Pink batts Royal Commission

[nero_bolt]

It has finally opened and we will now see what a disaster Rudd and co were and why 4 lives were lost and 3 billion wasted

A massive failed labor policy

Just two days to design a $3 billion disaster which killed four men

This just screams of Kevin Rudd in every detail:

KEVIN Rudd’s department gave two environment department staffers just two days to secretly cost and ...

Environment Department Assistant-Secretary Mary Wiley-Smith ...  told the commission she’d received a call late on the Friday of the Australia Day long weekend in 2009 from a Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet staffer.

She was told she and another environment department official had to cost and consider the risks of two massive government programs by the Monday — which was a public holiday.

This, too, is pure Rudd:

Ms Wiley-Smith ... also confirmed she and her fellow bureaucrat were told to keep the matter confidential and they could not ring industry representatives to seek advice.

The rush, the thought-bubble process, the lack of consultation, the lack of consideration for staff, the lack of process - exactly what also gave us the NBN white elephant, Grocery Watch, Fuel Watch, overpriced school halls, an underfunded school computer program, unbuilt superclinics and more than 1000 dead boat people. 

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/insulation-scheme-dreamed-up-over-a-weekend-royal-commission-...

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/kevin-rudds-department-wanted-batts-scheme-costed-i...

http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/pink-batts-inquiry-to-begin-in-brisbane/story-e6frfku9...

[lakeland27]

fancy trying to earn brownie points from tragedies that occured due to lack of training from shoddy tradesmen. deaths in this area were actually higher before and after the scheme. explain that.

[lakeland27]

In normal circumstances, those who ought to be accepting the primary blame would be the employers of the dead lads - the people who gave them the job of fixing the insulation in ceilings without making any effort to train them in the basics of such a job, or even, apparently, in the sense of a proposition, if it needs to be instilled, that a person who puts a nail into electrical wire runs a serious risk of being electrocuted.

Secondary blame might attach to state building and trades authorities, which were doing very little in the way of supervising or establishing standards over building tradesmen in their jurisdictions. It is not entirely clear why this deficiency should have crystallised in 2008, when the home insulation program began, since people have been installing ceiling insulation for decades, with some unskilled and untrained employees giving themselves shocks in the process. The cynical lawyer,

however, might think that a combination of legal and political deep pocket theory created the perfect conditions in 2008: everyone could unite in blaming Kevin Rudd, or Wayne Swan, Mark Arbib or Peter Garrett, and/or public servants in Canberra for everything, in the meantime exonerating themselves from any blame whatever.

Although there has been a good deal of finger pointing at some of those most responsible, the Commonwealth ended up accepting most of the blame. This resulted from a double incompetence. First, neither Rudd, as prime minister, nor his ministers could do an even slightly adequate job of pointing out that an ultimate paymaster - at several removes - for a building job is not responsible for the ineptness, incompetence or culpable negligence of the person engaged by a householder to do the job. If it were otherwise, one ought to be able to sue the minister for health for the incompetence of a private pharmacist, or the Commonwealth minister for transport for tripping over a footpath constructed by the state agency under Commonwealth infrastructure money.

Read more: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/pink-batts-royal-commission-could-rebound-on-abbott-20140110...

[azureline**]

How insensitive to use that against a political party........ hope the families don't google...........

[debra9275]

Yeas, I agree with you LL. We actually had it done. A fly by night company called me & we decided to get it done. Six young Indians turned up to install it, they could not speak English & I could tell they weren't trained. They were most probably paid a pittance too.


I don't mean any disrespect to those who lost their lives and their families, but this Royal Commission just seems like a witch hunt to me.


spending 23 million to find out if there was a waste of money also seems ridiculous

[nero_bolt]

Batts scheme planners were warned fires, injuries likely 

BUREAUCRATS planning the botched pink batts scheme knew shoddy insulation installations were likely to result in fires, injuries and even death, an inquiry has heard.

Four young men died installing insulation under the former Rudd government program, which has also been blamed for at least one serious injury and hundreds of house fires.

A royal commission into the program heard today that the government’s environment department knew of the risks by mid-March 2009, a month after the scheme’s announcement.

The department received and responded to emails from industry bodies that warned about potential safety hazards, including electrical fires.

An email from National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) to former environment minister Peter Garrett on March 9, 2009 even raised the risk of new installers being ignorant about electrical safety hazards.

A senior environment department staffer who responded to the email acknowledged there was the risk of installers not being appropriately trained.

The inquiry was also shown a risk assessment document, developed before the scheme’s rollout, that identified the potential for dodgy installers and shonky installations under the program.

Counsel Assisting the commission, Keith Wilson, asked environment department staffer Beth Brunoro whether it was right to assume from the document that the risk of injury, including death, to installers was likely.

''That’s correct,’’ she replied.

The inquiry also heard how guidelines for the program didn’t include a specific warning about the need for electrical inspections prior to the installation of insulation in established homes.

Ms Brunoro said aspects about electrical safety were in the insulation guidelines, but the need for a such a warning wasn’t specifically raised.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/batts-scheme-planners-were-warned-fires-injuries-li...

[lind9650]

So what is the Royal Commission ging to achieve? Are they going o recover the 3Billion?

Waste of money to try and prove what everyone already knows.

Crazy politics.

[nero_bolt]

[nero_bolt]

It just gets better and better and shows whata  mess this govt was.... 

Inquiry told of ministerial confusion over who ran batts scheme 

CONFUSION reigned in the Rudd government over which minister was actually in charge of the pink batts program, an inquiry has heard.

It was unclear whether former environment minister Peter Garrett or senator Mark Arbib was in control of the botched scheme, which has been blamed for four deaths and hundreds of house fires.

Mr Garrett’s adviser Matt Levey has told a royal commission into Labor’s home insulation program (HIP) that a document was even drafted to establish the relationship between the two ministers in relation to the scheme’s development.

Mr Garrett found it difficult to guide the program because of Mr Arbib’s involvement, he said.

“Minister Garrett obviously had policy authority, but Senator Arbib was doing an awful lot of work on the program,’’ Mr Levey’s statement to the inquiry read.

“I never fully understood where his (Arbib’s) involvement ended or began. I do not recall whether this was ever satisfactorily resolved.

“It made it very difficult for Minister Garrett to drive the direction of the program.’’

Mr Levey also told the inquiry that staff in Mr Garrett’s department became confused and anxious about changes to the program by Mr Arbib and the co-ordinator-general, Mike Mrdak (Mrdak).

But he agreed those changes couldn’t happen without Mr Garrett’s approval.

The Rudd government announced the pink batts scheme on February 3, 2009, to stimulate the economy during the global financial crisis.

At the time, Mr Arbib had been charged with co-ordinating government stimulus programs.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/inquiry-told-of-ministerial-confusion-over-who-ran-...

[nero_bolt]

Wonder what Kevin has to hide to hire such a high priced barrister...   

KEVIN Rudd has hired a barrister who charges $15,000 a dayahead of his appearance before the royal commission into ­insulation.

But the Federal Attorney-General’s Department has refused to reveal whether Mr Rudd, former minister Peter Garrett, former Senator Mark Arbib and other witnesses will have their legal fees picked up in full by the taxpayer.

Mr Rudd has ­appointed experienced Sydney barrister, Bret Walker, SC, to represent his interests ahead of his testimony.

Mr Walker, who helped the Finks outlaw motor­cycle club fight anti-bikie laws in the High Court of Australia in 2012, is recognised as one of the nation’s most highly recommended barristers.

One legal source said, “Doesn’t he (Mr Rudd) believe in buying locally?”

It is understood that lawyers representing the grieving families are being paid by taxpayers, however, it is capped at eight hours a day, and $330 an hour – $2640 a day.

Witnesses are eligible for an undisclosed witness fee to cover travel, food and accommodation expenses if they live more than 50km from Brisbane and a lost income payment for attending a hearing

Claims of early warning about batts dangers

Insulation fears: ‘Don’t rock the boat’

Consultant didn’t know scheme was lethal

Mr Rudd and Mr Walker refused to comment when contacted by The Courier-Mail yesterday.

Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilson died between 2009 and 2010 while installing insulation in the former government’s rush to save the economy after the global financial crisis.

There is believed to be remaining tension between Mr Rudd and Mr Garrett over the insulation debacle.

more here  ....    http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/bret-walker-sc-to-represent-former-prime-minister-kevi...