On the Cladding Ban by The Victorian Government

The cladding rectification works were mentioned many times in the past and how the Victorian Government has allotted $600 million for it. Part of the announcement was the additional building permit tax to fund the rectification. Recently, additional information was released stating that there will be banning on certain cladding products.

On February 1, the Victorian Government has announced that external wall cladding products are temporarily not allowed to be used by any person carrying out any kind of building work that is connected with Type A or Type B building construction in Victoria. Here are some additional details regarding the products.

- ACPs or Aluminum Composite Panels with a core not more 93 percent inert mineral filler by mass in external cladding as part of a wall system;

- EPS or Expanded polystyrene products mainly used in an external insulation and finish (rendered) wall system.

The banning of these cladding products is also applied to any application for a building permit submitted from 1st of February 2021 according to the minister’s declaration.

The banning of dangerous cladding is necessary to keep all Victorians safe. The Andrews Labor Government continues to lead in terms of the effects of combustible cladding with the response of banning on high-risk cladding most especially to the new multi-storey developments. The prohibitions for future multi-storey building will have to adhere to the prohibitions set by the Minister of Planning. This banning comes after a technical advice, which stated that these products may contribute to the spread of fire when installed incorrectly or used inappropriately.

For the safety of all Victorians, Minister for Planning Richard Wynne deemed it was necessary to make this step. The ban also applies to using products on office buildings, shopping centres, retail premises, warehouses, factories, and three or more storey car parks.

The Victorian Government will strictly enforce this in order to ensure all new developments will be built to the highest standard to keep the residents of Victoria safe while continue the rectification of existing buildings. Expert pieces of advice will be entertained according to Richard Wynne. He adds, "anyone caught flouting this ban will face significant penalties.” Penalties for breaches of these prohibitions and banning may reach up to $400,000. “These products are a high risk when used inappropriately or installed incorrectly – that’s why we’ve acted to ban them for new multi-storey buildings.”

For more information regarding the cladding, check out this link.