Barnett Needs to Respond to Building Fire Safety Concerns

Following last night’s damning ABC Four Corners exposѐ of official inaction over building safety in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Minister for Building and Construction needs to provide detail to the public on what action, if any, he has taken to ensure Tasmanian lives are not at risk from flammable cladding and inadequate regulation.

Four Corners confirmed that, nationally, hundreds of thousands of square metres of highly flammable polyethylene-core cladding has been used on buildings. How much has been used here?
Minister Barnett needs to tell Tasmanians what action he took in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy to ensure lives are not put at risk, and firefighters jobs not made more difficult, as a result of commonly used polyethylene cladding.

Has an audit of Tasmanian buildings been undertaken? If so, what has it discovered?

Is this flammable cladding in common use in Tasmania? Is it being used on the redevelopment of Royal Hobart Hospital? Are construction cost savings potentially risking lives?

The Liberals appointed the farcically named ‘Red Tape Reduction Coordinator’. Given that fire and building safety standards and regulations would fall under the Liberals’ definition of ‘red tape’, what building and construction standards are in place to prevent a Grenfell Tower tragedy in Tasmania?

Tasmanians are entitled to know if industry self regulation has caused the same problems in this State as it has in other Australian States and Territories.

If we do, then it requires a coordinated, appropriately resourced response, complete transparency and stronger regulation of the materials used in building construction.
Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader