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Coalition’s own goal in the insulation shoot-out

Tory Maguire

by Tory Maguire

23 Feb 04:10pm

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Filed under: Awu, Election 2010, Insulation, Peter Garrett, Politics, Terrorism

76 comments

It was so simple for the Opposition. Keep hammering Peter Garrett on the details of when exactly he saw Minter Ellison warnings about the risks associated with the Government’s home insulation scheme.

Birmo, the Fonz of the Coalition.

If they didn’t get his scalp, they would at least have a strong message about Ministerial incompetence in the Rudd Government for the Federal Election campaign.

Then this morning Liberal Senator Simon Birmingham jumped the shark.

Commenting on the timing of the release of the Government’s counter-terrorism white paper Birmingham said:

The greatest threat to the safety of many Australian families over the last 12 months has been the home insulation program and Peter Garrett’s mismanagement of it and tragically that’s an ongoing threat to safety. Perhaps the government should put its top priority on how it’s going to inspect all the homes fitted with dodgy insulation.

It was all the Government needed in Question Time this afternoon to blunt Tony Abbott’s so-far stinging attack on the Environment Minister.

Garrett appeared far more comfortable at the Despatch Box this afternoon than he did yesterday, as he started deflecting responsibility to his department. That could partly have been due to the thought that if Rudd was going to axe him it would have happened by now.

But it would also have been the fact almost every question he got from the Opposition was bookended by a an opportunity for his colleagues to hit back over Birmingham’s stupid quote, claiming the Opposition didn’t take terrorism seriously.

Tony Abbott’s sure ground on this issue has suddenly eroded, and the Green’s attempt this afternoon to censure the Government in the Senate is unlikely to get much traction.

It’s a fair bet Senator Birmingham won’t be making an appearance on the doors tomorrow morning.

Most commented

76 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • John A Neve says:

      03:26pm | 23/02/10

      This issue has surely run it’s race. Are there no more important issues for our parliament to debate?

      Public housing, health, transport infrastructure, education. We kill thousands every year on our roads, four people have died by their own hand, working with insulation. Sad, but a fact of life.

      Let the whole nation girth up it’s loins, smear it’self with ashes and move on.

      Reply

    • Alice says:

      05:02pm | 23/02/10

      I thought this graph demonstrated the stupidity of it all.
      Look at the graph on the right & the comment at the bottom.
      Not a government scheme in site & this is only one states report.
      A regulated industry that no government or industry association can police effectively.
      http://www.indice.com.au/market-overview/images/SKMBT_C55009032410361.pdf

    • Nigel says:

      05:35pm | 23/02/10

      “died by their own hand” implies suicide.  I understand that the Peter Garrett cheer squad is blinded by the facts in this case but surely there must be some limit to their lack of sensitivity.  You should be ashamed.

    • Dean says:

      08:08pm | 23/02/10

      What a sad place Australia is when four dead installers and hundreds of thousands of Australian homes (and their occupants) are at great risk, and all Labor and its Luvvies can say is “enough already, move on”.

      The attitude of muppets like John A Neve are either heartless or moronic, but sadly a classic Latte Labor view. Fact of life. You’re dead due to the indecent haste of a rockstar wannabe pollie, who couldn’t even read a vital report for 11 months.

      Latte Labor don’t care for average Aussies, we know that now.

      Journos show their true colours too by judging the whole thing like a game, tell these dead installers’ families what sport you think it is.

      You journos are as heartless as your chardonnay socialist mates, feeding the pollies who now think this is all about point scoring. Who won? Instead of keeping them honest, you lap up their performances like the front row at a Miley Cyrus concert.

      Show a skerrick of integrity and professionalism by asking why Rudd does a “look, over there, Unicorn!” report on terrorism? What has happened suddnely that makes this No.1 priority of the week?

      I for one will remember Rudd and Garrett for this moment.

    • Evan Findlay says:

      08:27pm | 23/02/10

      Nigel, one of those who died was still using metal fasteners long after Garrett had banned them. To me that says he is stupid, ignorant or both. I’m sorry but I can’t be as prissy as you over the matter. The first to die was from heat exhaustion. Are you suggesting that Garrett failed in his duty as Environment minister because he wasn’t running around to work sites acting as a water boy? These are the facts. I would suggest that it is you that is blind to them!

    • John A Neve says:

      06:24am | 24/02/10

      Nigel & Dean,

      Are both very good examples of the thoughtless, they believe name calling is the heart of debate!! They put forward no rational comment
      by rely on attempting to denigrate tose that oppose them.

      I’ll repeat because it is true, the four people who died installing insularion, did so by their own hand. No third party was involved, sad it might be, but true.

      Any one who takes the time to read what I post, would know I have no interest or respect for party politics. But the Nigels and Deans of this world, the rusted on armies of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum march on, rather like the rats following the Pied Piper.

    • Christian Real says:

      09:50am | 24/02/10

      John A Neve, I agree with you,this issure has run its race, and should be put in the garbage with yesterdays rubbish. Tony Abbott’s attempt to score political points from this issue alone has shown what a moron he really is.There are much more important issues to address, which Tony Abbott is failing to do because of his inability to show that he has any real policies or ideas to address these problems and issues with.
      It would appear that Tony Abbott is locked into this blame game obsession that he has against Peter Garrett, when under The Workplace, Health and Safety Act , it is the responsibility of the employers of these insulation workers ( not Peter Garrett or the Government) to train them, and to make sure that they had a safe workplace and environment to carry out their work in.

    • Luke says:

      03:27pm | 23/02/10

      I did notice Abbott interject when the PM said look at the opposition leader sitting over there laughing, (or something similar) and Abbott made a point of standing up and saying he wasn’t laughing and that he did take terrorism seriously.

      Reply

    • Al says:

      03:30pm | 23/02/10

      Rubbish Tory. That was a clever line by Birmingham to outline the suspicious release of the terrorism report. Anyone who suggests that line compares the insulation issue with terrorism needs lessons in the english and in irony.

      The outrage we have seen regarding this comment is confected at best.

      How does it feel to be led by the nose by the PR machine?

      Reply

    • SteveB says:

      05:43pm | 23/02/10

      As opposed to which outrage we see/hear in parliament or the media? You think these politicians, most of whom are friends outside the chambers are still yelling and ranting during their morning touch footy game, or over lunch?  It is ~all~ confected outrage, from both sides, regardless the issue de jour. Playing up to the cameras & microphones for the chance to be tonight’s sound byte has become almost the entire purpose of Question Time.

    • iansand says:

      06:03pm | 23/02/10

      Sound and fury signifying the usual.  If journalists were doing their job they would highlight the farce that question time has become instead of joining in with the jolly japes.

      Of course that would mean that the lazy creatures would have to do journalism instead of regurgitating the pap spoon fed to them by their sources.  That will never happen.

    • Tory Maguire

      Tory Maguire says:

      06:08pm | 23/02/10

      Always a pleasure reading your input iansand.

    • Rob says:

      03:31pm | 23/02/10

      Well, given it’s home insulation 4, terrorists 0, how is the comment “stupid”? LOL, the greatest threat thus far HAS been from home insulation—the results are on the scoreboard. Where did The Punch find all these left-wing writers who would say black was white if it helped their cause? The ABC?

      Reply

    • H of SA says:

      03:59pm | 23/02/10

      Nah Rob, its heart disease winning - then daylight,  with insulation AND terrorism edging out swine flu, which faded rapidly after much early hype of its chances

    • Steve says:

      06:05pm | 23/02/10

      Rob, if you think this website leans to the left you might consider opening the other eye.

    • Peter says:

      03:34pm | 23/02/10

      Don’t bet on it Tory - the Libs are so full of themselves that they’d front the opening of a paper bag at the moment.  But it helps us to see how silly they are.

      Reply

    • The Cricket says:

      03:41pm | 23/02/10

      Tory,

      Four Australians have died in the past year from this bungled home insulation scheme. How many have been killed by terrorists?

      Reply

    • TTL says:

      03:45pm | 23/02/10

      Really Tors I think you’re over-reacting. Birmingham’s comment doesn’t let Garret off the hook, especially when 160,000 homes are at risk. It would be a red letter day for a terrorist outfit to cause the sort of fear and worry Garrett has. This is the problem with journalists - so easily distracted.

      Reply
    • Tory Maguire

      Tory Maguire says:

      03:51pm | 23/02/10

      The comment didn’t really bother me TTL, my point was it blunted the Coalition in its Question Time attack on Garrett.
      I personally think Garrett should go.

    • luke says:

      03:47pm | 23/02/10

      Yes, they might have kicked an own goal but the Rudd government has kicked more own goals with its policies and broken promises, insulation scheme, television bribes, Julia Gillard school memorial halls, backflip on hospital takeovers, border protection, 43 billion dollar unfunded broadband scheme and too many other failures I can’t be bothered writing.
      With Tony Abott’s approving rating now at 43% and climbing, the Rudd government cannot afford to let Peter Garrett keep his ministerial role for environment. If they continue to say the insulation scheme is a success and Peter Garrett is their best minister for the job the voters will really start to worry what a failure would be under this government.

      Reply

    • Bryndal says:

      03:50pm | 23/02/10

      What a cheep comment wink

      There is no relationship between the 2 - thats the point of the aticle. For the Libs to make a comparison is just jumping the shark. It is getting to the point of the criticism being counter productive. It is a very different message than the one being put forward by Malcom Turnbul on Q&A last night. He sounded quite reasonable compared to the shrill scaremongering of the current front bench.

      Reply

    • H of S says:

      03:55pm | 23/02/10

      Wow Tory,

      We are having a Romulan mind-meld moment (I’m not a Trekkie btw, Wars over Trek every day)

      My exact thought when I read about Mr. Birmingham’s comment was “own goal”

      Also the concept of jumping the shark has been on my mind today due to Bushfire Bill’s interesting piece on the politcal sword site:

      http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/

      Reply

    • The Dove says:

      03:57pm | 23/02/10

      What an outrageous comment. It just go to show how bereft of ideas and lines of attack these idiots have. The only thing the current members of the coalition have to hang their hats on is a fear campaign over the ETS and attempting to tie the deaths of 4 workers to a flawed scheme (all good intentions aside) . It clearly demonstrates that they have become an ideological possie instead of a political party. Workcover et al will investigate and I guarantee you that it will be the companies who employed these workers and failed in their responsibility to them that will be found responsible. The Liberal Party talks about “small” government and supposedly championing the free market. But if cheap points are to be scored they are at it like a bull at a gate.

      Reply

    • Dingo says:

      06:30pm | 23/02/10

      Actually Dove, it goes to show the Rudd Government can’t manage a scheme of its own creation, so what hope is there of them implementing the biggest structural change to the tax system since the GST let alone managing a counter-terrorism strategy against determined suicidal extremists.

    • Andy says:

      03:59pm | 23/02/10

      If this is the best attack the Government can come up with on the Opposition they really are in trouble. Birminghams comment was regarding Rudd and co using the terrorism report to try and change focus away from them and the insulation debacle. A poor lack luster attempt at best, no story there. Also in QT when Rudd tried to say that Abbott was laughing about the terrorism report he was corrected by Abbott who interjected and put on the record he was not laughing and that he thought terrorism was an important issue.

      Reply

    • Fog Badger says:

      07:37pm | 23/02/10

      True, Andy.

      The ALP is scraping the barrel at the moment.

    • Michael Nelson says:

      04:05pm | 23/02/10

      @The Cricket.  Well, let’s see. How many Australians have died in the past twelve months serving in Afghanistan?  Sure, one man’s religious student is another man’s violent criminal, but you get my point.  Perhaps the question we all should be asking is how many tradies get killed on the job every year through dangerous work practices / sites, and what can be done to eliminate preventable deaths like those completely.

      Reply

    • Jeff says:

      04:05pm | 23/02/10

      I think Peter van Onselen is quite right. Kevin Rudd will keep Peter Garrett on as a Minister until all the ugly surprises have come out. When sacked Peter Garrett will take the bad smell of the failed scheme with him.
      I have to ask - what is Peter Garrett doing there in the first place???

      Reply

    • Dylan says:

      04:07pm | 23/02/10

      Democracy is dead.

      Reply

    • The Dove says:

      04:17pm | 23/02/10

      “I personally think Garrett should go”. Tory you clearly are an unbiased soul.Perhaps you should stick to debate rather than dogma. If I wanted such “opinion” rather than formulative discussion I would go and read The Australian, you know “The Heart Of The Nation”.

      Reply

    • tc says:

      05:05pm | 23/02/10

      Glad I got to read your opinion on Tory’s opinion Dove.

    • Pablo says:

      04:30pm | 23/02/10

      All this is laughable, the insulation scheme hasn’t exactly gone smoothly I grant you, but all the critisism comming from the mob that allowed Alex Downer to get off unscathed, over then AWB $300 million bribes to a regime with which we were technically at war with, money that could well have been used to kill our own soldiers, but nothing was done, sure there was the usual enquirie commisioned, one which excluded any fault from goverment ministers before the facts were even known. and now we have these hypocrites wanting Garets blood over the insulation scheme , what a joke..

      Reply

    • Alice says:

      07:09pm | 23/02/10

      Excerpt
      In this month’s class action, AWB conceded its knowledge but denied the payments contravened UN sanctions. The company said the UN and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade knew AWB was paying the fees.
      Seems the Coalition can only demand integrity & the high moral ground of others because they are sure as hell bereft of any.

    • Fog Badger says:

      07:39pm | 23/02/10

      Alice @ 0809pm, very clever.

      The old two wrongs fallacy.

    • elhombre says:

      07:40am | 24/02/10

      How many young boys did the AWB kickbacks kill, fool? God, it’s going to be so sweet watching you labor voters squeal when you’re voted back into irrelevance later this year.

    • Pablo says:

      08:21am | 24/02/10

      El hombre @ 8.40 am, the point here is the hypocracy FOOL! Not how many boys were killed, that, we will never know because we can’t follow the money trail after it went into Sadams hands, all under the nose of Alex Downer

    • Brian says:

      05:11pm | 23/02/10

      The Terrorism white paper is a diversion. Own goal - I dont think so.

      I see Rudd is back on the Gen Y, slap and giggle TV circuit again…...Insiders? NO too hard…...I would love to see him front up to AJ on 2GB? He sends in Julia instead as he knows AJ will keep his attacks on her moderate. Talk about reverse sexism - man up Rudd.

      Reply

    • Evan Findlay says:

      08:37pm | 23/02/10

      Why would anyone want to front that right wing nut job, unless of course you were a right wing nut job.

    • Brian says:

      03:01pm | 24/02/10

      Yep because 1m Aussies listen to him? And they pay your salary? Oh thats right ALP = no accountability.

    • Front Row says:

      05:34pm | 23/02/10

      The bottom line is that it was a silly way to say what I imagine most of us were thinking.
      What Mr Rudd really has to worry about is that many on his back bench are bright enough to recognise his panicky resort to talking up “terror” in a vain effort to remove the insulation disaster from the media mix.  It was terror that drove that, Jim, but not as we know it.
      The Libs might well remember a similar situation when their own fading PM did pretty much the same thing in a less pressing situation. Mind, that was seen by many in the conservatives as a sure sign Howard had truly lost it.  We know what happened next.

      Reply

    • Caney says:

      06:11pm | 23/02/10

      Mr Rudd the micro-mismanager?

      Reply

    • Steve of Cornubia says:

      06:19pm | 23/02/10

      Here’s a translator, to convert what an Liberal MP actually said into how it will be reported by Labor and their media mates:

      What was said: I love puppies.
      What was reported: I like to eat puppies.

      What was said: Another boatload of illegal immigrants arrived today.
      What was reported: All illegal immigrants should be executed.

      What was said: The government is spending too much money.
      What was reported: The government should reduce health spending and let patients die.

      What was said: We want more evidence to support the AGW hypothesis.
      What was said: We want the earth to die.

      Etc.

      Reply

    • Fog Badger says:

      07:41pm | 23/02/10

      grin

    • Bob says:

      06:32pm | 23/02/10

      When will we get to some real issues?

      For example, I suspect many people haven’t realised yet that their pre-tax superannuation contributions, and any made by employers over the 9 per cent minimum, now have to be factored in to your taxable income if you receive family benefit.

      That will put many middle income earners over the threshold, meaning big repayments for those who will have inadvertently failed to advise Centrelink of an increase in income - and no expected cheques in July, August or September for others who normally get their payments when they put in their tax returns.

      That’s the sort of thing that changes voting intentions, not insulation.

      Reply

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      07:33pm | 23/02/10

      And why shouldn’t the superannuation contributions be factored in as taxable income regardless of what you choose to do with it? Sounds like a lot of middle class wage earners rorting the system by trying to slip their income under the threshhold. No wonder this country is stuffed.

    • Evan Findlay says:

      08:41pm | 23/02/10

      Bob that has always been the case, it’s called Fringe Benefits. I’ve always wanted to put money into my super through salary sacrifice but at the end of the day it effects my family benefit. So I just save it and dump it in one load.

    • Ben says:

      11:43am | 24/02/10

      Evan, sorry to correct you, but salary sacrifice has never been treated as a taxable fringe benefit.  Whoever told you this gave you some really bad advice.

      However, Shane, I do agree with you.  Excess superannuation contributions should be considered when looking at eligibility for government assistance.  I once had a client (I work in public practice) who dumped $200,000 (for him and his wife) into superannuation (before the thresholds were changed), who then got stuck into us because we didn’t claim any family tax benefit for him when we did his personal returns.  Sure, with the super contributions reducing his taxable income, he was eligible for it, but it still left me feeling dirty. 

      Yeah, when I have to deal with people like that, I really do hate my job.

    • Mikko says:

      06:47pm | 23/02/10

      Has the old Midnight Oiler got anything right since he was elected -  he started out with his foot in his mouth over a comment along the lines of we can tell them what we like now and change our minds when we are elected. And the promise to end Japanese whaling or at least take them to court over it (ok now there is an election looming they may actually start the ball rolling in that direction by November according to his boss).
      Or the seas could rise by 6m prediction last year which even the IPCC disowned.
      Now the home insulation fiasco has thousands of home owners wondering if their homes could ignite while they sleep, they could get electrocuted if they set foot in their ceiling, or poisonous formaldehyde fumes could leach from cheap imported fibre bats (much worse than CO2). If I had any of that stuff in my home I would be more worried about all the above than terrorists suddenly landing on my roof from a helicopter and I think a lot of Aussies would agree.
      Now we are expected to believe his department received a report 10 months ago warning all this could happen and deaths would result, but nobody told the minister responsible until last week.
      Yeah right, Garret’s doing a great job, just ask all the genuine businesses and employees in this industry who are now out of work, and the home owners who are in limbo. It a prize stuff up but he knows who’s going to save him.

      Reply

    • For the Workers says:

      07:18pm | 23/02/10

      I read most of the above and am simply horrified.  What happened to the Party who looks after the workers?  What happened to the Party who would fight for the workers?  It has become subsumed with hatred and greed and spite.  There is no heart or guts in the ALP any more.  Just smug, over fed, cosseted. spiteful, shiny bum wimps who can’t see past staying in power and bugger anything or anyone else.  You make me sick. . Blaming dead kids and people prepared to take risks to put food on the table for their families.  From the top down -  “I’m all right jack, bugger you” Shame on you.

      Reply

    • John A Neve says:

      07:38pm | 23/02/10

      For the Worker,

      The Labor party is no more for the worker (however you define them), than the Liberal party supports small business.

      The Labor and Liberal party are both far removed from their origins.

      Reply

    • Anthony says:

      08:20pm | 23/02/10

      If you throw your cat a bone and it chokes is it your fault. No you might say but what if it was a chicken bone. Throwing money into a dodgey environment despite warning is negligent.

      Reply

    • Radical Chick!! says:

      08:41pm | 23/02/10

      I don’t like what this Government is doing….When the though gets going they arrange a diversion about terrorism and state in front of the media that they’ll be acting though on arrivals to Australia from “suspected” countries….well I really think this smacks of racial profiling….and here is more it does not sit well with me when this Government never has worried about this issue….all of a sudden they’ll take out the terrorism card when they are in huge doo doo over the incompetency of Mr. Garrett who really shouldn’t even be there any more. Not after costing four lives to Australia ( Hey on a side note: Has anybody seen the trade Unions complaining about the Government yet??? You would if the PM was John Howard!)
      But yesterday a blogger made an interesting point…
      Krudd may be scared of what Garrett may have to say if he goes to the backbench. Garrett may have nothing to lose and may just open his mouth about how this PM works….that makes sense…that would explain why Krudd took responsibility for this disgrace. He now should do the right thing and resign.  But not losing my breath over this!!! The man thinks he can do no wrong…....!

      Reply

    • Alex says:

      09:13pm | 23/02/10

      Can someone tell me exactly how a rebate killed these workers. Abbott has fained his outrage for political mileage, without any real respect for workers. I did not hear him once call on the government to investigate occupational health and safety causes for these workplace deaths. All we have heard is that the rebate and the Minister has led to these deaths. This fake sensitivity for tragic incidents, from the guy who beat up on a dying man that was a victim of negligence in the workplace at the last election. The hypocrisy is astounding and alarming.

      Reply

    • Mark says:

      09:30pm | 23/02/10

      Cna’t see how it blunted them. Anyway all the libs have to do is point to cozy deals in Indonesia and and overflowing Christmas Island. We already know Rudd has let in suspected “terrorists”.
      Smoke and mirrors by Rudd. Spin spin spin. Distract.
      All to his usual plan. I think the Libs would love a stoush on terroism and border security. A step too far by Rudd I believe if Abbott plays him right.

      Reply

    • steve says:

      10:01pm | 23/02/10

      Let’s summarise, a Government over-primed the pump of a “disorganised” industry with cost free, government paid work to the point where standards collapse, four people died and thousands of homes need millions of dollars of rectification work, then they try to take pressure off by “feeding the chooks” with some tripe about protecting us all from terrorism. Read “Quick Look over there!”

      I can only imagine how the Churnalists in the Meja would be screaming for blood if it had been a Liberal Government.
      Bias is when you treat one side of politics different to the other.

      Reply

    • Alice says:

      09:53am | 24/02/10

      Perhaps you should read this. Read the graph on the right hand side & footnote.
      Victorian insulation installation and the reported house fires in regards to downlights & insulation. Long before the ALP won government. This reflects the national trend. 32 housefires in 18 months. It contradicts the notion we have now that it is all the fly by nighters causing problems.
      Then reflect on the court case of Condor & Stuart and the airport insulation scheme under Howard. The subcontractor ignored the law and hence a house burnt down. He was responsible, not the head contractor & not the government.
      Not a word from Abbott on the employers in this industry.  And neither did the Coalition think that the industry should be tightened.
      http://www.indice.com.au/market-overview/images/SKMBT_C55009032410361.pdf

    • Jay says:

      11:07pm | 23/02/10

      Evan Findlay - thank you. Finally the actual truth…

      The tragic deaths were the result of careless employers, inexperienced employees and greed.

      Even a Christian God can’t protect anyone from that.

      Where are the actual regulators (you know - the Australian Constitution *cough*) - the States and Territories who actually regulate the industry being called to account?

      Garrett is flawed - no one on either side of the fence can say they aren’t. The LNP wants him gone, and if the shoe doesn’t fit - they’ll keep trying.

      If anyone has more reason to get the arse - it’s Conroy.

      Reply

    • Midnight spoil says:

      11:15pm | 23/02/10

      Forget for a moment about the P Garrett’s insulation adventures and consider the amazing success of Kevin Rudd and his mentor Al Gore in coming close to introduction of global tax on the air we breathe. Taxing air was ongoing dream of many governments in the past but these two leftist fellas are very close to forcing it on everyone in most undemocratic way.

      Reply

    • KM says:

      06:39am | 24/02/10

      One can only wonder the sorrow that would have been displayed in parliament if one of the worker killed in the insulation program was a sibling of one of the front bench of the labour party. Perhaps one of Garretts? Or Rudds? Im betting they wouldn’t be so flippant about the young people that died then.

      Reply

    • acker says:

      07:18am | 24/02/10

      What Simon Birmingham says does sound pretty stupid within a week of his leader Tony Abbott almost being backended by a truck, which I suggest is a much bigger and real danger threat to all Australians than terror attacks or dodgy roof insulation.

      Reply

    • Alex says:

      09:41am | 24/02/10

      Can someone please explain to me how the Rudd Government, or Peter Garret or his department are responsible for the installation of insulation.

      At the risk of sounding crass and heartless the 4 deaths have occured due to insufficient training or pure negligence on the behalf of the installers.

      Under Workplace Health and Safety legislation every person has a responsibility for their own safety.  The buck falls with the installer and their employer.  The reality is that half of these guys were in it for a quick buck, didn’t bother to think what they were doing and the have paid the ultimate price.

      It happens in all forms of construction, it is a sad fact of life.  As previously stated, 1 of them was using metal fasteners which had been previously banned.  Has anyone thought that maybe what actually needs to be done because of this is that the government needs to considering ordering an investigating to housing electrical standards.  And that house roofs should not actually be live in the first place.

      This is nothing but the coalition attacking the government over and issue that they have no control over, and the majority of Australians blindly following.

      I am sorry that these people died, but they had a duty of care to themselves to conduct their work in a safe manner, some didn’t, their employers had a duty of care to make sure their employees were appropriately trained, some didn’t.  This is the reason why people died, the government is not at fault.

      Reply

    • Piers says:

      10:07am | 24/02/10

      Birmingham tries so hard to be taken seriously but how can anyone really consider him a Senator of substance. His vapid contributions are generally poll driven rather than driven by conviction. When he is left without a script comments such as this one escape his lips. Rather than desperately pursue media attention as vindication of his greatness he should work on having something to say first.

      Reply

    • Peter of Adelaide says:

      10:13am | 24/02/10

      For Rudd Labor to use Simon Birmingham’s correct comments shows how desperate the Government is.  Together with it rolling out terrorism and other matters to try anything, anything at all,  to escape very well justified scrutiny of Rudd, Julia Gillard and Peter Garrett.

      In my view and no doubt many others the comment by the Liberal Simon Birmingham was correct when he said that the greatest threat to Australians in the past twelve months was the Rudd/Garrett insulation roll-out. This incompetent and dangerous roll-out has caused 4 deaths, 86 or so house fires, 1000 electrified roofs and possibly another 160,000- dangerous roofs. 

      However it must be many years since there was a death due to terrorism in Australia.

      For Mr. Rudd to announce this terrorism issue today was just another of his endless attempts to fool the public and deflect attention from the Rudd Labor/Garrett insulation dangerous debacle.  Which could have been avoided and lives etc saved by prudent listening to the many warnings, the use of commonsense, and sense of responsibility by the Labor Government to the community. Which is still absent.

      Apparently the terrorism threat in Australia is at medium and has not altered in the past few years. 

      What is also of serious concern is that Rudd Labor has allowed Australia to be swamped with unprecedented numbers of boat people, some of whom have come from terrorist areas, such as Sri lanka. And appear to have had a very minimum of security checks before being allowed into Australia.

      Without checking I think that world wide the influx of boat people to other countries in the past twelve months has been only 5%, while here in Australia the influx - due to Rudd’s irresponsible welcome mat -  is around 25%.

      Reply

    • peter of Adelaide says:

      10:14am | 24/02/10

      I strongly agree with a previous blogger who states that Question Time is a farce.  The Rudd Question time is a disgrace and the worst I have seen in at least 20 years. And most media like the Speakers Office and the Parliamentary Procedures committee ignore the complaints from myself and possibly others - over the past 12 months - for the Parliamentary People’s house - most clearly represented by Question time - to be informative, fair and balanced.  And to actually represent the half of the population who represent the Coalition side of politics instead of being swamped by Labor’s Dorothy Dixers and very serious dishonesty about and misrepresentation of the Coalition.

      Reply

    • Carl Palmer says:

      10:25am | 24/02/10

      “..and the Green’s attempt this afternoon to censure the Government in the Senate is unlikely to get much traction” - I guess that will depend on the media.

      It was carried and it reflects what the Senate thinks of the Govt’s $2.45 billion insulation scheme and its handling of green programs. It would certainly give the opposition more ammunition – if they can’t handle the bat thingo won’t it bring a chill to your spine when they start taking about the nuclear waste dump in the NT. Martin Ferguson won’t be able to cut the mustard but I have no doubt that Peter Garrett and his department will do an outstanding job. Oh and the PM should definitely get involved.

      Scary

      Time to go OS I think…

      Reply

    • James says:

      11:03am | 24/02/10

      Pretty disgusting how the opposition pretend to care about the deaths of 4 workers, then use their deaths to score cheap political points.  The whole beat up is continuously rubbing in the fact that these guys are dead to their families.

      Reply

    • Randal says:

      11:18am | 24/02/10

      A very misleading piece Tory, whilst I agree Birmingham erred on biting at the governments bait in releasing a White Paper his statement received very little pick up on the 6pm news and instead it was grabs of Abbott maintaining a strong attack upon an embattled Minister.

      As for Border Protection, the Opposition credits are very strong in this regard and the electorate is more than aware that when it comes to security issues the ALP is not the team to be on.

      So no harm done and Garrett, who will survive, will continue to be a weak link in the Ministerial chain and the Opposition will use him at the prime example to highlight the failures of the Rudd government.

      Reply

    • formersnag says:

      02:06pm | 24/02/10

      The entire, red/green/labour coalition, desperately wanted economic stimulus spending, on anything, anywhere, ASAP. They wanted to delay the onset of recession till after the election, that and buying the votes of tradesmen.

      Reply

    • Willy K says:

      02:20pm | 24/02/10

      I love the Labor hack and Kojak apologists telling us to ‘move on!’

      The caring ALP in all of its glory.  If you are not filling a paper bag in an alley for them or helping a goon get a bludging gig in the Public Service then you can all go and get f’d.

      Nothing has changed with the ALP and their masters the Unions since the Wars.  I still remember my grandfather telling us that when he arrived back from Tobruk the Unions went on strike for more money (during a war!) and refused to unload the soldiers gear!  The farmers federation came in and did it for them and so did the soldiers themselves!  This happened all over the country.  Makes you proud doesn’t it?  True colours under pressure.

      Garrett has proven himself just another Labor grub.  I thought that he was better than that.

      Reply

    • E says:

      02:26pm | 24/02/10

      you would have to be pretty stupid to take terrorism seriously.

      We are much more likely to be killed by dodgy insulation than a terrorist, and the roads make ‘Osama Bin Made Up’  look like a rank amateur.

      Its really sad low IQ people are allowed to vote, we would have a much better quality of leadership if they werent.

      Reply

    • Eric says:

      05:54pm | 24/02/10

      Then lead the way, E. Don’t vote!

    • Luke says:

      09:20am | 25/02/10

      Deaths from terrorism: 0
      House fires from terrorism: 0
      Electrified roofs from terrorism: 0

      Deaths from insulation program :4
      House fires from insulation program: 90
      Electrified roofs from insulation program: 1000

      What exactly did he say that was incorrect?

      Reply

    • asproella says:

      12:21pm | 25/02/10

      Shame on Kevin Rudd for making this insulation debarcle where people have died and people are losing their busineses into a political point scorer for his election,sending out all his mps into their electorates to help people who have had insulation fitted .What about none Labor electorates???? do they have to wait ,do Labor electorates get served first?What a discrace for a Prime Minister to make political points out of peoples heartache ...shame shame shame…..

      Reply

    • John A Neve says:

      03:35pm | 25/02/10

      Asproella,
      Rudd has no control over the oppositions members, so he cannot send them anywhere. Perhaps you should direct your concern to Mr Abbott.

      While this project could and should have been handled better, many of those companies that have lost out should never have been involved in the first place, this also applys to their employees.

      As to “political points out of people’s heartache” again you should take this up with Tony Abbott.

    • JeniferHowe says:

      09:28am | 19/07/10

      If you’re in uncomfortable position and have got no money to go out from that, you will have to receive the mortgage loans. Just because that should aid you definitely. I get secured loan every year and feel myself great because of it.

      Reply

    • sahi says:

      09:13pm | 01/07/11

      Shame on Kevin Rudd debarcle conclusion of the isolation in which people died and political business people will lose top scorer in this election, to send all its MPs in their constituencies to help people who have had insulation installed.ldl cholesterol levels
      And none of the Labour voters? will have to wait to make the Labor Party voters are served first.

      Reply
 
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