Page 2917 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017
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MADAM ACTING SPEAKER: Could I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of the Greenway Lanyon Probus Club. Welcome to your Assembly.
Questions without notice
Government—building materials policy
MR WALL: My question is to the Minister for Planning and Land Management. Minister, are ACT Fire & Rescue on the aluminium cladding working group? If so, who is their representative and when were they appointed?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Mr Wall for his interest in this area. Yes, ACT Fire & Rescue are on the working group. In fact, they were instrumental in assuring us of the safety of the Canberra Hospital today. I apologise because I do not have the actual name of the senior person on the working group, but I could come back to the Assembly with his name and rank.
They have, of course, been putting a great deal of effort into the working group’s challenge across the ACT to identify any safety issues that could occur from ACPs and have advised of the matters that they look at when they are looking at particular building safety. As I said earlier in my answer, they look at the safety of a whole building. Aluminium cladding products are, of course, simply the amenity which is bolted onto the outside of some of these buildings. ACT Fire & Rescue have advised me that they feel that Canberra is quite a safe place to be in regard to building fires.
MR WALL: Minister, is anyone from the building and construction industry, for example the HIA, the MBA or the Property Council, represented on the working group?
MR GENTLEMAN: I do not believe so. The working group is tasked with working across ACT government buildings. But also EPSD is working with the private sector, the MBA and the HIA, on this matter as well. They have been associating with them on a regular basis to ascertain any private buildings, and of course the topic of conforming building products and ACPs has been discussed at our PACICERG meetings, which has members of the building industry, the private sector, our officials from EPSD, the Government Architect, of course, and our safety officials.
MS LAWDER: Minister, for the benefit of the Assembly could you explain to what extent members of the fire brigade or the building and construction industry have been in discussion with you, your directorate and the working group on the topic cladding?
MR GENTLEMAN: On the topic of? Sorry, I missed the last part.
Ms Lawder: The cladding.
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