk of developing major health problems.

I actually started my diet regime just before the dawn of the new year.

Already I’ve shed about eight kilos, though I had that much to spare that no one has really noticed.

Anyway, I’m keen to hear from sponsors who want to put a buck or two on every kilo I lose.

All funds will go to a children’s orphanage and a hospital project in India – both being carried out by big-hearted locals. You can email pledges with full details to mark.furler@scnews.com.au