I built three commercial platforms for an Australian company. They kept the work, refused to pay, and the government said it couldn't help because I'm not Australian.

What Happened

Between August 2025 and July 2026, I designed and built three full commercial software platforms from scratch for a client based in Victoria, Australia. These are not prototypes — they are production-grade systems, currently live and generating revenue:

I was not paid. When I raised the issue, the client cut off my access, removed my name from the platforms, and continued operating them commercially. He then filed a fraudulent chargeback on a payment he had already received the work for.

The platforms remain live today, charging end users, built entirely on my unpaid labour.

The Entities Involved

The client operates through a network of four Victorian-registered companies. All are verifiable through ASIC's public register:

Director and controller: Don Lalin Devinda Hettiaratchie. His public profiles describe him as CVO of 6SILO and a business leader in the Victorian small business community.

The Evidence

This is not a "he said/she said" dispute. The evidence is technical, verifiable, and independently confirmable:

The full evidence repository — 40+ indexed exhibits — is publicly accessible at notice.vertexelite.org.

The Institutional Failure: How the System Protected the Wrong Party

In July 2026, I filed with the Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC) — the government body established to handle exactly this kind of commercial dispute. The file was assigned reference CS0046117.

Four months later, with no progress, the VSBC proposed to close my file. Their reason: I do not hold an Australian Business Number (ABN) because I am based in Sri Lanka.

I challenged this. I pointed out that every respondent is Victorian-registered, that the VSBC's own published guidance says it handles disputes "between a Victorian small business and another business" — and that the Victorian small business in this case is on the other side of the table.

The Acting Victorian Small Business Commissioner, Ylva Carosone, replied on 30 October 2026 with the official final decision. It contained a critical admission:

"For clarity, the proposed closure of the file should not be understood as a determination that the Small Business Commission Act 2017 contains a specific requirement that every applicant hold an Australian Business Number. Rather, the issue is whether it is appropriate for the VSBC to accept and progress an application by an overseas business under its general commercial dispute resolution function, having regard to the purpose and intended scope of the VSBC's dispute resolution services." — Ylva Carosone, Acting Victorian Small Business Commissioner, 30 October 2026

The Commissioner also suggested I "approach CRITTIKS GLOBAL PTY LTD directly and invite it to submit an application" — asking the alleged victim of fraud to request that the alleged perpetrator file a complaint on their behalf.

I have now escalated to the Victorian Ombudsman (complaint C/26/20584). The Ombudsman is currently reviewing whether the VSBC's discretionary decision to close my file was lawful and reasonable. I have also filed updates with the ACCC and ASIC.

Why This Matters Beyond My Case

This is not an isolated incident. The pattern is systematic and exploitable:

Victorian companies can engage overseas contractors, withhold payment, appropriate their work, and face zero accountability through any Victorian government dispute resolution mechanism — because the contractor doesn't hold an ABN and therefore cannot access the VSBC.

The ACCC, VSBC, and other Australian consumer and business protection bodies are structurally inaccessible to overseas parties — regardless of whether the entity that harmed them is Australian-registered, Australian-domiciled, and operating on Australian soil.

If you are a developer, designer, or service provider outside Australia working for Australian clients:

• You have no access to Victorian small business dispute resolution, even if your client is fully Victorian-registered
• You have no access to ASBFEO advocacy
• Your only remaining options are VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal — no foreign representative required) or civil court proceedings
• The ACCC can receive notifications but does not resolve individual disputes

Get everything in writing. Keep all Git history. Record all communications. The legal route is VCAT — file directly, serve on the Australian company's registered address, no ABN required.

Timeline