Page 3995 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 September 2017

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Compared to a building that was built 40 years ago, of course it is a safe building. There are much better sprinkler systems. There is a range of other fire protections that now exist that make this a safe structure. That is not to say improvements cannot be made, and I think we need to be a little more nuanced in this discussion in understanding the difference between suggesting something is a fire trap and suggesting that improvements can be made to improve its fire safety.

I welcome the amendment that has been moved by Minister Gentleman and the commitment in that to providing further information to the Assembly. The Greens certainly look forward to seeing that information presented during the October sitting. I think that it is appropriate that that information is presented, and that is why we will support the amendment.

MS FITZHARRIS (Yerrabi—Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Minister for Transport and City Services and Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research) (4.08): I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important issue today in the Assembly, and I, too, will be supporting Minister Gentleman’s amendment. As I have stated on a number of occasions—and I actually look forward to again repeating comments that I have made that address both Ms Lawder’s motion and subsequent points in her speech—the number one priority of government is to make sure our community is safe and well. In my case as the health minister I take it very seriously, particularly when we are talking about a hospital.

I take this opportunity to again reassure the Assembly and the community that there is no risk to patients, community or staff at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children from the cladding we are discussing today. I state again that the Centenary hospital is a safe hospital. Following the Grenfell tower block fire in London, ACT Health has been proactive in investigating any potential impact on its facilities.

At the time of construction of the Centenary hospital, those particular aluminium composite panels on the facade of the building met the requirements of the Building Code. So I can answer Mrs Dunne’s question, once again, that, indeed, the Centenary hospital was built to code, and I understand that it remains code compliant. At the time of construction, they were applied to the building in a compliant way in accordance with the Building Code of Australia requirements. The design and construction of the building were reviewed by ACT Fire & Rescue, and the Centenary hospital received both the endorsement of ACT Fire & Rescue as well as final certificates of occupancy and use.

ACT Health were first made aware of the risks posed by the cladding at the Centenary hospital following a desktop audit conducted in June of this year on healthcare facilities constructed since 2008 and a subsequent assessment by DeFire in early August 2017. As I have previously advised members, the identified panels at the Centenary hospital will be removed as a precautionary measure as soon as practicable.

I once again reject the assertions made by the opposition that the Centenary hospital is unsafe. Yes, a decision has been made to remove the affected panels from the building.


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