Premier Barry OFarrell announced to the media that his Government would investigate mandatory sprinklers in both aged care and retirement villages after the Quakers Hill fire has claimed 10 dead and left approximately 30 residents in a critical state. A registered male nurse on shift has been charged for deliberately lighting two fires at about 4.00am. Victoria made sprinklers mandatory for care facilities in 2002 after a fatal fire in 1996. The cost to retrofit a care facility is between $30-40,000. The Australian Building Codes Board in 2007 investigated whether national standards allowing nursing homes to operate without sprinklers were inadequate, without a result. Villages have not been required to have sprinklers. Police checks for village staff however becomes more likely with each event.
18,650 social and affordable homes funded as 370 homes repurposed
The Australian Government’s flagship Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) has agreed to fund 9,284 social and 9,366 affordable homes through 279 successful projects under the first two funding rounds of the HAFF and National Housing Accord Facility...