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A Senate committee will investigate the use of cladding material on Australian buildings in the wake of the deadly Grenfell tower fire.
At least 58 people were killed in the London tower block when a fire tore through it last week.
Investigators have not identified what caused the blaze — but some experts have blamed the flammable cladding on the building's exterior.
Two British Government ministers said on the weekend the material appeared to be banned for use in the UK.
The Senate economics committee is already looking into building products, and it will now use a public hearing to zero in on the use of cladding material in Australia.
The committee chair, Labor senator Chris Ketter, said the Grenfell tragedy was a "timely reminder" that the Parliament had a responsibility to stop a similar disaster in Australia.
He said the main risk was that some construction companies used cladding products which were not meant to be used for high-rise buildings.
"I'm very concerned by the lack of progress in this area. We do have a patchwork of regulations in this country ... so there's always a possibility that something slips through the cracks," Senator Ketter said.
"I'm hoping we can have an inquiry to get to the bottom of this."
Call for national audit of buildings
Senator Ketter compared the Grenfell blaze to the fire which consumed the Lacrosse apartment building in Melbourne in 2014.
Firefighters also blamed flammable cladding on that building, and the State Government ordered it to be removed earlier this year.
"What you've got here is perhaps an example of the regulations not being tight enough and enforcement not being adequate," Senator Ketter said.
He suggested the committee could also recommend the Government hit builders who use the wrong materials with higher fines.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon said his party would back the hearing.
"This is an issue that requires absolute bipartisan support. We need to have a national audit of buildings around the country, this was not done after the Lacrosse fire," he said.
"The London tragedy is more than just a wake-up call. There are now no excuses for any government at a local, state or federal level not to do everything possible to ensure the safety of occupants and visitors to buildings."
'Application of cladding just as important as cladding itself'
Engineering experts say it is difficult to gauge exactly how many buildings in Australia might have inflammable cladding installed in an unsafe way.
"It's a material that's quite commonly used," Victorian president of Engineers Australia Chris Stoltz said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if there are scores of buildings in each capital city and maybe in some of the regional cities as well."
Mr Stoltz said the Senate committee hearing would be a "useful exercise" but warned the Government not to focus too narrowly on the type of materials used.
"The application of the cladding is just as important as the cladding itself," he said.
Mr Stoltz said the Grenfell building was engulfed so quickly because the design of the cladding gave the fire a path both up and around the building.
In contrast, the cladding on the Lacrosse building only offered the fire a vertical path up the building.
"Ultimately it's not all about the cladding. It's about making sure that our buildings are constructed in accordance with their design," he said.
"It could be there are other reasons a building doesn't conform [with the code], it's not just about fire.
"And I think we need to broaden our horizons a little and look at systemic issues about ensuring buildings are compliant."
Topics: government-and-politics, fires, building-and-construction, federal-government, australia, melbourne-3000
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