Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Hansard source

I stand to speak to the Minter Ellison report that was tabled last Friday in the parliament—in fact, tabled way too late. The minister ended up being forced to table this document, knowing full well that this is a critically important document in this whole housing insulation program fiasco. Surely, the Rudd Labor government has a duty of care to the Australian people. Does it have a duty of care to Australian families; does it have a duty of care to the businesses affected; does it have a duty of care to the people that will lose their jobs, quite probably in the thousands, as a result of its dilatory behaviour—as a result of what I would say is either gross neglect or reckless indifference? Or is the government deliberately hiding the truth? This document was tabled on Friday, but it was tabled without the risk register, which we obtained, excruciatingly. As a result of question after question this morning with the department, we have finally obtained the risk register and management plan, which was part of this Minter Ellison consulting report delivered to the government in early April 2009. Why did it take so long?

We had the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts submission to our Senate committee—of which I am a member, ably chaired by the Senator Mary Jo Fisher, and of which Senator Birmingham and others are members—and we had to ask again and again to get the information onto the table. That should not be required. The submission made no reference to the Minter Ellison report, nor did it make reference to a whole range of other things. But we have learned a good deal today. It appears that Minister Garrett knew about this at the time—in April last year. We were advised of weekly meetings and monthly meetings with all the relevant people, including people from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. They were aware of the risks that were facing the Australian people as a result of the rushed implementation of this housing insulation program that the government cobbled together in quick time.

The sad thing is that the government is now faced with four deaths—it is very tragic and sad to note that—and today we found that the number of house fires has increased to 93 house fires as at today. What about those families affected, not to mention the people whose homes are now at risk of fire as a result of this dodgy dealing and as a result of a failed government program? We have been advised this morning that, based on an audit report, 7.6 per cent of homes—some 80,000—are at risk of fire and have a safety risk. In terms of those with substandard or non-compliant installation, we are advised that it is some 16 per cent. That is over 160,000 homes throughout Australia—in every state and territory, in every nook and cranny—that are at risk.

Those figures for Tasmania on a population share basis are approximately 2,000 homes at risk of fire and some 4,000 homes with substandard or non-compliant insulation. That is not good enough. I have put the department on notice to be more specific and to provide the exact details, and I hope that those answers can come through very swiftly indeed. These are peoples’ families we are dealing with. You have already got the foil issue, where an audit is being undertaken by the government. Based on current arrangements—on the review and the audit of the last three months—it is going to take some 12 years before that audit is complete and those people can be confident that their house is not electrified. That is just absurd.

I see that the minister has put out a statement this afternoon where he says:

In addition to the existing electrical safety inspection program for foil insulation, the Government will expand its pro-active and targeted, risk based audit and inspection program to 15 per cent of homes with non-foil insulation installed under Home Insulation Program which may have safety risks.

It goes on to say that the program:

… will focus on households where there are significant concerns about safety.

They talk about rolling out a hotline—I do not know how you roll out a hotline—from Wednesday this week.