James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Can the Attorney-General acquaint the Senate with the findings of the report of the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program, tabled by the Prime Minister today?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, as you say earlier today the Prime Minister tabled in the other place the report of the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program conducted by Mr Ian Hanger QC. The royal commission found that the tragic deaths of four young workers would not and should not have occurred had the home insulation program being properly designed and implemented.

The royal commissioner found that the cabinet process and the decision making in relation to the home insulation program was, to use his words, 'unorthodox'. He found that warnings by senior officials were frequently and routinely ignored. Among other things—and I am quoting from the words of the royal commissioner—the urgency with which the program was rolled out:

seems to have infected the entire program and caused less than adequate attention and consideration to be given to questions of risk generally, of personal safety and of compliance.

It occurred 'notwithstanding any deficiencies or compromises that were necessary to achieve that goal'—the goal being to have the program rolled out in the shortest possible time. He went on to say the fact that the date had been believed to have been inflexible' says a lot about the government at the time'.

A weekend within which to consider draft Guidelines for a $2 billion scheme was grossly inadequate and is indicative of the undue speed which always attended the HIP.

The program failed because of the need for 'undue speed' in its implementation.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. May the Attorney-General advise the Senate ofthe lessons to be learnt from the findings of the royal commission?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Senator McGrath, I can. The overwhelming lesson to be learned from the findings of the royal commission is that bad policy and bad process have consequences—in this case, tragically, lethal consequences. What occurred need not have occurred, should not have occurred and, but for bad policy and bad process, would not have occurred. The report makes several recommendations in order to avoid such serious failings ever happening again. In particular, it recommended that, before charging an agency with the implementation of large or complex programs, some assessment should be made of the agency's capacity to deliver it. It recommended that the Australian government should use the experience of the HIP as a means to learn from the many mistakes identified in the report—many of which could be traced to overconfidence. (Time expired)

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. May the Attorney-General inform the Senate how the government intends to respond to the report of the royal commission into the home insulation program?

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the Prime Minister indicated earlier today, the government will provide a preliminary response to the report and its recommendations by 30 September and will provide a final response by the end of this year. Some of the recommendations were anticipated and the necessary remedial measures have already been put in place. Others, in particular those relating to addressing the economic and social damage caused by the former government to the industry, will require more deliberation. Might I, Mr President, take the opportunity in responding to the second supplementary question to thank the Royal Commissioner, Mr Hanger, for his work, the senior counsel assisting, Mr Wilson, and the other counsel assisting his staff. Lastly, may I thank the families of the victims who participated in this royal commission in what must have been a very trying experience for them.