The Federal Government has been urged to adopt the UK approach and fund the rectification of unsafe cladding on buildings.

Engineers Australia Society of Fire Safety Deputy Chairman Stephen Burton has met with UK officials who worked on the review of building regulations and fire safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt which followed the Grenfell Tower blaze in 2017.

The UK Government has committed to a £200 million ($358 million) cladding rectification program for high-rise buildings, as proposed in the review.

“The Federal Government should learn lessons from the Hackitt report and urgently establish an overarching strategy with tight timeframes, rather than leave building industry reform to state and territory governments that are all taking different pathways,” Mr Burton said.

Earlier this month Victoria became the first state or territory to announce a cladding rectification plan for private high-rise buildings.

But its plea for some Commonwealth funding to help pay for the $600 million repair project has been rejected by the Morrison Government, which says the problem is the responsibility of the states and territories.