Cladding list of 444 NSW buildings to be kept secret

The NSW Parliament has received a list of 444 NSW buildings that are potentially clad in flammable material, however the public will not be notified.

The Department of Customer Service has said making the list public would increase the risk of arson and terrorism, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The list includes buildings that have been confirmed to have combustible cladding and others that have been assessed as at risk by Fire and Rescue NSW but are awaiting a second assessment.

They suggest its public release could hurt property owners, potentially mislead the public and breach expectations of confidentiality.

The Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has released a report 'Solving the National Construction Crisis' which identifies three key recommendations the Federal government should adopt to solve the national crisis in construction.

They suggest the Federal government should require jurisdictions to demonstrate informed purchaser capacity in delivery of projects they are funded for.

They believe a further $2.1 billion of tax payers money for defects and administrative costs could be saved is there's Federal intervention to harmonise construction laws nationally.

Their third suggestion is that Federal funding should be contingent on jurisdictions having an appropriate pre-qualification regime which accounts for past performance against safety, worker’s entitlements and wages and the delivery of government projects on time, and on-budget. 

CFMEU construction and general division national secretary Dave Noonan said ‘the real crisis in construction is industry and government failures, which have wasted billions and endangered lives.

“It has left consumers with cracked apartments, flammable cladding and governments that waste billions on delivering projects," Noonan said.

“Successive Federal and State governments have consistently failed to properly regulate the sector, and unfortunately its workers and home owners who are left to pick up the pieces.

“So far, the crisis has cost $6.2 billion in building defects, remediation and associated costs, while a lack of expertise has seen Australian governments waste $10.8 billion in the last ten years.

“State governments simply don’t know what they’re doing because outsourcing has gone too far. This has led to massive infrastructure delays and costs blowouts.

“Instead of doing anything about these real issues, the Federal Government’s ‘Ensuring Integrity’ Bill will try to silence union leaders, lower safety standards, clamp rights at work and cut wages.  

“The only thing it ensures is fatter profits for property developers, lower wages and worse safety.

CFMEU research found that over 3,400 apartment buildings across Australia had defective, non-compliant combustible cladding installed, and would require remediation work to make the buildings safe.

Some of the remediation has been up to $165,000 per dwelling.

The Victorian Government hired a cladding safety CEO following the $600 million proposal to fix cladding issues across the state.

  “While the problems with the building and construction sector may seem entrenched and overwhelming, the Federal Government retains important levers which could be used to help solve the crisis," Noonan added.

“We’ve carefully articulated why and how this national crisis in construction has emerged.

“Today we lay out three important steps the Federal Government could take to tackle this crisis.

“Australian governments, the private sector and unions collectively owe it to the community to come together and resolve the national crisis in construction.

“As always, the construction union stands ready to work with government and the private sector to tackle this vitally important task for the Australian people.