Page 2877 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017
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Any attachments to these walls must also meet fire safety requirements. For high-rise buildings classified as more than 25 metres in height, additional requirements also apply. These generally include a fire sprinkler system and additional fire exits.
Since 2009 the ACT government has been working on specific measures to address the fire safety risks associated with external wall cladding. The ACT was the first Australian jurisdiction to raise concerns about the issue. In 2009 ACT government officials, including ACT Fire & Rescue officials, attended meetings with ACP suppliers and the fire engineering industry to raise awareness of the combustibility problem.
Since 2009 ACT Fire & Rescue has checked all plans for new ACT buildings, excluding houses, with a floor area greater than 500 square metres to help ensure NCC compliance of wall claddings, amongst other fire safety requirements. It is a legislative requirement that all such plans must be checked so that ACT Fire & Rescue are aware of the kinds of substantial buildings being constructed and the fire risks of those buildings.
In 2009-10 ACT officials raised the issue with other jurisdictions nationally, through the Australian Building Codes Board, or ABCB. Since the 2014 fire in a high-rise residential building in Docklands, Melbourne, the ACT has been working with other jurisdictions and the Australian Building Codes Board to review the national technical requirements for external wall cladding. The ACT has also been active at the national level, working with other states and territories and the Australian Building Codes Board to strengthen regulations to minimise the risk of using building products that do not conform and comply with the NCC. The ABCB published a national advisory note relating to the appropriate use and selection of external wall cladding. This is part of a range of measures agreed to by the building ministers forum to address concerns relating to fire safety in high-rise buildings.
Following the tragic fire in London, the ACT government has begun work to identify and confirm if any aluminium cladding similar to that used in the London housing estate is installed on ACT government buildings. A working group was established to audit ACT government buildings across the city. The working group includes professionals from our building policy units, including Access Canberra inspectors, members of our Emergency Services Agency and officials from across government.
The government is currently undertaking an audit of all assets under its ownership. Once this investigation work is complete, the ACT government will identify any buildings containing these products and undertake a risk assessment of these sites. A risk assessment will identify the type of cladding used and other fire safety features of the building. I expect in some cases this will identify where rectification work may be required and what action, if any, is needed to ensure the safety of visitors and the integrity of the building. As properties deemed at risk are identified, further inspections will occur by building inspectors and emergency services personnel as required. Minister Fitzharris will update the chamber shortly about the work ACT Health have specifically undertaken on their buildings. In other portfolios where high-rise buildings are few and modern buildings exist, desktop audits followed by on-site visits are occurring.
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