- Four safe products have been approved to replace high-risk cladding
- They will offer interest-free loans to replace cladding in owners corporations
- Panel said they were upon to more products being added
Kevin Anderson, the New South Wales Minister for Better Regulation, has announced an independent panel that has endorsed four safe and non-flammable product categories that can replace high-risk cladding, as part of Project Remediate.
Mr Anderson said the NSW Government was taking the “lowest possible risk approach to fire safety” by making sure every component in the cladding replacement program meets the highest fire safety standards that are set by the Building Code of Australia.
“The system includes fixings, brackets, and insulation, and will also need to be completely non-combustible,” said Mr Anderson.
“Homeowners need to be confident their building will be rectified with systems that are safe. That’s why we will also be requiring products and systems in each of the recommended categories to have demonstrated independent fire testing before they can be specified in designs under this program.”
Kevin Anderson, Minister for Better Regulation
As reported in early February, Project Remedite will provide 10-year loans, interest-free, to owners corporations to remove high-risk cladding. This follows a ban for types of cladding that is currently in effect in Victoria.
Mark Hoffman, the Chair of the Cladding Product Safety Panel Professor, said the panel would consider additional products to the program, but wouldn’t do so until more rigorous independent testing occurs.
“There may be additional systems that can safely include elements with some combustibility. The panel will consider submissions relating to these but to date, we have not been provided with robust data from independent accredited labs which tests both the product and the system.”
Mark Hoffman, Cladding Product Safety Panel
The four specific categories are:
- Solid aluminium panels that are installed with cavity barriers and fire-proof mechanical fixings
- Solid metal sheets installed with cavity barriers and fire-proof mechanical fixings
- Fibre cement panels installed with cavity barriers and fire-proof mechanical fixings
- Non-combustible cement render
