Fire and Emergency Services (Smoke Alarms) Amendment Bill 2015

Introduced: 2/12/2015By: Mr J Bleijie MPStatus: Discharged

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Plain English Summary

Overview

This bill aimed to make photoelectric smoke alarms mandatory in every Queensland home, implementing recommendations from the coronial inquest into the 2011 Slacks Creek house fire that killed 11 people. Homeowners would have had three years to upgrade existing alarms. The bill was discharged and did not become law.

Who it affects

Homeowners and landlords would bear the cost of upgrading alarms, while renters and home buyers would benefit from more reliable fire detection.

Key changes

Only photoelectric smoke alarms (not ionisation alarms) would be legal in homes
Alarms required on every storey, between bedrooms and living areas, and in hallways to bedrooms
Alarms must be either hard-wired to mains or have a 10-year lithium battery
Landlords must test alarms within 30 days before a new tenancy starts
Existing homes get 3 years to upgrade; non-compliant homes must upgrade before sale or new tenancy

How this affects you

Safety & Emergency

•Your home would need photoelectric smoke alarms, which detect smouldering fires faster than older ionisation alarmsClause 5Each smoke alarm must be a photoelectric smoke alarm and comply with AS 3786-1993.
•Alarms would be required on every storey, between bedrooms and the rest of the home, and in hallways leading to bedroomsClause 5A smoke alarm must be installed on or near the ceiling for each storey, between bedroom areas and the rest of the dwelling, and in each hallway that has an entrance to a bedroom.
•Alarms would need to be either hard-wired to mains power or use a 10-year lithium battery, so you wouldn't have to change batteries yearlyClause 5Each alarm must be a 240V hard-wired alarm or powered by a 9V lithium battery manufactured to have a battery life of at least 10 years.
•The bill was discharged and never became law, though similar smoke alarm rules were later introduced separatelyBill status: Discharged.

Housing & Renting

•If you rent, your landlord would have had to test every smoke alarm within 30 days before you moved inClause 6The owner of a domestic dwelling must test each smoke alarm within 30 days before the start of a tenancy in the dwelling.
•Homeowners would have had 3 years to upgrade existing alarms to the new photoelectric standardClause 9The owner of the domestic dwelling must replace the smoke alarms with smoke alarms that comply with section 104RB, within 3 years after the commencement.
•Homes without compliant alarms could not be sold or rented until they were upgradedClause 9 (s 207)Owners must install compliant smoke alarms before any transfer date, the end of an existing tenancy agreement, or the start of a new tenancy agreement.
•Non-compliance with testing rules would carry a maximum penalty of 5 penalty unitsClause 6Maximum penalty for failing to test smoke alarms in accordance with the section is 5 penalty units.

Bill Journey

Introduced2 Dec 2015

First Reading

Committee

Committee Report23 May 2016

Committee report tabled

Second Reading

Referenced Entities

Sectors Affected

Construction Residential Rental

Classified using AGIFT/ANZSIC Australian government standards

Fire and Emergency Services (Smoke Alarms) Amendment Bill 2015

Plain English Summary

Overview

Who it affects

Key changes

Bill Journey

Referenced Entities

Legislation

Organisations

Places

Sectors Affected

Source Documents