The evacuation of Sydney's Mascot Towers raises a fresh set of questions about the NSW building and construction sector six months after residents of Sydney's Opal Tower were faced with a similar predicament.
A selection of residents from the Mascot Towers will be able to temporarily return to their homes to collect their belongings today, but still face up to a week in temporary accommodation following the evacuation of the building on Friday night.
Fire and Rescue NSW was called to the complex about 6pm on June 14 after residents noticed cracks in the 10-storey building.
An assessment from engineers led to the formal evacuation of the building, with 95 units affected by the defects.
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Member for Heffron Ron Hoenig, who came and spoke with the residents as they were being evacuated on Friday night, told WILLIAMS MEDIA that residents were not being put first in the situation.
"Being told you have to leave your home is about one of the worst things that can happen," he said.
"These people had to find new places to go and had little help from the owner's corporation, or their insurance company.
"They'd been given notice to get ready the day before and many had self-evacuated before the formal evacuation.
"We don't have the full details yet, and Fire and Rescue only had a very preliminary view, so we are going to have to wait a couple of days to see if the cracks widen."
The building was constructed more than six years ago, meaning owners are not covered under building and construction warranty and will likely foot the bill for repairs.
Friday's evacuation comes just over six months after Opal Tower residents were forced to vacate the premises due to a cracked panel.
In a statement, National Manager for Public Affairs at Engineers Australia Jonathan Russell said both scenarios highlighted the need for regulatory change within the building and construction sector.
"The evacuation of Opal Tower was a major wake-up call for NSW to get serious about reform," it said.
"It is time to finally implement the changes agreed by the Council of Australian Governments in response to its inquiry into regulation of the sector.
"While it is too early to know the root cause of the Mascot Towers failure, the COAG report recommendations offer a program of comprehensive reform that will deliver confidence back to the sector.
"The NSW Coalition committed to public consultation on implementing the COAG report recommendations—including an engineers’ registration scheme—within six months of the March election."
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