Construction experts demand criminal penalties for shoddy builders

Construction experts demand criminal penalties for shoddy builders

A lack of oversight in the construction industry is fuelling a legacy of defects,says an industry expert.

  • byMelissa Cunningham

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High hopes,low quality:special levies and repairs plague new apartment owners

High hopes,low quality:special levies and repairs plague new apartment owners

Cracks,leaks,and cladding – there are hidden dangers in Australia’s new apartments,and it’s costing owners thousands.

  • byMelissa Cunningham
Fireworks likely ignited wedding venue leaving more than 100 dead,150 injured
Updated
Tragedy

Fireworks likely ignited wedding venue leaving more than 100 dead,150 injured

Footage shown on Iraqi television networks appeared to show the bride and groom on the dance floor ready to start their slow dance when the fire began.

  • byFarid Abdulwahed
‘Serious safety risks’:Hundreds of dodgy balconies found during flammable cladding removal

‘Serious safety risks’:Hundreds of dodgy balconies found during flammable cladding removal

Inspections of buildings that received government funding to remove flammable cladding revealed more than 550 defective balconies,prompting warnings that the problems could be widespread.

  • byJewel Topsfield
Flammable cladding fracas:Apartment owners stranded in legal limbo

Flammable cladding fracas:Apartment owners stranded in legal limbo

Owners cannot sell or refinance their property because of the flammable cladding,nor can they borrow against their equity to fund the urgent repairs. They’re trapped in a construction catch-22.

  • byJon Faine
‘It’s cruel,it’s intolerable’:Residents hit with huge bills for extra safety works
Exclusive
Construction

‘It’s cruel,it’s intolerable’:Residents hit with huge bills for extra safety works

Residents who have had flammable cladding removed from their apartments in a government scheme say they have been left broke and unable to sell their homes after the regulator demanded they pay for expensive additional works.

  • byChristine Ahern
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MCG fireworks to return after flammable cladding review

MCG fireworks to return after flammable cladding review

Concerns over safety risks stopped the fireworks show at the AFL season opener,but a review has found 3500 square metres of flammable cladding on the stadium’s Northern Stand does not pose a fire risk.

  • byCara Waters
Five years on,Grenfell’s shadow falls on every unsafe building

Five years on,Grenfell’s shadow falls on every unsafe building

Every home owner and tenant deserves a safe place to live,and swift action needs to be taken in order to prevent a major tragedy occurring in our own backyard.

  • byStephen Brell
Combustible cladding still present at Perth hospitals,unis and schools

Combustible cladding still present at Perth hospitals,unis and schools

Supply chain delays and high demand have been blamed for delays in replacing potentially flammable cladding on public buildings.

  • bySarah Brookes
Grenfell’s wake:Perth unit owners forced to pay $1m for cladding as builders fold

Grenfell’s wake:Perth unit owners forced to pay $1m for cladding as builders fold

Perth apartment owners are still living in developments using the deadly cladding found on Grenfell Tower while others have been forced to put their hand into their own pocket to fix the costly problem after a spate of builders went bust.

  • bySarah Brookes
Hundreds of buildings with cladding deemed low priority despite possible ‘unacceptable fire risk’

Hundreds of buildings with cladding deemed low priority despite possible ‘unacceptable fire risk’

The state government taskforce into dangerous flammable cladding has deemed more than 500 buildings a low priority,despite their facades potentially posing unacceptable fire risks.

  • byLucy Cormack