Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer the Prime Minister to the confirmation by the Insurance Council of Australia yesterday that, under the government’s failed home insulation scheme, more than 61,000 homes have non-compliant, improperly labelled Chinese-imported batts installed in their roofs. Given the risk to homeowners from these potentially carcinogenic products, will the government now extend its inspection program beyond foil and fire to protect the households and families that may be at risk from these potentially dangerous imported batts and inspect all 1.1 million homes?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question. I would say in response to the honourable member’s question that the government stands by its commitment to undertake as many inspections as are necessary. We have indicated already that, when it comes to foil insulation in people’s ceilings, those will all be inspected in relation to non-foil insulation. We have indicated already that 150,000 will be inspected.

The honourable member also referred to matters of insurance. I draw her attention also to the fact that, under the Home Insulation Program, all insulation installers were required to have insurance that covered property damage, including damage from fires. As a requirement to be registered under the HIP, companies needed to maintain for the entire period they remained on the register property damage insurance with a limited liability for occurrence or event of not less than $10 million. The government accepts responsibility for difficulties and problems which have arisen in the implementation of this program, and we stand ready to take further action as is necessary.