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Thousands will be out of work after insulation scheme backflipMalcolm Farr and Alison Rehn February 20, 2010 11:16AM ENVIRONMENT Minister Peter Garrett will keep his job but thousands of workers will be sacked after the abrupt scrapping of the disastrous $2.5 billion household insulation scheme yesterday. And Mr Garrett's own department admitted that as many as 80,000 homes across the country may have been left with insulation that does not comply with the official guidelines. The announcement was a dramatic retreat from hardline Government support for the rebate project and a severe political bruising for Mr Garrett and Prime Minister...

SYDNEY, Australia - Peter Garrett _ the towering, baldheaded former singer of the disbanded Australian rock group Midnight Oil _ continued his long, strange tour from pop star to politician Thursday when he was named Australia's environment minister. ADVERTISEMENT With his wild dancing and strident voice, Garrett was one of Australia's most recognizable singers until his band broke up in 2002, after belting out politically charged hits for more than 25 years. Garrett founded Midnight Oil when he was a law student in 1973, but the semi-punk rock group did not achieve global fame until its 1987 track "Beds are...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that he and legislative negotiators are on the verge of forging what he described as a historic infrastructure bond package that would be submitted to California voters on the June 6 primary ballot. "We're very close to coming to an agreement," Schwarzenegger said Thursday afternoon, just before ... meetings he has conducted in his office the past four days with Democratic and Republican leaders. "We have some hurdles to overcome and some obstacles to overcome," Schwarzenegger said, "but I have great hopes." The Senate and Assembly had scheduled late sessions Thursday but adjourned so the...