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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/30/brisbane-hospital-could-have-highly-flammable-cladding-audit-finds
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| Brisbane hospital could have highly flammable cladding, audit finds | Brisbane hospital could have highly flammable cladding, audit finds |
| (11 days later) | |
| Potentially dangerous aluminium cladding has been found on one of Brisbane’s busiest hospitals during an audit of public and private buildings conducted by the Palaszczuk government. | Potentially dangerous aluminium cladding has been found on one of Brisbane’s busiest hospitals during an audit of public and private buildings conducted by the Palaszczuk government. |
| Queensland’s housing minister, Mick de Brenni, said he was informed about aluminium composite panels (ACPs) on the Princess Alexandra hospital this week, and samples had been taken for testing. | Queensland’s housing minister, Mick de Brenni, said he was informed about aluminium composite panels (ACPs) on the Princess Alexandra hospital this week, and samples had been taken for testing. |
| Queensland has joined South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria in ordering an audit of buildings that could potentially be clad in the highly flammable panels, which have been named as one of the aggravating factors in the Grenfell Tower fire in West London earlier this month, in which 80 have been confirmed dead so far. | Queensland has joined South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria in ordering an audit of buildings that could potentially be clad in the highly flammable panels, which have been named as one of the aggravating factors in the Grenfell Tower fire in West London earlier this month, in which 80 have been confirmed dead so far. |
| Tightening regulations around importing the panels, most of which are made in China, and increasing checks by building inspectors were among the measures on the agenda of a national meeting of building ministers on Friday. | Tightening regulations around importing the panels, most of which are made in China, and increasing checks by building inspectors were among the measures on the agenda of a national meeting of building ministers on Friday. |
| De Brenni said it was not yet known whether the cladding on Princess Alexandra hospital was the lowest cost style with a polyethylene core, which is not cleared for external use on high-rise buildings in Australia. | De Brenni said it was not yet known whether the cladding on Princess Alexandra hospital was the lowest cost style with a polyethylene core, which is not cleared for external use on high-rise buildings in Australia. |
| That was the type used to clad the Grenfell Tower during a 2016 renovation – designed to improve the look of the building and make it more energy efficient – and on a Melbourne apartment block that caught fire in 2014. | That was the type used to clad the Grenfell Tower during a 2016 renovation – designed to improve the look of the building and make it more energy efficient – and on a Melbourne apartment block that caught fire in 2014. |
| “Our advice is that the risk of any incident would be low and we have taken action to increase security around the building while the testing continues,” de Brenni said in a statement on Friday. | “Our advice is that the risk of any incident would be low and we have taken action to increase security around the building while the testing continues,” de Brenni said in a statement on Friday. |
| The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services commissioner, Katrina Carroll, said the hospital was fitted with state-of-the-art sprinklers, fire alarms and evacuation systems, and the building had been put under “around the clock monitoring” to ensure an “elevated” response in the event of fire. | The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services commissioner, Katrina Carroll, said the hospital was fitted with state-of-the-art sprinklers, fire alarms and evacuation systems, and the building had been put under “around the clock monitoring” to ensure an “elevated” response in the event of fire. |
| The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, who was in Brisbane on Friday, said the Grenfell Tower fire deaths were a “wake-up call to Australia” to address the use of building products that did not comply with Australian standards. | The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, who was in Brisbane on Friday, said the Grenfell Tower fire deaths were a “wake-up call to Australia” to address the use of building products that did not comply with Australian standards. |
| “I think we have been lucky in the past but I just wonder when our luck runs out,” he said. | “I think we have been lucky in the past but I just wonder when our luck runs out,” he said. |
| “We have too many unlicensed and unqualified people ticking boxes and trying to pretend we have a safe system. | “We have too many unlicensed and unqualified people ticking boxes and trying to pretend we have a safe system. |
| “If the government won’t do enough and do it quickly enough, we will make this an issue. One person’s death is one too many.” | “If the government won’t do enough and do it quickly enough, we will make this an issue. One person’s death is one too many.” |
| Shorten said the construction industry needed to stamp out inconsistent auditing and building inspection practices, and he called on Australian governments to “get on and lift the standards”. | Shorten said the construction industry needed to stamp out inconsistent auditing and building inspection practices, and he called on Australian governments to “get on and lift the standards”. |
| Queensland has already tabled legislation to crack down on the import of non-compliant building products, and an audit taskforce will examine buildings constructed between 1994 and 2004, beginning with hospitals, aged care centres, hotels, high-rise apartments and office blocks. | Queensland has already tabled legislation to crack down on the import of non-compliant building products, and an audit taskforce will examine buildings constructed between 1994 and 2004, beginning with hospitals, aged care centres, hotels, high-rise apartments and office blocks. |
| It has a broader scope than the audit conducted by the Victorian Building Authority in 2015, following the fire in the Lacrosse Building in Docklands. | It has a broader scope than the audit conducted by the Victorian Building Authority in 2015, following the fire in the Lacrosse Building in Docklands. |
| The Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Mark Carter criticised that process as being too “narrow”, because it focused only on ACPs and did not look at other potentially unsafe materials. | The Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Mark Carter criticised that process as being too “narrow”, because it focused only on ACPs and did not look at other potentially unsafe materials. |
| “[The audit] was only looking at ACP following the Lacrosse fire, which was the product that burnt at Lacrosse,” he told the ABC. | “[The audit] was only looking at ACP following the Lacrosse fire, which was the product that burnt at Lacrosse,” he told the ABC. |
| “What we’ve found out in our research since is that there’s many products that at some level are combustible that are being used widely in the apartment market.” | “What we’ve found out in our research since is that there’s many products that at some level are combustible that are being used widely in the apartment market.” |
| On Wednesday, the McGowan government in Western Australia put in place 24/7 security around a housing block for at-risk young people, after it was found to be clad in non-compliant aluminium panelling. | On Wednesday, the McGowan government in Western Australia put in place 24/7 security around a housing block for at-risk young people, after it was found to be clad in non-compliant aluminium panelling. |
| The WA public housing authority is auditing its 36,000 properties, starting with those deemed to be of highest risk. | The WA public housing authority is auditing its 36,000 properties, starting with those deemed to be of highest risk. |
| Brisbane | Brisbane |
| Queensland | Queensland |
| Grenfell Tower fire | Grenfell Tower fire |
| Victoria | Victoria |
| Western Australia | Western Australia |
| South Australia | South Australia |
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