“Rock stars. Is there anything they don't know?”
Posted on 02/12/2010 5:20:12 PM PST by naturalman1975
PETER Garrett has admitted his troubled $2.5 billion insulation program has been linked to 86 house fires around the nation as the opposition stepped up calls for him to resign over his handling of the scheme.
As opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt called for an investigation into the rise in house ceiling fires, it emerged that the government's program to give homes with foil insulation safety checks has stalled, despite fears 1000 roofs have been electrified by inept installers.
Standards Australia said it would review thermal insulation procedures, adding that the standard for installing insulation was not mandatory, and did not cover foil products.
The government undertook last February to insulate 2.7 million homes as part of its $42bn stimulus package, but the program has been dogged by claims of rorting and safety problems.
The Environment Minister has been savaged for his handling of the $2.5bn program.
Tony Abbott said Mr Garrett must pay with his job for the lives of four insulation installers lost in the program and resign, otherwise "the Prime Minister has to sack him".
But Kevin Rudd expressed confidence in Mr Garrett, saying safety had been his "No 1 priority".
"I have absolute confidence in the minister," the Prime Minister said. "There have been tragedies for people's families. I understand that. But there are also tragedies with industrial accidents across the country in other areas."
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.com.au ...
The subsidies have been the subject of fraud, overcharging, with little oversight to make sure money is going where it's meant to go, and that was bad enough - but now it's turned out that safety violations have killed electricians and apprentices, are causing house fires, and a large number of Australian homes have been rendered dangerous.
And the Prime Minister is defending the Minister responsible. And the media is really not covering it much at all.
“Rock stars. Is there anything they don't know?”
Does anyone understand how on earth insulation can cause this many roofing or ceiling fires? What kind of insulation are we talking about here? I would have thought this was a pretty routine sort of business.
The article doesn’t really explain the problem. I don’t doubt that there may be a problem, but I can’t figure out what it is.
NM is that same Peter Garett that was in band Midnight Oil correct me if I am wrong
Beds are burning is awsome song
. This might explain it. Not something I know that much about myself.
Yes, it is - he entered the Australian Parliament in 2004 as a Labor MP, and is now the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts.
Climategate and Snowmageddon [Headline Roundup]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2449802/posts?page=74#74
That same dude?
Yeah the bed is burning song is best song for Midnight Oil
2003/03/19 McCain joins Democrats to vote against drilling in ANWR
[Yeah, he was some ‘visionary’.]
http://www.hotr.us/mccain/mccainagain.html
ATTENTION HAYWORTH SUPPORTERS: If you care about defeating McCain, I urge you to visit the above link. It’s a very easy load and worth it!
In Parliament.
On the cover of the single for Beds are Burning
That the dude
BTW NM I saw Midnight Oil in concert I couldn’t believe how tall Peter was DAMNNNNN
Garrett is seven feet tall. It is worth reading about his travels throught the Australian political system.
OK. I understand now. One problem is evidently that some workers were stupid enough to staple the vapor barrier foil into electrical cables. I can’t imagine even an amateur doing that, but I guess people can be dumb, sometimes.
And part of the problem might be old electrical lines that aren’t up to current code. Again, I would think most contractors would know enough to tell the homeowner they needed to bring in an electrician to upgrade the wiring.
I’m not sure if any of that is the fault of a government minister. It seems like elementary common sense to me. And I’m not sure you want the government laying down the law and getting into such details, which are already covered in housing codes I would imagine.
So, now they’re outlawing vapor barriers? That doesn’t make any sense, IMHO. It’s going to lead to a lot of rotting roofs, if they do.
Yeah DB I hear he is big guyyyy
Central planners tend to misallocate resources and create unanticipated consequences. Every damn time.
Markets. Markets. Markets.
Does anyone suppose they really believe all this "green" sh*t?
I've always thought they were just lying to gain power, but now I'm not so sure.
I’ve seen staples put into gas lines before ... you’re probably right in thinking that the electrification problem is most likely leakage from old wiring with poor insulation.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/homes-live-with-electricity/story-e6frgczf-1225829581116
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