Property www.echo.net.au/echo-property
Property Insider
Email us: propertyinsider@echo.net.au
Fire Safety Reforms Families across New South Wales will be safer in their homes with the announcement of a wide-ranging fire safety package by the state government. Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said the 10-point plan that has been developed was Australia’s most comprehensive response to the issues around London’s Grenfell Tower fire earlier this year.
Fire safety and external wall cladding Since January 2015, the NSW Government has been working on specific measures to address the firesafety risks associated with external wall cladding. In addition, on 16 June 2017, the NSW Government developed and began implementing a co-ordinated whole-of-government policy response to the Grenfell fire in London. An inter-agency Fire Safety and External Wall Cladding Taskforce (the Taskforce) was established. The Taskforce has developed a whole-of-government action plan to
prioritise and address fire safety requirements for residential buildings, including dealing with fire-safety risks associated with external wall cladding. The Taskforce performs an expert and advisory function and is working with the federal government, local councils and industry.
External wall cladding Cladding is a term commonly used to describe the material used to cover the external wall or roof of a building. Common materials used for cladding include weatherboard, lightweight panels (such as aluminium composite panels) and metal sheeting. Aluminium composite panels are generally two thin sheets of aluminium separated by a core material. The core can consist of materials such as polyethylene or mineral fibre, which will determine the combustibility of
the product and its potential to promote the spread of fire. It is important to remember that the presence of aluminium composite cladding on a building does not mean it is non-compliant or a safety hazard. The configuration and how it has been used will also be relevant.
Further information Building developers and owners will be notified if their building is identified in the data audit. Residents seeking further information should contact their building owner or manager. A number of local councils are also taking action to respond to firesafety risks associated with external wall cladding. Residents can find out if their local council has taken action by contacting their council directly. For contact information, visit the ‘Find my council’ page on the Office of Local Government website: www. olg.nsw.gov.au/find-my-council. If
The 10 Point Plan: 1. A comprehensive building product safety scheme that would prevent the use of dangerous products on buildings 2. Identifying buildings that might have aluminium or other cladding 3. Writing to the building / strata managers or owners of those buildings to encourage them to inspect the cladding and installation of cladding, if it exists 4. NSW Fire and Rescue visiting all buildings on the list, as part of a fire-safety education program. 5. Creating a new fire-safety declaration that will require highrise residential buildings to inform state and local governments as well as NSW Fire and Rescue if their building has cladding on it
owners and occupants of buildings are concerned about fire safety in their building, they should take action without delay. No-one should wait to be contacted by the state gov-
6. Expediting reforms to toughen up the regulation of building certifiers 7. Reforms to create an industrybased accreditation that will ensure only skilled and experienced people can do fire-safety inspections 8. Establishing a whole-of-government taskforce that will coordinate and roll out the reforms 9. Instructing all government departments to audit their buildings and determine if they have aluminium cladding, with an initial focus on social housing 10. Writing to local councils to follow up on correspondence they received from the state government, after Melbourne’s Lacrosse Tower fire in 2016.
ernment or their local council if they have concerns about their building. More information on this subject can be found at fairtrading.nsw.gov. au.
ITALIAN QUALIT Y AVAIL ABLE LOCALLY
• Ceramic and Porcelain Tiles • Timber Floors • Tapware • Showers • Vanities • Toilets • Outdoor Tiles and Pavers • Bathroom Accessories
4/64 CENTENNIAL CIRCUIT, BYRON BAY • 02 6680 8542 info@cipriano.com.au • www.cipriano.com.au North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
The Byron Shire Echo August 23, 2017 19