Cladding review questioned
Firefighters say the Federal Government has neglected its responsibility for flammable cladding.
Former assistant industry minister Craig Laundy was reviewing Australia’s use of the material blamed for London's Grenfell Tower blaze, until he changed jobs in a Cabinet reshuffle last year.
The United Firefighters Union says the inquiry appears to have been delayed since then.
“With a fire, every minute counts. As we speak we could be having another one of these type of fires,” union secretary Peter Marshall has told the ABC.
“Resulting in a significant challenge to the fire service to minimise damage to the property, which is practically impossible with this cladding, but most importantly to try and prevent loss of life.
“Any delay is too long.”
The union wants new, nationwide regulation.
“Because otherwise every state's going to be doing something different, which is just a ludicrous proposition,” Mr Marshall said.
“We're talking about a very real potential for loss of life here.”
Mr Laundy's office says he is still looking at cladding, despite his new responsibilities as Small Business Minister.
It said in a statement steps are being taken at the state and territory level to crack down on the use of the flammable panels in high-rise buildings.
“Significant work has been undertaken by jurisdictions to address issues relating to building compliance and enforcement,” the statement said.
“Including the work of the cladding audits and reviews that are underway across the states and territories.”
The Federal Government is also waiting on a report on compliance issues, with meetings with state governments due in April.