Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The government continue with their ducking and weaving. The minister just said that answers have previously been provided in this chamber and in the other place. The reality is that the government has refused to provide answers and advise the Senate. They have refused to tell the Australian people when they first became aware of the safety risks for workers involved in the Home Insulation Program, when they first became aware of the issues in relation to training for those involved in the Home Insulation Program and when they first became aware of the levels of fraud in this rushed home insulation fiasco. There is a whole series of unanswered questions.

This government has become so arrogant so quickly. This government does not respect and accept the legitimate and important role of the Senate. It does not accept the importance of scrutiny on the government’s performance. This is why we get this dismissive attitude here today, which is just the same as what the Prime Minister said a couple of days ago. He was asked to release a letter from Minister Garrett to the Prime Minister, in which it is understood that Minister Garrett might have brought forward various safety risks for workers involved in the failed Home Insulation Program to the Prime Minister’s notice. The Prime Minister arrogantly said: ‘We’re not going to give it to you but if you want it just lodge an FOI request. Just put in an FOI request and we’ll see what happens.’

This is a government that before the last election was running up and down every main street in every regional town and capital city saying: ‘We’re going to be all different. This is going to be a new era of openness and transparency in government.’ Senator Faulkner was paraded out there as somehow giving credibility to this proposition that the Rudd Labor government was going to be open and transparent. It was just a fraud. This is just another example that Labor is nothing but all talk and no action.