· Kevin Rudd and Peter Garrett went to the last election promising to: “Offer low interest Green Loans of up to $10,000 each to make 200,000 existing homes more energy and water efficient, with subsidised environmental audits and free Green Renovations packs.” (Election 07 Policy Document: Solar Schools Solar Homes) · In the…
DetailsThe Senate today passed its first censure motion in five years, the first since the election of the Rudd Government, targeting the mismanagement of programs in Peter Garrett’s portfolio. “Being censured by the Senate is a serious matter,” Coalition spokesman Senator Simon Birmingham said, “it is not done very often and it is…
DetailsMark Arbib, the Minister responsible for coordinating the roll-out of the stimulus package, has refused to say when he first became aware of inadequate training and safety issues for workers involved in the ill-fated home insulation program. “When Mark Arbib was promoted by Kevin Rudd in February last year he was portrayed as…
DetailsEnvironment Department officials reporting to Minister Peter Garrett have the opportunity today to publicly detail all documents and advice given in relation to the Government’s disastrous home insulation program, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Senior officials from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts will this morning appear before the…
DetailsEnvironment Minister Peter Garrett should direct his department to release all documents, and detail all advice, to a Senate inquiry into the Government’s now scrapped home insulation program at its appearance tomorrow, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Departmental officials will tomorrow morning appear before the Senate inquiry at a hearing in Canberra to…
DetailsEnvironment Minister Peter Garrett is so embarrassed at his underperforming Green Loans program that he’s now trying to distance himself from any of the program’s targets, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. In a laughable television performance this morning, Mr Garrett also tried to blame Home Sustainability Assessors for the delays they’ve experienced in…
DetailsClaims to have achieved national management of the Murray Darling Basin have been exposed as little more than a sham under questioning in Senate Estimates, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Department officials, under questioning from Coalition Murray Darling spokesman Simon Birmingham, have confirmed overnight that the New South Wales Government retains a veto…
DetailsA key election promise of thousands of loans for environmentally friendly home improvements has been disappearing before our very eyes, Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Revelations of appallingly low take up rates have been made in Senate Additional Budget Estimates under questioning from Senator Birmingham, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Action. “Labor…
DetailsThe Rudd Government is living in an alternate universe, spending millions of taxpayer dollars recruiting ever more staff to manage its twice defeated emissions trading scheme (ETS), Senator Simon Birmingham said today. Revelations in relation to wasteful hiring practices have been made at Senate Additional Estimates overnight under questioning from Senator Birmingham, Shadow…
DetailsThe Government’s proposed emissions trading scheme is so confusing that even Mr Rudd and his Government’s Leader in the Senate can’t explain its impact nearly nine months after the legislation’s introduction, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Action Simon Birmingham said today. Asked yesterday by Senator Birmingham how many Australian families will be worse…
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