Stranded residents outside the Neo200 building. Credit:Jason South

Australia’s building ministers have agreed in principle to ban dangerous flammable cladding after a fire tore through a residential apartment building in Melbourne this week.

At a meeting in Hobart the ministers agreed to the national ban on the “unsafe use of combustible aluminium composite panel cladding” in new constructions.

However, the proposal will now be subject a cost-benefit analysis to ensure it does not present any unintended consequences.

The analysis will assess the proposed ban’s impact on the supply chain and building industry as well as a timeline to implement it.