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

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I take note of this report and, in doing so, I wanted to make a few comments to highlight the shameful display by this government with respect to the Home Insulation Program. This report has been conducted by Dr Allan Hawke and is dated 6 April. It relates to the shameful, disgraceful display demonstrated by the Rudd Labor government in what I have described as the pink batts debacle. And it keeps getting worse.

What we saw in the budget brought down last night by Mr Swan and Mr Rudd was that $1 billion of taxpayers’ money—it has been confirmed in the budget papers—has been used to try to fix the bungled pink batts program. The fact is that the Prime Minister should officially and publicly apologise to the Australian nation, particularly to the people affected by this program. He has used $1 billion of taxpayers’ money to rectify a problem which is of his own accord and which has been administered by his government. There have been an estimated 240,000 dodgy installations and up to 1,000 electrified roofs, and 120 house fires—possibly more—that are linked to this program. Tragically, four deaths have been linked to this dodgy, rotten pink batts debacle. It is tragic.

This $1 billion that has been confirmed in the budget last night has been used to try to fix the collapsed and catastrophic Home Insulation Program. That cost will be borne by the Australian taxpayer. As I said, not up to 1,000 electrified roofs but, potentially, 1,500 deadly electrified roofs. This government still has not given a commitment to inspect all of the nearly 1.1 million homes around Australia that have been granted or had the pink batts put into their roofs. Some residents still live in fear and trepidation, some with an anxiety, and some simply not knowing whether their house is safe. The government simply has not committed to do that to every one of those 1.1 million homes insulated under the program. That is not good enough.

Mr Rudd should come into the parliament and should publicly say, ‘Enough is enough. I apologise’ specifically to those people and specifically to those people detrimentally affected as a result of this program. The Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade has warned that every home must be inspected. In the face of further warnings, there is no excuse for the Rudd government not to commit to inspect every one of those homes under that program.

Mr Rudd must come clean with the public and with the Senate, and specifically with the Senate committee of which I have been an active participating member, as have other members of this Senate. He must release the relevant correspondence between him and the Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts, Mr Peter Garrett, in which it appears, based on the evidence, that he was clearly warned. We know he was warned. He received many warnings last year, but we want to see those letters between Mr Garrett and Mr Rudd. He has so far said ‘no’, he will not release that, and he has come up with spurious arguments including cabinet-in-confidence. But only one of those letters apparently could perchance come under that category.

This pink batts debacle has gone from bad to worse. It was confirmed in the budget last night that $1 billion of taxpayers’ money will be used. Of course, the program cost in total $2.45 billion, so it has been a total and utter disaster. The Prime Minister should apologise.

Question agreed to.