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

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the comments of the South Australian Coordinator-General, Mr Rod Hook, that safety concerns regarding the home insulation program were raised as early as a year ago, in February 2009, including during direct discussions with the Commonwealth Coordinator-General, a deputy secretary in the Prime Minister’s own department. When was the Prime Minister or his office first made aware of the South Australian Coordinator-General’s concerns about safety under the Home Insulation Program?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Flinders for his question. In terms of those specific remarks he referred to by the South Australian Coordinator-General, I am unaware of them.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am simply saying that I am unaware of them. In response to the honourable member’s question I would say that, as far as the risks associated with the implementation of this program were concerned, firstly, with regard to the cabinet’s deliberations on this matter, in the early part of 2009 an initial risk assessment was done for the cabinet; and, secondly, once a decision was taken, the implementation of the program was then provided to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts and the department. The minister, I think, during the course of yesterday and the day before answered a range of questions concerning the risk assessments with which he was presented, both by Minter Ellison and other sources, and the minister’s response to each of those recommendations which came to him from his officers was based on that risk assessment.

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

Mr Speaker, I would ask on a point of order whether the Prime Minister will ask his office to check whether they had been consulted.

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

The member for Flinders will resume his seat. We have had the discussion about supplementaries and he knows my response.