We are fortunate to be among those countries of the world with a high standard of living. We have excellent health, education and justice systems, a safe and stable environment in which to live, opportunities to work and improve ourselves and living conditions that are luxurious when compared with others. Our expectations of what is acceptable accommodation have risen with each successive generation, and we do not appreciate any lessening of those standards.

We see many examples in the media of the consequences of fires in homes and high-rise dwellings around the world. Many incidents end in tragic loss of life and those that don’t incur major financial cost and disruption to normal routines. In countries with little or no fire regulation this is not surprising, but here in Australia we can do better.