Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister and it again relates to his role in the failure of the Home Insulation Program. I refer the Prime Minister to his department’s annual report, in which the then head of the Cabinet Implementation Unit states:

In little more than three months, the team went from a standing start to having a working system capable of registering thousands of insulation installation providers and processing tens of thousands of individual claims every month with high levels of control and accountability.

When did the Prime Minister or his office first become aware that the so-called high levels of control and accountability were in fact resulting in fraud, unsafe insulation, house fires, electrified roofs and deaths?

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

On the question of the policy and the design features around it, as I indicated in my response to the member for Flinders before, they were determined by cabinet in February 2009. I also say to the Leader of the Opposition that, in the period between the taking of that decision by the cabinet and the implementation of the scheme on 1 July 2009, the implementation features were then designed by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

On the development of the program in the period in between then—and the Leader of the Opposition specifically goes to the question of advice back to me as a member of cabinet—can I advise the Leader of the Opposition of this: the Nation Building and Jobs Plan implementation reports were received by the relevant cabinet committee. I am advised that the first implementation report was provided on 18 February 2009 and it was considered by the committee then. The implementation report referred to no safety issues related to the Home Insulation Program, which by that stage had not commenced.

A further report was delivered to the relevant cabinet committee on 10 March. The March implementation report referred to no safety issues related to the Home Insulation Program. A third report was delivered to the cabinet committee, which I chair, on 11 June 2009. That report referred to no safety issues related to the Home Insulation Program. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question.

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

The member for Shortland.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

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

The member for Shortland has the call.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is warned!