Back in April, Alucobond supplier Halifax Vogel Group (HVG) and its manufacturer 3A Composites were targeted in a class action by apartment owners in a Sydney building. They are being represented by William Roberts Lawyers in the first combustible cladding class action in Australia. They claim that the cladding on their building does not meet standards applicable to consumer protection laws, and that 3A Composites and Halifax Vogel Group should pay for it to be replaced, as well as compensation for expenses such as higher insurance premiums.
HVG has hit back, the panels comply with all relevant laws and codes, including the National Construction Code. It argues that it was the decisions of consultants and contractors that led the panels to be used in ways that were hazardous and led to a risk of fire. HVG also contends that anyone supplied with the panels does not come under the definition of a consumer under the Australian Consumer Law or the Trade Practices Act. From The AFR:
