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

I would like to speak to document No. 47 briefly. It relates to the Home Insulation Program. This is one of the worst government administered programs in recent history. The shame of it all! We call it the ‘pink batts waste’. The Prime Minister has said that the buck stops with him. Well, what has he actually done? It is a $2.45 billion program—that is what it started out as—and it delivered some 240,000 dodgy or substandard installations, over 1,500 electrified roofs and, as of a month ago, 146 house fires. But what we have learnt this week, just a few days ago, is that now we have 174 house fires as a direct result of this Home Insulation Program, which has been so badly bungled by the Rudd Labor government that it is shameful.

It is one of the worst programs administered in recent times, and the buck stops with the Prime Minister. That is what he has said, and he has been written to by the Senate committee which Senator Fisher chairs; she has asked for the Prime Minister to appear before that Senate committee to explain himself and for the other ministers to appear to explain themselves with respect to why there has been such a bungle, why there have been so many house fires and why the electrified roofs are in people’s homes all around the country—and, of course, sadly and tragically, four deaths are associated with this program.

As a participating member of that inquiry, it has been very disturbing indeed. Why isn’t the Prime Minister brave enough to meet with those directly affected and front this Senate inquiry? Why won’t he release all of the letters—not just some of them but all of them—between him and Minister Peter Garrett? Has Minister Peter Garrett taken the fall for the Prime Minister? That is a question that remains to be answered with respect to this pink batts fiasco. The government say that they want to put safety first. I want to congratulate Greg Hunt for his leadership, his advocacy and his strong demand on behalf of the coalition and the people affected for safety first. Every one of those one million-plus homes affected by the program should be inspected because people—mums, dads and families—are living in fear and are not sure whether their home will be next, whether it be a house fire or some other tragedy; we do not know. That is not right.

The government, as they are accountable, should inspect all of those homes. It is not fair; it is not right to have people living in fear, whether they be young or old. They are families with mums, dads and their kids. Why can’t the government just do it? They can do it, but they know that they have bungled the program so much. It may be partly money. They have already wasted $1 billion under this $2.45 billion program. How is it possible to waste nearly half the program funds? Such a shocking waste of taxpayers’ money is something awful. The waste and mismanagement is to the nth degree. The government must come clean. Senator Arbib has been asked to front the Senate inquiry and unfortunately he has said no. That is not good enough. He is a fellow senator. He knows the answers. He knows that those families affected are entitled to a response. We have seen a lot of anguish, pain and concern in the families affected.

The other issue is the people who have been injured. Yes, tragically, four people have died, but people have also been injured. I do not know exactly how many people have been injured. We would like to know and to get to the bottom of it, and we would like to know exactly their causes for concern. We say that enough is enough under this program. The waste must stop and the government must stand accountable. We call them to account. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.