Victorian Cladding Industry Update – The Current State of Play
Despite downturns in the construction industry due to COVID related restrictions, cladding installers in Melbourne can take some solace in the fact that Cladding Safety Victoria (CSV) has taken measures to ensure that cladding installation continues in and around Melbourne on affected properties.
The knock-on effect of this is that owners of properties with non-compliant cladding who have been served a building notice or building order for replacement of cladding have been able to get cladding replaced and thereby improve the safety and value of their homes.
The continued focus on identifying non-compliant cladding also means that Inspection of cladding has continued to occur, resulting in the replacement of Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) materials with compliant cladding. As a result, local companies involved in the cladding replacement process have been able to keep more of their employees on the tools, providing cladding inspection services and installation of cladding throughout the lockdowns that have gripped Victoria.
The following information has been provided by CSV and serves as a summary of the current state of play as we round the turn into the final quarter of 2020.
Program Update
The Victorian Building Authority-led Statewide Cladding Audit is ongoing and more than 600 buildings across the state have now been referred to Cladding Safety Victoria.
We’ve met with well over 450 individual owners corporations to discuss how we’re going to assist in the process of cladding removal on their building, and we’re meeting with more every week.
We’re appointing an Independent Project Manager (IPM) to manage the rectification process for each building once a funding decision has been made. The IPM will work closely with owners corporations to help guide them through the process to ensure rectification works occur smoothly. We’ve already appointed more than 130 IPMs to manage individual projects.
We’ve completed technical inspections on over 280 buildings and now have plans for how we are going to rectify each of these buildings. We are on track to meet our Target 200 goal of having 200 buildings underway by end of June 2021.
Cladding Safety Victoria CEO Dan O’Brien on the intent behind the push to appoint Independent Project Managers to manage the rectification process:
“Assembling a team of Independent Project Managers was crucial to ensure that owners corporations are working with registered and qualified practitioners from start to finish.”
Clerk of Works
Cladding Safety Victoria (CSV) has undertaken an expression of interest for a Clerk of Works role to support our $600 million Cladding Rectification Program.
The Clerk of Works will inspect CSV sites to ensure our world-leading program adheres to all contract, schedule, quality and workmanship and health and safety management requirements.
The Victorian Cladding Taskforce acknowledged the clerk of works has largely disappeared from the building and construction industry. It recommended restoring the clerk of works as part of a long-term reform strategy in Victoria.
Mr O’Brien on the role of the Clerk of Works:
“We’re paying close attention to the quality of the workmanship in our program. The Clerk of Works will provide ongoing checks to ensure work is done to the highest standard.”
Cladding Safety Victoria Bill
The Cladding Safety Victoria Bill will formally separate CSV from the Victorian Building Authority and establish it as the responsible authority for delivering the Cladding Rectification Program.
Establishing CSV as a stand-alone entity will ensure it is best placed to deliver the Victorian Government’s world-leading Cladding Rectification Program.
The state’s $600 million Cladding Rectification Program delivered by Cladding Safety Victoria will continue to fix buildings found to have higher-risk combustible cladding and assist owners corporations through this complex process, as it has done to now.
Mr O’Brien:
“Works are underway across more buildings every week. We’re working to have four hundred private residential buildings under construction over the next two years, which will get more cladding off apartments sooner and continue to support Victoria’s construction industry in the wake of COVID-19.”
More information about the Cladding Safety Victoria Bill is in the media release: https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/extension-victorians-seeking-cladding-cost-claims.