Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery, Senator Arbib.

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

Senator Cormann interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cormann, I was trying to listen to Senator Fisher and you came right in over the top of her. It makes it very difficult to hear the question when you interject on your own questioner. Senator Fisher, commence again.

Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Of the 23,200 foil insulated homes inspected for safety problems under the government’s bungled Home Insulation Program, how many needed to be reinspected and why?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for the question. As I stated last week when I was asked a very similar question by the senator, there is a foil insulation safety program underway and over 24,000 inspections of homes with foil insulation have been conducted. Unfortunately, as I told the good senator last week, it is not inside my portfolio area and I am not in a position to answer the question. If the good senator would like that question answered, she should direct the question to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Minister Combet.

Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question, to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery. Of the 760 inspectors the government says are needed to inspect 50,000 foil insulated homes, how many inspectors are contracted and on the job?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I am happy to go through the program as I discussed last week. There is an insulation safety program underway with inspections of at least 150,000 homes that have non-foil insulation. Those inspections, as I told the good senator, are targeted at those homes that are most likely to have safety issues. If an ongoing risk assessment indicates that more houses should be inspected, then they will be. Again, this is an area that is outside my portfolio area and outside the Office of the Coordinator General. I am quite amazed that after three questions last week, and the same answer every time, again we are back here going through the same questions. Senator, you could have directed the question to the person who could have answered the question. (Time expired)

Mary Fisher (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. No thanks to the minister, we do know that the government needs to reinspect some tens of thousands of insulated homes because it did not do the job properly the first time—it did not inspect the homes properly first time round—and because it has changed its policy mind. We know it does not have enough inspectors to do the job. So, Minister, why should Australian homeowners with insulation have any confidence that the government can mop up the mess of its bungled Home Insulation Program?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fisher has again asked the question to the wrong minister. Why should the Australian people have any faith in those on that side that they can deliver anything when they cannot even ask the right minister the right question? This just shows how incompetent the coalition senators are on the other side of the chamber. They cannot even get the question right. That was their sixth attempt. In baseball you get three strikes. You have had six strikes; you are certainly out.

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.