Cladding Safety Victoria (CSV) is responsible for delivering the Victorian Government’s $600 million Cladding Rectification Program (CRP).

In the fulfilment of its functions under the Cladding Safety Victoria Act 2020, (CSV) has reviewed in detail the original plans and permits for 1000 privately owned apartment buildings. 

During extensive and direct engagement with impacted owners and tenants, two of the frequently asked questions have been: why was combustible cladding used and who is responsible? 

This report addresses the second of those questions with insights about more than 800 buildings where adequate information was available in designs and permits to yield a robust conclusion about the compliance of the external wall cladding. 

An analysis of this data reveals widespread misapplication of Victoria’s regulatory requirements for external wall cladding by the key professionals responsible for the design and permitting of buildings, namely the architects, draftspersons, fire safety engineers (FSEs) and building surveyors. 

This review has focused on the following combustible cladding products that have been prioritised for funded rectification work: 

• Aluminium composite panels (ACP); and 
• Expanded polystyrene (EPS).