Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water) Share this | Hansard source

I will be very careful, Minister. What we have seen from these three deaths is that all three have been involved in roofs over recent months. We say there must be a direct and specific inquiry into how such a pattern of deaths has occurred for young installers who have not been properly trained and who had not had experience in these roofs. I do note that there were specific warnings of electrocutions to the government by different agencies. Two agencies have provided written material to us: EE-Oz, the electrical installers, and the National Electrical and Communications Association. A letter to the minister on 9 March 2009 from the National Electrical and Communications Association says:

There are inherent dangers when installed inappropriately near electrical equipment and cables. Whilst not the only safety issue, by far the most dangerous is the risk of fire associated with installing thermal insulation.

I note that, having met with the National Electrical and Communications Association today, they have again repeated their point that the safety standards need to be upgraded.

These are three tragic incidents which should be investigated, because they are part of a pattern, because they are part of a process about which warnings were given and because they are part of a process which is ongoing. We do not know absolutely what the causes of these were, but we do know that there have been two deaths through electrocution of inexperienced workers—young men who have gone into the roofs to receive money under the Home Insulation Program. We do know there was a death through heat exhaustion of another young man, again inexperienced and operating under the program.

It is incumbent on the government—and I say this with the greatest respect—to launch an inquiry into this pattern. The electrocutions are sadly part of a grouping of eight or nine electrocutions, of which we are aware. These are not one-offs; this is a significant pattern with the most tragic circumstances. The advice I had just today from the National Electrical and Communications Association is that they believe more fires are set to occur, potentially with tragic consequences, and that more incidents are set to occur. The reason is the training standards are not adequate, according to the National Electrical and Communications Association. This is what they said in their media release of a month ago, 23 November:

NECA warns of fire and electrocution dangers when installing insulation.

These are the most serious matters of public administration. When we embark upon a program we take responsibility for the consequences. I say to the minister, now that we have had not one, not two but three of the most tragic outcomes, that the government must organise, initiate or instigate a full national inquiry into these tragedies and other tragedies under the insulation program. There can be no reason, no justification and no excuse. That is what has occurred and this is the time to agree to an inquiry. If you agree to that inquiry, you will have our full support. If the government does not agree, it must explain why this pattern of tragedy is not connected and why it has assumed away the responsibility for oversight of its programs. If the government does not do this, it will be held responsible.

We started with the issues of rorting. It is absolutely clear that all Australians know that a billion dollar blowout in one year is accompanied by flagrant rorting. Whether it is false quoting, the demolished house in the Prime Minister’s own electorate, overquoting—a 500 per cent overquote on one occasion—Google quoting from the sky, flaking, cutting the bats in half by severing them horizontally down the middle or simply dumping the batts, we know this is a program which is rife with rorts. There are good installers who have high standing in the industry, but they have not been the problem. It is the fly-by-nighters who have come in and have not been regulated properly. Then we had the fires—15 in three weeks, according to the New South Wales minister; a doubling in New South Wales over the course of this year—and now we have the tragedies. I say to the minister: it is time for an inquiry. (Time expired)

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