State Government-owned buildings still waiting for potentially dangerous flammable cladding to be removed

Almost a dozen buildings owned by the Department of Education still have potentially dangerous flammable cladding years after the risky material was first earmarked for removal. A Statewide audit of combustible cladding was conducted by the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety in 2017 after the material was found to have contributed to the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in London which killed 72 people. Almost 2000 State-owned buildings were checked as part of the audit with the results, released in 2019. The Department of Education and Murdoch University were the worst affected with 11 buildings each requiring work to remove cladding. An updated progress report by Building and Energy WA this year shows Murdoch had completed all its remediation works, while the Education Department still has not made any progress in making it’s facilities safe. Another four Government buildings still require remediation for combustible cladding across other departments including Health and the Department of Training and Workforce Development. The West asked Commerce Minister Tony Buti why the flammable cladding still hadn’t been removed from government buildings and whether he thought it was acceptable departments hadn’t removed the dangerous material. In a statement, a Cook Government spokesperson said it was committed to fixing affected buildings. “Remedial works required can often be substantial, complex and highly disruptive. Only a certain number of experienced contractors and professionals are available in WA to undertake these types of works,” the spokesperson said. “We are undertaking upgrades across the system and departments are prioritising the necessary remedial works as part of maintenance programs.” A spokesperson for the Department of Education said it conducted its own audit of combustible cladding which was “more robust” than the initial whole-of-government investigation and it was working to remediate the affected buildings. “The department’s audit confirmed that the vast majority of schools’ panels are compliant and that no schools were found to have high-risk aluminium composite panels.” However, a Department of Education public tender published online in July shows there are multiple public schools with aluminium composite cladding that require removal, including Halls Head, Canning Vale, Baldivis, and Dalyellup colleges. When approached about this discrepancy, a spokesperson for the department contacted The West to “clarify” that it does not consider the flammable cladding to be high risk. “Funding has been allocated for remediation works to progress at priority sites. It is important to note all schools remain safe for students, staff and visitors,” the spokesperson said.