Page 2918 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017
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MR GENTLEMAN: The cladding, yes. Regularly, I suppose, is the best answer. As I said, this is a whole-of-government priority. We are looking at providing the safest possible outcomes for all Canberrans. I talk with the group regularly and, of course, they provide me with briefs regularly. They are talking to the private sector regularly as well.
Government—building materials policy
MRS KIKKERT: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Minister, during the estimates period a question on notice was put to you about cladding used on ACT Health buildings which asked whether external cladding is fire rated. You did not answer the question, so here is the question again: minister, is the external cladding on ACT Health buildings fire rated?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Mrs Kikkert for the question. Indeed, the answer that I provided to that question on notice was that all ACT Health buildings constructed since 2008 utilising facade cladding have been reviewed for compliance with the Building Code of Australia. All buildings have received certificates of occupancy. ACT Health is liaising with the recently set up ACT government task force to coordinate and consolidate assessment of all buildings. Implicit in the Building Code and implicit in certificates of occupancy is the necessary fire rating.
MRS KIKKERT: Minister, what material is used for the external cladding on the University of Canberra hospital building?
MS FITZHARRIS: I do not know the precise nature of the material but what I can inform the Assembly is that it does not contain the polyethylene ACPs that have been discussed earlier today.
MS LAWDER: Minister, when will the cladding on the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children be removed?
MS FITZHARRIS: As I have outlined today, we have identified that there is some cladding on the facade of the Centenary hospital containing the polyethylene ACPs. We are currently in the process of assessing whether or not we can remove those panels before new panels become available. That process will take us until the end of September. We will be removing the polyethylene panels. They are five or 10 per cent of the building facade.
The assessment of whether we can safely remove them to otherwise protect the facade of the building before replacement panels become available will be completed by the end of September. That will further inform further work that our engineering and technical experts will undertake, and we will know answers to that post the end of September.
I expect remediation work to begin by the end of this year but I repeat what I have said on a number of occasions today, and will continue to repeat: we have had assessments of the Centenary hospital. It is a modern and safe building, and ACT Fire
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