- City of Ballarat Infrastructure and Environment Terry Demeo
The State Government via the Victorian Building Authority has had a task force which has been operational since the Docklands fire that highlighted the combustibility of some modern claddings on commercial and other buildings.
The task force has been working through the high risk class of buildings, hospitals, schools etc in the first instance, both in the metropolitan area and regional Victoria.
The task force is working directly with Councils in relation to the formal procedures of building notices and building orders, with the VBA taking responsibility for the follow up of initial notices and effectively assuming the role of the Council as the municipal building surveyor in instances of high risk.
In light of this approach, Council would defer to the VBA in relation to specific buildings of concern.
That said, Council very much welcomes the commitment from the State Government to address this major concern and trusts that the funding will be able to address key issues across both metropolitan and regional areas.
