Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a $600 million package to tackle combustible cladding within the state.
A series of grants will fund rectification works on hundreds of Victorian buildings found to have high-risk cladding, the state government announced on Tuesday.
Premier Daniel Andrews joined Minister for Planning Richard Wynne to announce a $600 million package to fix buildings with combustible cladding.
The program will be overseen by a new agency, Cladding Safety Victoria, which will manage funding and work with owners corporations from start to finish.
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The Labor Government will directly fund half of the rectification works and will introduce changes to the building permit levy to raise the other $300 million over the next five years.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the world-first program would fix the buildings most at risk and keep Victorians safe.
“Combustible cladding is a national problem and we want the Federal Government to be part of the solution here in Victoria," he said.
Rectification of buildings with high-risk cladding and the establishment of a dedicated cladding agency were key recommendations from the final report from the Victorian Cladding Taskforce released this week.
Cladding Safety Victoria - helpful links
Established by the Labor Government in 2017, the Taskforce aimed to identify how many buildings had combustible cladding and potential solutions to fix them.
It has also recommended the Victorian Government seek a contribution from the Commonwealth to help fund rectification, as combustible cladding is a national problem.
The Taskforce, headed by former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu and former Deputy Premier John Thwaites, has worked with the Victorian Building Authority to identify 15 buildings that will have their cladding fixed first.
Work on these high-risk buildings was funded in the Victorian Budget 2019/20 and will begin in the coming weeks.
Cladding Safety Victoria will also be contacting owners corporations and property owners shortly, starting with those whose buildings are at the greatest risk.
The government will also review the state’s Building Act to identify what legislative change is needed to strengthen the system and better protect consumers.
Click here for more information on the Victorian Cladding Taskforce.
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