Released 25/07/2017
Minister for Planning and Land Management Mick Gentleman today announced that the ACT is committed to participating in a national review into building compliance and certification following the Grenfell Tower fire in London.
“The ACT Government is committed to the welfare and safety of all Canberrans. Further to the ACT’s participation in the national review the government will also establish a taskforce to determine whether any further actions are required on developments where aluminium composite panels have been used in the ACT,” Minister Gentleman said.
“Depending on the findings of the review and the work of the taskforce, further actions may involve physical inspections of buildings to ensure that aluminium composite panels have been installed correctly and comply with all ACT and National building and fire safety codes.”
“The ACT Government is confident in the safety of the ACT’s buildings. However it is appropriate that we participate in any national reviews and consider any relevant findings.
“I participated in the Building Ministers’ Forum on Friday, where it was agreed to commission an expert report to examine compliance and enforcement problems affecting the National Construction Code,” Minister Gentleman said.
“The ACT Government has already undertaken significant reforms in our buildings compliance codes over the past five years to improve the quality and compliance of our buildings, including residential buildings. Initiatives include a new auditing and inspection system and new education and training courses on the ACT building and certification systems,” Minister Gentleman concluded.
For more information on ACT building standards visit www.planning.act.gov.au.
A one-stop website has also been established at the national level providing information on non-conforming building products, with facility for people to also make enquiries about building products. The website is: http://www.abcb.gov.au/NCBP/Non-Conforming-Building-Products.
- Statement ends -
Mick Gentleman, MLA | Media Releases