Commerce and Industrial Relations Minister Bill Johnston today announced an update on the audit into Western Australian buildings that is examining potentially dangerous wall cladding.
The audit was commissioned by the State’s building regulator in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017, where 71 people, including two Australians, perished.
The State Government has taken on the responsibility for assessing the risk presented by the cladding used on WA buildings.
So far, 453 buildings have been identified within the audit scope – 206 have been cleared and 247 buildings require more detailed assessment.
The Building Commissioner is writing to each building owner, and/or strata manager, to advise them of the outcome of the preliminary assessment and provide advice on the next steps.
Amendments to the Building Code of Australia, in March this year, will ensure all future external walls of high-risk buildings are either non-combustible or be the subject of a full scale fire-test to demonstrate their acceptable performance.
A recent report by Professor Peter Shergold and Bronwyn Weir, about improving the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for Australia’s building and construction industry, is being assessed to see what further strategies are needed to improve outcomes for Western Australia.
The audit is being led by the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety’s Building and Energy division, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and local governments.
For more information, visit http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/building-commission/state-wide-cladding-audit