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

My question is to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. Can the minister confirm that together with the Prime Minister he attended a meeting with representatives of the insulation industry in February in which they were warned that their $2.7 billion pink batts cash splash was flawed? In particular, does the minister deny that he was advised that the cost of insulating an average house was only around $1,100 and that providing a rebate of $1,600 would force up the cost of insulating a house to that rebate figure? Isn’t it a fact that ignoring this advice will lead to the waste of $900 million?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question.

Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Laming interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Bowman is warned.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I noted the reports of that meeting in the press and the comments made by those who were present. I make the point to members opposite and to those listening that, in the period of time since the government announced that it would put in place an energy-efficient-homes package, we have had a number of meetings with representatives from the insulation industry and, in particular, the Insulation Council of Australia and New Zealand, with whom I continue to meet. As a consequence of those meetings, which have been part of the orderly process of delivering this program, we have taken their advice on board and brought forward a program which we believe meets two aims: (1) it delivers a fiscal stimulus that is necessary to see jobs flowing through the Australian economy, which they have done, and to get insulation into the ceilings of Australian householders; and (2) it does it in a way that builds industry capacity and, additionally, enables Australians to get the benefit of the government’s decision to allow them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs. And that is what we have done.