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ACT Health audit finds flammable cladding on five extra buildings

Flammable cladding has been found on an additional five ACT Health buildings following the discovery of panels with a combustible polyethylene core on the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children in August.

A report tabled by Planning Minister Mick Gentleman in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday revealed three buildings at the Canberra Hospital, the Health Protection Services building at Holder and the Belconnen Community Health Centre also carried combustible cladding.

The buildings affected at the Canberra Hospital were the ANU Medical School, elements of the Radiation Oncology building and aspects of the Emergency, Diagnostics and Treatment department.

The report did not state whether the panels would be removed.

"Each of these buildings vary in size, function, service delivery requirements and the amount of ACP (aluminium composite panels) materials found to be present," the report said.

"The varying characteristics of each of the buildings need to be taken into consideration when determining the level of potential risk that is posed by the presence of PE (polyethylene) ACP cladding.

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"... ACT Health will liaise closely with the Review Group on assessing the risks associated with the use of PE ACP on each individual building."

The ACT government ordered the audit of territory-owned buildings after the deadly Grenfell Tower fire in June.

More than 80 people died in the 24-storey West London block after a fire broke out in a fridge-freezer on the fourth floor.

The fire was believed to have rapidly spread because of the exterior cladding, which was made from aluminum and polyethylene.

The ACT report also revealed a desktop audit found 46 Canberra school sites had a building or buildings with some form of aluminium composite panels.

It said the government's priority was to confirm the type and location of the material and identify any associated risks.

"The majority of the buildings are single storey buildings on which any form of ACP poses a low risk to building occupants and is likely to provide an acceptable safety level under building standards," the report said.

"All schools all are managed under comprehensive fire management procedures and have other fire protection infrastructure."

Housing ACT had also identified seven sites with aluminium composite panels, all in small amounts and used as "decorate features", the report said.

The agency was working to identify the type of panelling installed at each site and undertake a further risk assessment, the report said, a process that would include reviewing documentation including designs, building files and Housing ACT construction files.

On the Centenary Hospital project, the report said an Expressions of Interest process was under way to find a builder to remove and replace affected panels.

A "small area" of affected panels have been removed to help inform the Statement of Requirements, which will be handed to the successful tenderer.

Some will be temporarily reinstalled while others were damaged and will be replaced with "an appropriate interim cladding material", the report said.

"Early verbal advice received from (engineering firm) Arcadis indicates the interim removal of the ACP panels, pending permanent replacement, is not advisable due to the impact that any interim solution will have on the building's stable facade system," the report said.

"This advice is fully supported by ACT Fire and Rescue. ACT Health are working in close collaboration with ACT Fire and Rescue and the Inter-Agency Review Group to ensure timely replacement of the ACP Panels from the CHWC building."