Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Hansard source

Sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker. Minister, why is it that you and your department have been sidelined in relation to the investigation into the level of waste and mismanagement under the Building the Education Revolution program? Shouldn’t this have been the job of the minister and the minister’s department? Given also that the department of finance is responsible for sustainable government finances, does the minister think that the Building the Education Revolution was value for money and good policy?

Given that Australia recorded one quarter of negative growth in 2008, why is it that $500 million of the stimulus funding under the Building the Education Revolution program will be spent in 2011-12 at a time when real GDP growth is forecast to be four per cent and CPI at 2.5 per cent, and this following six consecutive interest rate rises which have added between $4,000 to $5,000 to the average home mortgage?

Furthermore, what role did the minister perform in relation to developing the Home Insulation Program? When did the minister first become aware of the problems with this program? What is the total figure that this program will cost the budget? Has the minister costed inspecting every one of the million or so homes that have received insulation as part of this program, given the ongoing problem with fires that often occur in homes that have been ruled as not needing any particular attention? Has the minister assessed the total financial liability of the Commonwealth under this program? Minister, given that the department of finance is responsible for sustainable government finances, do you think the Home Insulation Program was value for money and good policy? Furthermore, Minister, in the 2010-11 budget papers, you claim $17 billion of new taxes as savings. Can you please clarify these statements and the metrics that the government uses in classifying new taxes as savings? Finally, do you envisage spending the remaining $700 million left in the Building Australia Fund over the coming months?

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