Building Legislation Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Bill 2005
Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: I speak on behalf of the Christian Democratic Party on the Building Legislation Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Bill. The purpose of this bill is to provide for the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms in buildings in which people sleep. We welcome this initiative. Many of us would be familiar with the recent tragic deaths of four children in a house fire in Wyong. Until that incident, nine people had perished in house fires in three weeks. The deaths prompted calls for mandatory smoke alarms in all homes in New South Wales. This bill satisfied those calls.
Statistics given by New South Wales Fire Brigades indicate that nearly 90 per cent of deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms. Currently, approximately 72 per cent of homes inn New South Wales are installed with these devices. Further, statistics over the past 10 years into house fire deaths show that deaths are rare in homes that have alarms. That may be due to the fact that when a person is asleep, smoke from a fire will actually put them into a deeper sleep. A smoke alarm provides the early warning needed to get down low and go, go, go.
I note, however, that the Building Code of Australia requires the installation of smoke alarms in all new and renovated residential buildings. They have also been fitted in all public housing residences in New South Wales. A simple battery operated smoke alarm that costs between $10 and $12 may be responsible for saving the life of a precious human being. We congratulate those insurance companies that are currently providing a free smoke alarm with every contents policy they sign. People should learn to replace batteries on regular dates. I would suggest, for example, the change back from daylight saving time is a good time to replace the battery. I ask battery manufacturers to consider having different and variable pictures on the alarm so that those people who are hearing impaired and who may not have the capacity to hear high-pitched alarms might be still able to be warned.
The Fire Bridges Commissioner, Greg Mullins, has remarked that when this bill is passed, New South Wales will become the third State to require mandatory smoke alarms following 12 deaths in two weeks from house fires. Under this bill it will be a condition of a property sale that smoke alarms be fitted. Also, in all existing homes, flats, boarding houses, motels, hotels, hostels and mobile homes it will be a requirement for the alarm to be fitted—essentially anywhere a person may sleep. Landlords also will be required to fit smoke alarms in all rented accommodation. The bill has two main schedules. Schedule 1 amends the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. Schedule 2 amends the Residential Tenancies Act 1987. Enforcement of the proposed laws will come about primarily through community education, rather than threat of sanction. We commend the Government for the bill, and we will support it.