Senate committee hands down strict recommendations to ban cladding behind Grenfell Tower fire

THE cladding behind the fatal Grenfell Tower fires would be banned in Australia under strict recommendations handed down in the Senate last night.

THE cladding behind the fatal Grenfell Tower fires would be banned in Australia under strict recommendations handed down in the Senate last night.

Builders would also lose their licence, face heavy fines and be barred from bidding for government work if found using it and similar products.

It is part of a sobering report into potentially dangerous building materials being used in Australia, such as the cladding on the PA Hospital, which was found to be too flammable and was this week ordered to be removed.

Labor Senator Chris Ketter, chair of the committee behind the report, criticised Australian regulators for being lax after the Lacrosse Tower building fire in Melbourne, and needing the fatal Grenfell incident to take action.

“The cladding is just a symptom of a range of systematic issues within the industry,” Senator Ketter said.

“The Lacrosse Tower fire in Melbourne happened in 2014, but it was only because of the Grenfell disaster we have seen an acceleration (in action taken).”

Lessons have been learned after the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

The Senate committee recommended a total ban on the importation, sale and use of polyethylene core aluminium composite panels.

It also called for the introduction of a national licensing scheme for builders, as well as revoking accreditation for people found using the banned products.

Coalition Senators criticised the proposed ban on the panels, saying they were widely used in signage and “banning an individual product will not solve the issue”.

Senator Nick Xenophon called for the Government to respond to the report, including time frames for the implementation of its recommendations.

About 80 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire in London in June.