Shadow Minister for Planning Combustible cladding action needed urgently

Over a year ago, the Summardai apartment complex in Frankston South was identified as one of Victoria’s most at-risk of cladding fire. Residents had been complaining to the VBA for years by this point. They were waiting for action then, and they’re still waiting now.

For the residents of this building, being told to stay at home during a global pandemic means spending even more time in apartments that are potential death-traps.

This Frankston South building was one of 500 buildings identified by the Andrews government’s Cladding Taskforce as being of substantial risk of cladding fire, and further selected as one of 15 on the highest priority list that is to be rectified by new entity Cladding Safety Victoria. This building poses a ‘danger to life arising out of the condition of building’, according to an emergency order issued by Frankston City Council. The risk to the occupants ‘life and safety’ is in part due to the use of highly combustible expanded polystyrene.

Apartment owners were initially given seven days to carry out extensive building works, with failure to comply leading to threats of fines of up to $80,000 each. The Victorian Building Authority(VBA) and Frankston Council posted a 24/7 fire warden at the property, to ensure it didn’t ignite. That’s how serious the risk is to residents.

Only after intense pressure, and with great fanfare, did the State Labor Government finally announce its $600 million cladding rectification fund, following its protracted Cladding Audit.

At the time Daniel Andrews said, “this world-first program will fix the buildings most at risk and keep Victorians safe.’

The State Government should have followed the precedent set by the British government and done the right thing by footing the entire bill to remove the cladding, rather than increasing permit

Tim Smith, Victorian Shadow Minister for Planning

fees to cover $300 million of the $600 million bill. Then British Prime Minister Theresa May said, “It is of paramount importance that everybody is able to feel and be safe in their homes.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isiCuiW1JH0

This issue only arose because of the failure of the State Government’s regulator, the VBA. The unsuspecting purchasers of these dodgy buildings relied on the VBA to properly regulate the industry to ensure safety standards were met.

Planning Minister Dick Wynne said work to fix the cladding on the 15 highest priority buildings (the Frankston South building included) was expected to start by the end of last year. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that it hasn’t happened.

It’s now late May, and Dick Wynne is still refusing to help these people. Announcements are of little value if they aren’t followed by action.

If the apartment block in Frankston South was deemed an extremely high priority building, what about those languishing at the bottom of the list off 500? I’d hate to imagine how long they’ll have to wait. In among the list of the 15 highest priority properties, were buildings found to be riddled with a host of other construction problems. All were built in the past 20 years. Inspections show that a failure of regulation has led to a whole range of fire safety issues that must be dealt with before these apartments are safe to live in.

The VBA is a failed entity, and I have no confidence in it to regulate the building industry in Victoria. It’s leadership has failed, largely in part because the Minster, Dick Wynne, failed to bring them into line. The performance of Wynne’s Victorian Building Authority has been woeful.

Instead, there’s inaction during a pandemic, when people are locked inside these firetraps. When will their homes be made safe?

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