Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Senator Evans) and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery (Senator Arbib) to questions without notice asked by opposition senators today relating to the Home Insulation Program.

Today we witnessed again Labor’s pitiful incapacity to take genuine responsibility for the massive and glaring failures of the home insulation program. Sure, Mr Rudd glibly says, ‘I take responsibility,’ but the insincerity of that oozes everywhere, because this program has been responsible for four dead, others injured—permanently scarred—90-plus roof fires, thousands ripped off and dangerous materials installed. You name it; it went wrong—disastrously wrong. So you then ask: who’s responsible? Mr Rudd says, ‘I am, of course, but I’ve got full confidence in the minister and his mini-me, who were required to implement this program.’

Labor walks away from any responsibility in relation to this disastrous program—a program which Mr Tanner admitted they were trying to rush out—deliberately not crossing every t and not dotting every i, because they just wanted to rush the program out the door. If any building contractor in New South Wales were to say to the occupational health and safety authorities, ‘Sorry: I breached my duty of care because I was in a rush to finish the contract,’ they would be up on criminal manslaughter charges under the law of New South Wales that Senator Arbib, whilst he was in New South Wales, helped to implement.

That is the reality. That is the truth. If this occurred in the private sector, those responsible would be up on criminal manslaughter charges under the New South Wales Labor government’s regime. Yet, surprisingly, Mr Rudd, Mr Garrett and Senator Arbib think they can simply walk away from this. It is an interesting insight into the way the Labor Party—and Mr Garrett in particular—do business. Remember those silly ‘Sorry’ pyjamas Mr Garrett wore? He is always willing to say sorry for everybody else’s alleged mistakes but is completely incapable of saying sorry for his own mistakes.

What is it about Mr Rudd? Remember how he was so nauseatingly pompous before the last election? He was telling us about Mr Downer’s responsibility: he should have read 1,000 cables that had been delivered to his office and, because he had not, he should resign in disgrace. Remember that? Moralising, pompous and nauseating. Today, his government is confronted with one Minter Ellison report—not 1,000 cables but just one report—and Mr Rudd simply says: ‘I never saw it. Sure, it came to the government, but I never saw it.’ Guess what! Nor did Mr Garrett; nor did Senator Arbib. It reminds me of the three monkeys, but these three were not very wise. They saw no evil, heard no evil and now are not willing to talk any evil about this program.

Let us be quite clear here. If these ministers want the ministerial stipend and if they want to be driven around in their limousines, then they have to take responsibility for what their departments do. The Prime Minister cannot simply say, ‘I have full confidence in these ministers.’ Senator Evans then said, I think quite appropriately, that there was also full confidence in the department. Who is actually responsible? If it is not the ministers and it is not the departments, then who is it? As Senator Brandis interjected, ‘I suppose it’s society’s fault.’ Nobody is to blame here; it is just something in society.

We know who is at fault. It was Prime Minister Rudd, Deputy Prime Minister Gillard, Finance Minister Tanner and Treasurer Swan who insisted that this program be rolled out—the quicker the better and don’t ask any questions—and the poor, hapless Messrs Garrett and Arbib were the ones who were required to implement it. That is why the Prime Minister is protecting them: he knows that he is personally responsible, along with these incompetent ministers. The Australian people deserve answers—better answers than we were given today.