In brief - Cheap external cladding materials from China
pose fire risk
Some types of cladding materials imported from China fail to
comply with Australian standards and lack the fire-retardant
qualities of compliant products. The China-Australia Free Trade
Agreement (ChAFTA) could exacerbate this problem.
Combustible external cladding allows Docklands fire to
spread
In November 2014 the Lacrosse Residential Apartment Building in
Docklands, Melbourne caught fire, suffering extensive damage. The
fire was sparked by a cigarette on an eighth floor balcony. The
building's combustible external cladding enabled the fire to
race up to the 21st floor.
It was subsequently found that the cladding material was
imported from China and was not tested to Australian standards.
(See Simon King's article Fire-risk cladding a legal
minefield, apartment owners warned, The Australian (online), 5
May 2015.)
