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

I, and also on behalf of Senator Birmingham, move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes:

(i)

the persistent and continuing refusal of the Prime Minister and several other ministers to clarify when they were first told about inadequate training and safety issues for workers involved in the home insulation program,

(ii)

reports that direct advice was provided to the Prime Minister and other ministers involved in Labor’s home insulation fiasco about fraud, safety risks and training inadequacies in relation to the ill-fated program, and

(iii)

reports that the home insulation program implemented was redesigned from that initially recommended by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts so as to spend the funds allocated faster as part of the stimulus package;

(b)

considers that public release of all information about what the Government knew about inadequate training and safety issues for workers is in the public interest; and

(c)

orders that there be laid on the table by 12 pm on Thursday, 18 March 2010, any information, including, but not limited to, letters, emails, spreadsheets, minutes of meetings, reports, and briefing notes, held by the Prime Minister, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Minister for Climate Change, the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery, the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change, and their respective offices and departments, concerning:

(i)

safety warnings in relation to the home insulation program,

(ii)

training issues in relation to the home insulation program,

(iii)

fraud in the home insulation program,

(iv)

the design of the home insulation program initially proposed by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, and

(v)

changes made to the design of the home insulation program initially proposed by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Question agreed to.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On the basis that the Greens supported the motion, the government opposes the motion. Recognising of course that the motion of senators Cormann and Birmingham, with the support of the coalition and the Greens, has a majority in the chamber, we will not call a division.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The motion by senators Cormann and Birmingham goes to the alleged refusal by government ministers to clarify when they became aware of various matters associated with the implementation of the Home Insulation Program, as well as the formulation and design of the program. As the Senate is well aware, several detailed statements have now been made by ministers both in this place and in the other place over the last several weeks in relation to the administration of the Home Insulation Program. To suggest, as the opposition do in this motion, that ministers have been anything but up-front in relation to these matters is disingenuous. The Prime Minister himself has taken full responsibility for resolving the issues that have arisen as a result of the rollout of the Home Insulation Program, including in relation to safety concerns of some householders.

The government does welcome scrutiny in relation to this issue. The government has commissioned a review by Dr Allan Hawke to consider issues around design, delivery and administration of the previous Home Insulation Program. Minister Combet, on learning that the ANAO has undertaken some initial planning work regarding a performance audit of the Home Insulation Program, invited the Auditor-General to conduct the audit to expedite it. In addition, the Senate Standing Committee on Environment, Communications and the Arts has established an inquiry into the program, in which the government has been participating. Departments have been answering detailed questions and providing significant volumes of information on request.

However, what the government does not welcome is a fishing expedition on the part of the opposition, a fishing expedition that is designed to achieve little more than to tie down ministerial officers in government departments. Of course to identify such a broad range of documents in a request as wide as that is to embark on a process that would clearly amount to an unreasonable diversion of resources—a diversion of resources that the government cannot and will countenance. Accordingly, given the breadth of this motion as indicated by this vote today, the government had no sensible alternative but to oppose it.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to 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.