In the early hours of 26 March 2012, a significant fire occurred in the lobby of a building which houses a 1,000-seat auditorium. The building had only just re-opened after a $3 million refurbishment was carried out over the Christmas – New Year shutdown period. Closed-circuit television footage shows the offender entering the building with two 15-litre petrol containers, which he proceeded to empty over furniture and carpets. He can then be seen throwing a lit match, following which a massive conflagration occurs. The fire was detected by smoke detectors and was subsequently extinguished by the fire bridage.

Unimutual and a loss adjuster attended the building at around midday. Incredibly, the main auditorium had already been superficially cleaned and was being used for teaching. In the lobby, it was apparent that substantial smoke and soot damage had been sustained, as well as heat damage to windows, light fittings, carpets, etc. Some concrete structures were still warm from the fire.