"I am advised that the MCG has been assessed on numerous occasions. A small amount of cladding

has been identified," she said. Ms Symes said stadiums across Victoria, including Kardinia Park in Geelong and Marvel Stadium, have also been assessed numerous times and have been deemed safe to occupy. Removal of any cladding at public stadiums does not fall under the government's recently announced $600 million rectification program, she said. "They are not part of the government rectification program. They are not deemed risky; they are not deemed dangerous," she said. "The MCG, as appropriate with many stadiums, as I have learnt today, undertake long-term rectification works, and I assume that this is something that they are looking at as a responsible entity for that venue."

Loading In October the AFL and the City of Melbourne confirmed flammable cladding was found on the exterior of Marvel Stadium late last year, but they maintain the venue is safe for players, patrons and staff. The northern stand at the MCG was renovated in late 2002 to make way for three conjoined grandstands. The works were completed in March 2006, before the Commonwealth Games. The Victorian Building Authority deemed the MCG safe after inspecting it in 2017, but the Melbourne City Council is having the cladding further investigated with the authority. Under questioning from opposition upper house leader David Davis, Ms Symes said the MCG had been assessed as safe to occupy.

"It has been assessed numerous times. It was assessed as safe. There is no cladding risk. There is cladding everywhere. Just because there is cladding does not mean that it is a high risk to public safety. It does not mean that it is a high fire risk," she told the Legislative Council. Loading "Is it dodgy cladding? Is it something that should be replaced? I am sure that there is numerous pieces of evidence of that, which I am sure places like the MCG would like to rectify, and they have their long-term rectification plans that will be addressing those types of issues." A Melbourne Cricket Club spokeswoman said the club had reviewed the cladding in 2017 and was advised it was compliant with the Building Code of Australia. "The MCC is working closely with the relevant Victorian government authorities and has 24/7 security, smoking bans, sprinklers, fire safety plans and various access and exit points," she said.

"As part of our ongoing commitment to safety at the MCG, we have engaged an independent cladding specialist who is completing a survey on the cladding system in the Northern Stand. We are waiting to receive the final survey results." Opposition planning spokesman Tim Smith said the government needed to take down the cladding. "Surely the MCG isn't as safe as it could be if that cladding wasn't there. So when is it coming down?" he said in Melbourne on Wednesday. However, Minister for Planning Richard Wynne said Mr Smith was "scaremongering" and reiterated that the MCG had been inspected by the Victorian Building Authority and deemed safe. "I believe that from the point of view of the government, there is no question that this iconic building is safe to occupy and I think the Opposition Leader really needs to haul in his shadow planning minister because it is so inappropriate for him to be naming buildings like this as being unsafe for the public to occupy," he said.

In July, 15 of Victoria's extreme-risk buildings with flammable cladding – including the Neo 200 apartment tower in Spencer Street, which caught fire in February – were promised funding so works could begin quickly to fix them.