An audit has found that certain parties involved in the Myer redevelopment project knew that “not insignificant damage” had occurred to tenancies in the Cat and Fiddle complex 22 days before the Hobart Rivulet wall collapsed.
At least one party also failed to follow the ‘protection-work’ process, as outlined in the Building Act 2000. The Act requires property owners/developers to seek the agreement of adjacent owners regarding measures to protect the adjoining property during construction.
The Director of Building Control will consider what further action is required, as provided for in the Building Act 2000.
The scope of the audit was limited to the ‘protection-work’ process as defined by the Building Act 2000 and did not extend to the cause of the collapse.
Mr Webster said that “The Tasmanian Government’s new building regulatory framework that will be implemented on 1 January, 2017, will further extend our ability to prevent these kinds of contraventions from happening in the first place.”
“The Tasmanian Government’s new Building Act 2016 moves Tasmania to a new approach to building. The reforms are the most significant change to the building regulatory framework in more than a century.”
The audit results are available at www.justice.tas.gov.au/building/reports