Insulation clean up costs $98 million… so far

  Cleaning up the Gillard Government’s insulation disasters has so far cost Australian taxpayers $98 million with the meter still running.   The mounting cost of inspections and related rectification work was revealed this evening by departmental officials in Senate Supplementary Budget Estimates under questioning from Senator Simon Birmingham, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment.…

ABC NewsRadio – Basin reform consultation, Government’s announcement of a parliamentary inquiry

  MARIUS BENSON: Simon Birmingham, has the Government done the right thing by announcing this Parliamentary committee to be headed by Tony Windsor to look at the human impact of cuts in water supplies in the basin to residents in the Basin?   SIMON BIRMINGHAM: Well any type of Parliamentary oversight involvement is always welcome,…

Doorstop interview, Parliament House – Murray-Darling Basin reform, Afghanistan, Adelaide Hills immigration detention centre announcement

  SIMON BIRMINGHAM: For 12 days now Tony Burke has been the missing man of the Murray-Darling. Today we learn that he’s finally, tonight, going to meet with some irrigator and industry groups. We’ve got to ask the question, where has he been for these 12 days? Why hasn’t he been out there talking to the communities…