Audit finds fault with 83 Melb high rises

Melburnians in high-rise apartments can continue to feel safe despite more than 80 buildings failing to comply with safety regulations for external cladding, the state's building authority says.

The Victorian Building Authority says just over half of 170 buildings audited by the building authority were found to be non-compliant in using external wall cladding materials that failed the combustibility requirements for a high-rise building.

VBA launched the audit after a fire at the Lacrosse Apartments in Melbourne's Docklands in November 2014, and found that 51 per cent of the audited buildings built in the last 10 years had used the non-compliant aluminium composite panelling (ACP).

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade post incident report found ACP did not prevent the spread of the fire at Lacrosse, as required by the Building Code of Australia.

VBA spokesman John Rees said only one of the 170 audited - the Harvest Apartments in Clarendon Street, South Melbourne - required immediate emergency action.

Non-compliance does not mean unsafe, and can refer to issues such as how the cladding is used and where it is placed, for instance, near an ignition source.

Since the audit, Melbourne City Council and the MFB have been inspecting the buildings on the list.

City of Melbourne spokesman James Talia said 48 of 83 buildings that fall under Melbourne council's responsibility have been inspected so far, and deemed safe.

The others either fell under a different council or were not residential, such as two hospitals.

"We are doing everything we can to inspect all referred buildings as promptly as possible, and have dedicated additional resources to complete the investigations," he said.