The Federal Government’s $2.45 billion free insulation scheme has come under fire from the ABC’s The 7:30 Report with 37,000 homes having had foil insulation installed which will now have to undergo an electrical safety inspection after an audit revealed more than 1,000 of them might have had their ceilings electrified.
Taxpayers will spend up to $50 million on the audits, after an initial audit of 700 homes in Queensland sparked by the deaths of four installers with the program revealed electrical safety problems in 21 homes, with pre-existing electrical faults found in 142 homes that could have shocked or electrocuted installers.
The National Electrical and Communications Association warned the Federal Government as early as October last year about the risks associated with the free insulation program, these warnings were seemingly ignored by Peter Garrett as no policing of the growing number of cowboy insulation installers joined the program to take advantage of the increased demand.
The free insulation program was intended as a quick way to boost employment while at the same time reducing the nation’s energy requirements and carbon footprint after the global financial crisis hit. The sudden demand this scheme generated certainly fueled job growth in the sector, but with four installers dieing as a result of the program, has it been worth it?