Internal ACT Government documents reveal that as early as April 2009 ACT public servants had been giving repeated warnings about the inherent dangers of the roll-out of the Federal Home Insulation Scheme.
How far did the repeated warnings go up the chain, and what action was taken to avoid the potential of further damage to property or lives? Asked Zed Seselja, Leader of the Opposition.
“Despite the Minister’s denials, a number of complaints have been made about ‘the inadequate quality of insulation’, with at least three Canberra house fires currently under investigation, with insulation the suspected cause,” Zed said.
“At every turn Simon Corbell has attempted to deflect responsibility, even to the point of misleading the Assembly over the number of complaints made or documentation held about the scheme.
As early as April and May 2009, senior officials from ACTPLA where expressing warnings about the potential problems associated with the roll-out of the scheme;
‘They (Federal Government) have no significant answer for what happens when due to poorly undertaken installation a house fire starts and there is significant loss of property or worse’
(Craig Simons correspondence with ACT Stimulus package taskforce, 1/5/09)
“Were these warnings raised with the relevant Ministers, Mr Barr and Mr Corbell, and if so, what action was taken to warn those that had already had insulation installed under the scheme? If they weren’t raised with Ministers, why not and what have Minister’s done to address this apparent breakdown?
“Given there is potential for a number of ACT homes to still be at risk, it is simply not good enough for the Minister to claim he was ‘informed by officials of my department this morning’ (Feb 11, Hansard). Are both Ministers saying that no concerns were raised with them, even with departmental officials’ repeated warnings and other states more public warnings?
“The ACT government still has a significant role to play in protecting the safety of ACT residents. Minister Corbell and Barr need to be honest with the community, and say exactly how far up the chain these warnings went and what action is being taken to protect Canberrans from this bungled scheme,” said Zed.
