New regulations to improve the safe use of combustible cladding

The McGowan Government has introduced building regulations to restrict the use of combustible material on building facades of high-risk buildings.

The new building regulations prevent the use of performance solutions by restricting the use of combustible cladding to those that can demonstrate compliance under the Building Code of Australia’s (BCA) new verification method.

This method also includes the requirement for sprinklers in high-risk buildings.

The BCA was updated, in March, to remove any ambiguity around the use of combustible cladding on buildings.

Any combustible cladding proposed to be used on those buildings needs to demonstrate it has passed the large-scale fire test required under Australian Standard AS 5113 or receive approval from the Building Commissioner.

The update to the BCA and the introduction of the new building regulations will substantially prevent the use of dangerous polyethylene (PE) cladding or an expanded polystyrene cladding in a building facade.

These amendments are not retrospective.

Comments attributed to Acting Commerce and Industrial Relations Minister Francis Logan:

“The McGowan Government is taking the issue of cladding very seriously.

“Amendments to the building regulations have been introduced to close any opportunity for developers to get around the non-combustibility requirement for cladding in the BCA.

“The changes will give Western Australians confidence and peace of mind that the cladding of the buildings they occupy is safe.”

Minister's Office: 6552 6700

Building and Energy
Media release
06 Oct 2018

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