Former NSW Premier John Fahey demands answers over Opal Tower drama

Olympic Park Authority Chairman and former NSW Premier John Fahey has joined the chorus of voices demanded answers over the Opal Tower drama, telling The Saturday Telegraph he is “concerned”.

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Sydney’s Olympic king — previously just an onlooker in the Opal Tower debacle after the building cracked on Christmas Eve — is now demanding answers about what has caused the fault.

In his capacity as chairman of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority, former NSW premier John Fahey told The Saturday Telegraph: “There’s so much speculation at the present time which is going down rabbit warrens everywhere and none of us know. I think a lot of us are concerned about what’s occurred — it’s not the sort of thing we’ve been used to in this country and we all want answers, particularly the owners and tenants.”

Former NSW premier John Fahey. Picture: Damian Shaw

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Two independent experts appointed by the NSW government last night said they had handed over an interim report on their investigation but it is yet to be made public.

Professors Mark Hoffman and John Carter said in a statement they had made “significant progress” but were “still gathering data to inform our assessment of the design and construction issues”.

Despite this, builder Icon yesterday gave some residents the all clear to start moving back into the 36-storey building this weekend following the completion of stabilisation works last night.

Mr Fahey, the NSW premier between 1992-1995, had a pivotal role in securing the 2000 Olympic Games for Sydney. He is famously remembered for leaping from his seat in 1993 at the Monaco ceremony where Sydney won the right to host the Games.

Mr Fahey said SOPA didn’t have a formal role in the Opal Tower investigation but was “doing our best to accommodate and assist where we can”.

An interim report into the investigation has been handed in. Picture: John Appleyard

In addition to being the SOPA boss, Mr Fahey is also the chair of the Australian Building Codes Board — a role he assumed in November 2017.

The ABCB is a Council of Australian Government (COAG) standards writing body that is responsible for the development of the National Construction Code.

Mr Fahey said the ABCB had no direct role in relation to the Opal Tower construction compliance and enforcement.

The ABCB is currently undertaking an administrative review of building construction standards across the country for the state and federal governments.

The ABCB task comes at a time when SOPA could be facing issues arising from its deal with the Opal developer.

The Daily Telegraph reported last month that purchasers bought their apartment from SOPA, although a spokesman denied any potential liability.

“It would appear on paper people are buying apartments directly from SOPA but they’re not,” the spokesman said.

“SOPA’s obligations are limited to transferring title.”

Opposition planning spokeswoman Tania Mihailuk said she assumed Mr Fahey would have sought advice regarding his dual roles on SOPA and the ABCB.