Lote Notes Jul 2021
 
July 2021, Vol 002, Issue 03
 
 
 
Lote Notes | Fire Safety and Security in Practice
 
Greetings from Lote Consulting! This is the July edition of Lote Notes, covering recent news as well as article contributions from our team.
 
Encouraged by the progress made by the Victorian Government in relation to their 3,000-bed quarantine hub, many other Australian states and territories are in the works of developing their own dedicated quarantine centres. These centres are designed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and bring Australians home from abroad. They are also designed to return normalcy to areas such as international education, a multi-billion dollar industry for Australia which has been devastated by the pandemic. Our featured article for this edition will cover these quarantine centres from a joint Fire Safety and Security standpoint.
 
In addition, changes to the Building Code of Australia 2022 are making waves across the design and construction industries. This change, along with changes heralded by the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (DBP Act 2020) and the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021 (DBPR 2021), is intended to emphasise the importance of reliable design and overhaul the construction industry to ensure quality and safety outcomes - restoring public confidence in the wake of the Shergold Weir Report. Our current issue addresses the BCA 2022, while future issues will consider the introduction of the DBP Act and Regulation.
 
Beyond Lote's articles, there have been many important local and global developments since the last issue. In response to changes to the National Construction Code in effect as of July 1, Fire & Rescue NSW has asserted itself as a required stakeholder in the performance-based design brief (PBDB) and fire engineering brief (FEB) processes to streamline those undertakings and reduce their cost. Additionally, adjacent to the broader shakeup of the construction industry, ongoing flammable cladding fixes continue to roll out across New South Wales, and greater scrutiny is being placed upon conflicts of interest in the industry - articles on both topics can be found below.
 
Crossing to the global cyberspace, the RockYou2021 password leak of early June made history as the largest leak of passwords in history - with over 8.4 billion sets of login credentials being exposed. In a similar vein, in late May Mike Pezzullo, the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, revealed that the Government was likely to introduce mandatory reporting of cyber incidents for organisations, in order to help the Government more effectively track and respond to such threats. The American Independence Day Weekend from July 2nd also saw cyberthreats at work, with IT solutions developer Kaseya finding itself targeted and utilised by the REvil ransomware gang in a supply chain ransomware attack affecting more than 1,500 organisations globally. We have included these articles and more below, including resources to help you stay safe online.
 
Finally, we would also like to acknowledge NAIDOC Week for 2021, which carries the vital message to Heal Country. We have included a specific section on NAIDOC Week which can be found amongst the articles below.
 
We hope that you find our articles and the included additional resources interesting and useful. We are always eager to engage with you and discuss these important topics - so we would be eager to hear your thoughts.
 
Best Wishes & Stay Safe
Dr Amer Magrabi
Managing Director - Lote Consulting | Fire Safety & Security
Making the world safe and secure
 
Lote Articles
 
 
Security and Fire Safety in Dedicated COVID-19
Quarantine Facilities
 
By Dr Maher Magrabi
Keywords: Security, Fire Safety, COVID-19, Quarantine Facilities.
 
The challenge of managing quarantine requirements for overseas travellers or returning Australian citizens has created an urgent demand for purpose built COVID-19 quarantine facilities over the course of the pandemic. This article examines some of the Security and Fire Safety considerations necessary for the site, as well as implications for mandatory quarantine related to governmental duty of care responsibilities. 
 
Read More Here
 
 
 
Building Code of Australia 2022 Changes
 
By Joyce Van and Joanna Jin
Keywords: National Construction Code, NCC 2022, Building Code of Australia, BCA 2022, Fire Safety, Fire Performance Design.
 
The upcoming National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 will impose significant changes to the current Building Code of Australia (BCA) 2019 Amendment 1. This article provides a brief summary for some of these changes which are expected to be adopted by 1st of September 2022.
 
Read More Here
 
In The News
 
 
PERFORMANCE-BASED DESIGN BRIEF / FIRE ENGINEERING BRIEF CONSULTATION
 
By FRNSW
 
An applicant, usually an accredited practitioner (fire safety), should consult with Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) as a stakeholder in the performance-based design brief (PBDB) or fire engineering brief (FEB) process.
 
When a development proposes to incorporate a fire engineered solution, whether a building design having a performance solution in accordance with the National Construction Code (NCC) or other infrastructure where building codes are not applicable, FRNSW should be engaged in the PBDB process at the preliminary design phase and after development consent is granted.
 
Read More Here
 
 
 
Flammable Cladding Fixes On Track for NSW Buildings
 
By Ted Tabet of The Urban Developer
 
Remediation work to remove highly flammable cladding from high-risk buildings in NSW is moving ahead. Fifty strata communities of the 214 eligible residential apartment buildings in the state have registered for the NSW Government’s three-year program, dubbed Project Remediate. The initiative provides a 10-year interest-free loan, expert assurance and professional project management services to oversee the remediation works.
 
Read More Here
 
 
 
Certifier Conflicts of Interest
 
By NSW Government Department of Finance, Services & Innovation - NSW Fair Trading
 
On 1 September 2020 the Certifier Practice Standard was published. All certifiers will be expected to adhere to chapters 1 and 2 which cover the role of certifiers as public officials, and conflicts of interest. Registered certifiers are independent regulators of building and subdivision work must comply with the conflict of interest provisions set out in the Building and Development Certifiers Act. This is to ensure the impartiality of their assessments.
 
Read More Here
 
 
 
Non compliant roof light design highlight fire danger
 
By Victorian Building Authority
 
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) has received reports that building permits are being issued for buildings with roof lights that do not meet the Performance Requirements under the National Construction Code (NCC). The VBA’s State Building Surveyor Andrew Cialini said that building surveyors must make sure they are correctly applying the NCC when reviewing and approving building permits.
 
Read More Here
 
Cyber Security Articles
 
As referenced in the opening paragraphs of this newsletter, malicious cyber activity reported on in our previous April edition of Lote Notes has only ramped up in the months since. Please find below recent articles covering a variety of cyber-security topics and incidents:
 
 
 
RockYou2021: largest password compilation of all time leaked online with 8.4 billion entries
 
By Edvardas Mikalauskas of Cybernews
 
A forum user posted a massive 100GB TXT file that contains 8.4 billion entries of passwords, which have presumably been combined from previous data leaks and breaches.
 
According to the post author, all passwords included in the leak are 6-20 characters long, with non-ASCII characters and white spaces removed.
 
Read More Here
 
Government is looking at mandatory reporting for cybercrime incidents
 
By Ry Crozier of ITnews

The Government is weighing the merits of a mandatory reporting requirement on organisations that are attacked or extorted by cyber criminals.

Home Affairs boss Mike Pezzullo told senate estimates yesterday that mandatory reporting is being considered “as an extension of the cyber security strategy” released mid last year.
 
Read More Here
 
 
 
Kaseya ransomware attack updates: Your questions answered
 
By Charlie Osborne of ZDNet
 
Kaseya, an IT solutions developer for MSPs and enterprise clients, announced that it had become the victim of a cyberattack on July 2, over the American Independence Day weekend.
 
It appears that attackers have carried out a supply chain ransomware attack by leveraging a vulnerability in Kaseya's VSA software against multiple managed service providers (MSP) -- and their customers.
 
Read More Here
 
 
 
Shortages loom as ransomware hamstrings the world’s biggest meat producer
 
By Dan Goodin of ARS Technica
 
 
The weekend attack came three weeks after a separate ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline disrupted the availability of gasoline and jet fuel up and down the US East Coast.
 
Late last year, ransomware attacks on hospitals hamstrung their ability to provide emergency services just as the coronavirus was already straining their capacity.
 
Read More Here
 
South Australia's Tailem Bend Netball Club loses $150,000 in online invoice scam
 
By Petria Ladgrove & Narelle Graham of ABC News
 
The Tailem Bend Netball Club, just over an hour from Adelaide, is run by volunteers and it took just one weekend for years of hard work and fundraising to be wiped away.
 
Club president Denise Edwards said small clubs had to fundraise for years to afford court resurfacing projects like the one they had just undertaken.
 
 
Read More Here
 
Cyber Security Resources
 
Given the severity of ongoing cybersecurity concerns at the moment, we have compiled a few resources below that will hopefully assist you with approaching the topic. We recommend that all businesses have a robust cyber security plan in place which not only covers technical measures, but also aspects such as employee usage and understanding.
 
NAIDOC Week 2021 
 
 
NAIDOC Week 2021 from July 4 to 11
 
At Lote, we wish to acknowledge the important event that is NAIDOC 2021. The annual event will run from July 4 to 11 this year, with the theme of 'Heal Country'. As an excerpt from the NAIDOC 2021 page reads:
 
Healing Country means finally resolving many of the outstanding injustices which impact on the lives of our people.
 
It is about hearing and actioning the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples which are the culmination of generations of consultation and discussions among our nations on a range of issues and grievances.
 
After 250 years, our children and our future generations deserve better.
 
We cannot afford to let pass the very real opportunity that now presents itself for reform based on a fundamental change in the relationship Australia has with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
 
Heal Country, heal our nation.
 
We hope you will join us in the recognition of NAIDOC Week 2021. More information can be found at the link below.
 
Read More About NAIDOC Week Here
 
 
Lote would like to acknowledge the Darug people, Traditional Custodians of the land where we work, Parramatta, and pay respects to their Elders past and present. We offer this respect to all Traditional Custodians of the land across Australia in the spirit of recognition, reconciliation, support, and unity.
 
 
To access previous articles please visit our website.
 
 
Website
 
 
Lote Consulting
Gough Whitlam Plaza
20-22 Wentworth Street
Parramatta 2150, NSW
www.loteconsulting.com
+61 1300 761 744 
Google+
LinkedIn
 
 
Making the world safe and secure
 
 
Sydney I Canberra I Newcastle I Kuala Lumpur I Dubai I Toronto
 
 
© 2021 Lote Consulting Pty Ltd