Dangerous cladding now banned from multistorey buildings in Victoria

Dangerous cladding which was responsible for a number of apartment fires in Melbourne’s CBD will now be banned from buildings in Victoria.

Dangerous cladding will be banned from multistorey buildings in Victoria in a world-first move by the State Government.

The new rules will come into effect on Monday and mean flammable cladding cannot be installed on any new buildings above two storeys — such as flats, shopping centres and factories.

The cladding — which was responsible for the 2014 fire at Docklands’ Lacrosse building and another blaze, in 2019, at the Neo200 building in the CBD — is currently permitted as long as builders reduce any potential fire risks by adding extra sprinklers or exits, in case of an emergency.

Planning Minister Richard Wynne will announce the ban on Monday.

The Docklands Lacrosse building suffered extensive damage after a fire. Picture: Nicole Garmston

The highly combustible cladding caused enormous damage.

“This ban will ensure new developments are built to the highest standard to keep Victorians safe while we continue to rectify existing buildings through our world-first cladding rectification program,” he said. “These products are a high risk when used inappropriately or installed incorrectly — that’s why we’ve acted to ban them for new multistorey buildings.”

The ban applies to any building considered type A or B under the state’s building code, and prohibits the use of aluminium composite panels and expanded polystyrene.

The Victorian Building Authority will enforce the new rules, and anyone caught breaking them will face penalties of up to $80,000 for an individual and $400,000 for a company.

Crews at the scene of fire at 300 Spencer st. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Rebecca Casson, chief executive of Master Builders Victoria, said safety was paramount and “certainty around what cladding products are deemed acceptable is needed”.

She said tight regulations were already in place before Monday’s announcement.

“It is vital that state and federal governments work with industry on ways to assess products before they come to market,” she said.

The reforms were recommended by the Victorian Cladding Taskforce, which was established in 2019 after blazes in Melbourne and around the world — including the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London in which 72 people perished.

More than 640 buildings across Victoria have been identified by the VBA as part of the statewide cladding audit and $600 million Cladding Rectification Program, run by Cladding Safe Victoria.

A government-commissioned cost-benefit analysis also found the ban will result in a net economic benefit of approximately $1 million a year due to reduced insurance costs.