The number of buildings in Victoria with high-risk cladding has blown out by almost 40 per cent from the original estimate of 500, forcing the state’s rectification agency – which received no extra cash in the state budget – to cut the funding for some buildings in favour of higher-priority cases.

Cladding Safety Victoria now has 695 buildings in the highest risk categories due to the presence of combustible polyethylene-core panels, well above the government’s estimated total when it announced a $600 million rectification package in July 2019.