The 2014 Lacrosse apartment fire in Melbourne spread vertically across the façade with extraordinary speed. It exposed weaknesses in material selection, certification, design assurance and the assumption that compliance documents prove the installed system is safe.

The 2011 Orica Kooragang Island release was assessed as a low health risk, but the incident exposed a different failure: authorities and the community did not receive critical information quickly enough. That communication gap remains highly relevant.

Three construction companies received convictions and higher fines on appeal. The useful lesson is how to keep fall controls effective as a project moves to the next level.